When is overweight?
Obesity is defined by an excessive increase in fatty tissue. It occurs when the body weight is above the age and sex norms. Every therapy must be preceded by a medical diagnosis and assessment of body weight.
With the help of BMI (Body Mass Index) and the so-called weight percentiles, a distinction is made between normal weight, overweight and underweight. Despite their different meanings, the terms overweight, obesity, adiposity and obesity are often used synonymously. Obesity and obesity should not be spoken of because of their discriminatory character.
In order to determine the BMI, one needs the current weight and height of the child. The formula for calculating the BMI in adults goes back to the Belgian mathematician Adolph Quetelet and is: weight/kgBMI = ———————————– height x height Example: The child weighs 60 kg and is 1.40 m tall. BMI= 60: (1.4 x 1.4) = 60: 1.96 = 30.6In this case, the BMI is rounded up to 31.
There is a percentile table for boys and one for girls. The age of the children is also taken into account. The current body mass index (BMI) is entered in the percentile table in combination with the age of the child and read on the horizontal axis between BMI and age.
Values above the 85th percentile can be described as conspicuous and above the 90th percentile the child is overweight. Values above the 97th percentile mean that the child is obese. The pattern of fat distribution is also included in the diagnosis.
A distinction is made between a female (gynoid) form, which mainly has increased fat tissue on the hips and thighs (so-called pear type) and a more male (androgenic, central, (abdominal) form, with a fat concentration mainly in the abdominal region (so-called apple type). In adulthood, the risk of subsequent medical complications increases with the so-called apple type. There are controversial findings in children and adolescents.
However, there is a risk that childhood obesity will stabilize and remain until adulthood.Fat deposits in the abdominal region can be most accurately visualized with the help of computer tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. In most cases, the cause is a positive energy balance. This means that over a longer period of time either too many calories are consumed or too few calories are burned due to lack of exercise.
Excess food energy is stored in fat depots over the long term. However, there are also other causes of overweight. These forms account for only 5 percent of childhood obesity cases.
Nevertheless, these disorders must be carefully ruled out in overweight children. A distinction is made between primary (too many calories or too little exercise or both combined) and secondary obesity. Secondary means that the overweight is due to endocrine (affecting the hormone system) or genetic (inherited) underlying diseases. Medication can also trigger overweight.
