CHILD OBESITY

Child Obesity

Child Obesity

Introduction

Obesity is the most common nutritional disease in children and adolescents in developed countries, but not only limited to these. Recent studies in different countries show that 5-10% of school-age children are obese, and in adolescents, the proportion will rise to 10-20% in figures 2.3. Similar incidence has been found in our country. Moreover, the frequency tends to increase in developed countries, constituting obesity a priority health problem, being a common risk factor for various diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hypertension (Dietz, 1998).

Its treatment is difficult and often refractory. Despite the difficulties in the treatment of obesity, we must insist on it, due to such negative consequences that obesity has both medical and psychological health of children and adolescents. Therefore it is necessary to act promptly and be convinced that the obese child lose excess fat and learn what a food and healthy lifestyle 5. In this sense, it is essential to work in the prevention of obesity, raising awareness among pediatricians, nurses, educators and parents of the importance of nutrition education for children from the earliest ages (Dietz, 1998).

Definition and Diagnostic Criteria

Obesity is a metabolic disorder that leads to excessive accumulation of energy as body fat in relation to the expected value according to sex, size and age 6. Overweight denotes a higher body weight in relation to the expected value according to sex size and age. In obese children the definition of obesity cannot always be accurate, because many times they also observed an increase in fat free mass (Bundred, 2001).

The exact criterion for the diagnosis of obesity is the determination of the percentage of fat in the body. To do this you can use various measurement techniques that estimate body fat content, such as: anthropometry, air-displacement plethysmography, the dual X-ray absorptiometry and bioelectrical impedance analysis, including 6.7. In current clinical practice, the most widely used index for the diagnosis of obesity is body mass index (BMI). The main limitation of BMI is the failure to distinguish between fat mass and fat-free mass. In addition, it has been observed that many children who have a BMI within normal limits according to Cole et al 8 have values ??of fat mass, determined by air displacement plethysmography (BOD-POD system), at rates of obesity (Bundred, 2001).

The IMC also presents another set of limitations such as, the need to find the ideal reference population, secular changes that it can get, with the consequent need to update the reference curves, and finally to identify the limits of the court to categorize obesity and overweight. Because of these limitations of BMI to distinguish which compartment is causing the increase or decrease the same, they must use other methods of measurement to assess body composition, such as air displacement plethysmography, dual X-ray absorptiometry and impedance. This method has its basis in hydrodensitometry, established reference method for determining body density. Body density was measured as body mass in air divided by the volume of ...