Critical phases for the development of overweight
Furthermore it can be distinguished whether the overweight occurred early (“child-houd-onset obesity“) or late (“maturity/adult-onset obesity”). Basically, three critical phases can be identified in the development of childhood obesity:
- First year of life
- Between five and seven years (“adiposity rebound”)
- Puberty/Youth Age
Medical consequences and health effects
Overweight in children has not only “aesthetic effects” but it is also a chronic disease for body and soul.
Physical strains
Already in children, overweight can lead to a number of other diseases. These risk factors are less widespread in children than in adults. The WHO classifies these consequential damages according to the probability of their occurrence.
High probability: faster growth, stability of overweight, lipid metabolism disorders, increased blood pressure, cardiovascular problems Medium probability: disorders in sugar metabolism, fatty liver Low probability: orthopedic problems, sleep disorders, gallstones The cardiovascular system of children who are too fat suffers from the extra pounds. It is just as if the child had to carry a backpack with weights around with him every day. In the worst case, permanent heart damage can occur.
Approximately 60 percent of overweight children have postural deformities, often resulting in severe back pain. Knee, hip and ankle joints are permanently exposed to great stress and arthrosis (joint wear and tear) can develop at an early age. In exceptional cases, diseases that otherwise only affect adults can also be observed in overweight children.
This includes the so-called sleep apnoea. Due to overweight, among other things, respiratory arrest occurs repeatedly during sleep, which can end with reflex-like startle from case to case. This results in a non-recuperative sleep, the children are tired during the day, cannot concentrate, often complain of headaches and are not very productive. Metabolic diseases are also a frequent consequence of overweight. More and more affected children suffer from type 2 diabetes.
Psychological consequences
More frequent than the above-mentioned complications and concomitant diseases are the psychosocial burdens of the affected persons. Back pain is obvious and can be treated. But much more inconspicuous but at least as remarkable are the, at first sight invisible, damages which the psyche can take away through overweight.
First of all, the often fractured self-esteem has to be mentioned, which is in danger of constantly decreasing due to the more or less open remarks and looks in everyday life. Children and teenagers with overweight have a hard time among their peers and in society in general. They are often teased and ridiculed because of their appearance and have difficulty belonging.
This is not only about being fat, but also about other things that are associated with being overweight. These are prejudices such as being fat are unsportsmanlike, boring, unattractive and generally do not correspond to the idea of attractiveness. A fat child is especially deeply hurt and insecure when the criticism and condescension comes from within the family.
When parents and siblings start with statements like: “You’re too fat”, “You don’t get any dessert, you’re too fat anyway”, “Oh dear, look at yourself as you look”, then even children with a strong character will get the feeling that they are not right the way they are. They will feel more and more uncomfortable and unhappy in their skin. Sometimes they try to get rid of this feeling by eating and then the cycle is perfectly broken, which is difficult for the children to break out of without specific help. Because of these mental strains, serious psychological disorders such as anxiety, depression or eating disorders also arise.
