There has been a research on the eating habits of children in the prestigious magazine named Environmental Journal of Health. In this research done in collaboration with many big universities of the world, it was found that children who eat while watching TV, laptop or mobile, they later also have tantrums in terms of food. These children have been seen to be aggressive even on small matters. It was also observed that children up to 10 years of age who eat while watching TV have a manifold increased risk of obesity, while children who eat lunch or dinner while interacting with family have a lower risk of obesity.
10 to 12% of children in India are obese
The survey, published in the BioMed Central journal, has shown an increase in the incidence of obesity in children over the years, and increasing obesity in children is emerging as a serious problem. 10 to 12 percent of children in India are obese. By 2030, nearly half of the country’s children could be affected by this disease. According to a recent survey, the consumption of oil products among Indian children has increased by 20 percent in the last 50 years. Children between the ages of 11 and 20 are reported to account for nearly 80 percent of those eating candy, chocolate, pizza, french fries and sweets.
WHO warning
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released a report, in which the screen time of children below 5 years of age has been fixed. More than the prescribed amount of screen time of children under 5 years of age has a direct impact on their physical and mental development. In this report, WHO has instructed to keep children away from mobile phones, TV screens, laptops and other electronic devices.
WHO guideline
- For children below 1 year: Zero screen time has been prescribed for children below one year of age.
- For children 1 to 2 years old: Screen time for children of this age should not exceed 1 hour a day.
- For children of 3 to 4 years: For children of 3 to 4 years of age, maximum time of 1 hour has been prescribed in a day.
- Disadvantages of watching TV while eating
- By watching TV while eating, metabolism slows down and fat starts accumulating in the body.
- By eating food while watching TV, all the attention is focused on the program running in the TV and because of that it does not care how much has been eaten. Most of the children like to eat junk food when they watch TV.
- Having dinner or lunch while watching TV, children become obese very quickly. So change this habit of yours and try that you eat food first and then watch TV comfortably. Inculcate this habit in your children from the very beginning.
what do psychiatrists say
Psychiatrist Dr Binda Singh says that many parents also come with complaints that children start shouting at the smallest things. Often parents also make their children sit in front of the TV to feed them or give them something by putting something in the phone.
This is a very wrong practice. In such a situation, the attention of children gets divided and they eat more food than hunger. At this age, the imagination of children is sharp. That’s why earlier people used to tell stories to children. But now instead of telling stories, parents hand over the phone to the children.
Include fruits and vegetables in the diet of the child. Children love colours. Make colorful vegetables. Children should eat pulses, green vegetables, which is beneficial for their health. Keep children away from chips, crunchy, junk food, chocolate. These are very harmful for children.
- Cause of obesity
Many factors like genetic, biological, lifestyle, etc. are responsible for obesity. Usually obesity occurs in children who eat more calories than the body needs. And he doesn’t do any kind of workout. - Lack of physical activity: Children nowadays spend most of their time watching TV. Because of this, they have less physical movement. Also eat junk food while watching TV. Due to this, their weight increases rapidly.
- Junk food has taken the place of nutritious food in food and drink. That is, the taste has increased, but the nutrition has disappeared. As a result of this our health is deteriorating and weight is increasing.
- Medical causes: Conditions such as endocrine or neurological diseases also cause obesity. Some medicines also increase obesity.
Risks associated with obesity: There can be many complications due to obesity. like-
- diabetes type 1
- They are falling prey to blood pressure at a young age.
- Heart diseases are starting to surround him.
Symptoms and effects of obesity
- get tired too soon
- sleep deprivation
- blood pressure
- risk of diabetes
- Shortness of breath
- sleep disturbances
- Apart from this, problems like lack of enthusiasm, inferiority complex are also seen in children. Symptoms such as depression and irritability are also seen in those children.
How to manage obesity?
- Start a weight management program.
- Make a habit of giving skim milk to the baby. Which reduces fat.
- Change your eating habits.
- Avoid junk and fast food.
- Cut down on the habit of watching TV.
- Get into the habit of playing outdoor games.