In the year 2012 we have a big problem. Today, a large part of the Dutch population is overweight. Measurements taken in 2008 showed that more than half of the adult population of the European Union is overweight. These numbers are still rising. But obesity is not only a problem among adults, children are also (seriously) overweight. 1 in 6 children is overweight, an alarmingly high number. How does a child become obese and what does it do to a child? We have known for about fifteen years that the number of overweight children is increasing. Despite all the attention from the media and experts and all the projects that have been launched, the number of children with obesity has increased even more. How is this possible?

When is a child obese?

The Body Mass Index or BMI is a formula with which you can calculate whether a child is overweight. In adults, the BMI can be calculated by dividing the weight by the height squared; a BMI between 18 and 25 is a healthy BMI for adults. However, in children, age must also be taken into account. Here BMI child the BMI of a child can be calculated. There are people who say that calculating BMI gives a distorted picture because muscle mass is not taken into account. This certainly applies to adults, but in children, who often do not yet have excessive muscle mass, this calculation formula is quite accurate.

What are the causes of increasing childhood obesity?

Obesity can be caused by various factors:

• A positive energy balance
• A disease
• Medication use
• Genetic predisposition

A positive energy balance means that more calories are eaten than burned. Certain diseases can disrupt the combustion mechanism . Consider, for example, Cushing’s disease . Medication use can also cause weight gain. The saying Every pound goes through the mouth is of course partly true. But one pound is not the same as the other. Genetic predisposition can cause one person to gain weight more quickly than another, some people always have to watch their weight, while others seem to be able to eat whatever they want.When the background of overweight children is examined, it appears that many of these children suffer from a difficult past, divorced parents, being bullied at school or the death of a family member. Obesity does not just happen, there is usually a reason that the child goes back to eating. A child’s psychological condition influences eating behavior.I previously wrote that the number of cases of obesity in children has continued to rise in recent years. It is striking that many of the above issues already played a role in people’s lives a few decades ago. If these factors were also influential in the past, why are there suddenly so many overweight children now?According to August Hans den Boef, it lies in the society in which we live. The post-war generation is used to an easy life. The shelves in the supermarket are filled with goodies and there is a snack bar or ice cream shop on every street corner. We can eat whatever and whenever we want, while we are no longer working in the fields as we used to, but often have a sedentary job in the office. Today’s society has far too much laziness that promotes obesity. According to Den Boef, the problem starts at a young age. In his article Let the child walk independently again in the NRC of June 30 and July 1, 2012, he writes:You see it everywhere. In the supermarket, children stand on the unfolded holder of the shopping cart. In the park they allow themselves to be carried on the shoulders of puffing and supportive parents. Symbolic of today’s children’s transport is what Martin Bril once called the “uterus cargo bike”. Sometimes a fat eleven-year-old child hangs in such a box, with a fragile, tiny mother behind him kicking herself (4).According to Den Boef, the focus of the campaigns against obesity is too much on eating less, while it should be on more exercise. This does not have to be difficult or expensive, a child does not have to play three sports or sweat in the gym, but just have to walk and cycle again. Nowadays many parents take their children to school by car. If children were to cycle the route every day, this would contribute largely to their exercise. Voila, you don’t need an expensive gym membership for that. According to Den Boef, children nowadays walk and cycle much less than before because parents are guided too much by laziness (NRC, 4). You can keep a child who runs through the store or touches everything with you by putting him in the cart, a whining child who whines because he or she is tired stops whining when you take him on your back. Den Boef calls this the whining factor. Children whine until they get what they want. Far too often, parents give in to their nagging children because they don’t feel like arguing after a long day at work.Indolence can therefore be an important cause of children being overweight. However, this does not always have to be the reason, as mentioned earlier, obesity can also have other causes. In any case, it is clear that parents play a crucial role in the development of obesity in children at a young age and that children have to walk, cycle and run around a lot at a young age.

What does obesity do to a child?

It is certain that being obese is not good for health. However, the psychological discomforts that a child experiences can be just as bad or worse than the physical ones. This becomes clear from the book Vet! by Inger Boxsem. She investigated the faces behind the numbers. For her book she interviewed ten children who are overweight and who are all working hard to improve. The book is recommended for anyone who wants to empathize with children and their struggle against obesity. After reading this book, you will view overweight children and their parents very differently and you will certainly adjust your prejudices.The book shows that a kind of vicious circle arises in children who are overweight. From an early age, children learn that eating gives them a good feeling. When babies cry they get a bottle and toddlers who have been good get a treat. Children are used to food being used as comfort. In this way, many children become emotional eaters. When they feel a little less well, they eat to get the good feeling back. Fat children are bullied more often than other children. They cannot keep up with the games played outside and are given the cold shoulder by other children or even bullied or scolded. This means that fat children no longer prefer to play outside, which means they get even less exercise, and so the vicious circle is complete.

Can obesity be cured?

Van Boxsem’s book also makes it clear that it is very difficult to regain a healthy weight once a child has developed obesity. Many of the children started exercising more and visited a dietician, often without results. The aim should not be for an average weight, but for a healthy lifestyle so that health risks are reduced. It has been shown that children who once become significantly overweight are unlikely to lose it. It is therefore important for parents to intervene early. At the moment this happens far too little. Parents often think that their child will outgrow his or her baby fat, while this is often not the case. Yet we should not just point the finger at the parents of fat children. The basis of the problem lies in society, we are tempted too much by bad food, we know too little about what really healthy food is and we simply exercise far too little.Parents in particular seem to have an important role in guiding their child. They serve as an example and must teach their child a healthy lifestyle in the age of temptation that we know today. There is a snack bar or a supermarket in every street where the goodies are displayed in rows. Fortunately, today people are becoming increasingly aware of the dangers of unhealthy eating. Society must be organized differently. Parents need to get more information about what healthy eating is for them and their children, and children should not be tempted to eat bad things every moment of the day. As a parent, it is also important to take early action if you notice that your child is gaining weight in an unhealthy way. For obesity, the following applies: Prevention is better than cure.