More and more children in our country coexist with a serious and persistent problem: severe obesity. A disturbance that – especially when it arises so early – is associated with very serious health risks, reaching even the life expectancy of normal -breasted peers, and which today in our country affects over 100 thousand children and teenagers under the age of 17. To launch the alarm is the Italian company of Pediatrics during the last national congress that was held in Naples.
A pathology, many health risks
According to the Okkio to the health surveillance system of the Higher Institute of Health, severe obesity now concerns at least 2.6% of Italian children aged 8-9 years. An alarming situation – the SIP experts warn – if they consider the definitions of the World Health Organization (WHO). “Serious obesity in evolutionary age is associated with very serious risks. Even in the short term we speak of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, fatty liver, but also anxiety, social isolation, low self -esteem. And the boys who suffer from it risk a reduction in life expectancy of even over 15 years compared to their normopedian peers”, underlines Claudio Maffeis, an ordinary professor of the ordinary professor of Pediatrics at the University of Verona.
How to recognize it
The definition shared by the main Italian scientific societies speaks of severe obesity when the body mass index (BMI) exceeds the 99th percentile by age and sex. A useful indication for the pediatrician, but less for parents, who can however use another indicator: the life/stature ratio. If the circumference of life exceeds half of the height is a signal that the child is developing weight problems. If it exceeds 60%, the risk of obesity is very high. With this empirical calculation it is possible to evaluate the presence of a problem in children under the age of six. To be explored with the pediatrician, who will possibly make the diagnosis and prescribe the investigations of the case.
Prevention and care
The best weapon against excess weight – explain SIP experts – is prevention. And therefore regular controls from the pediatrician, attention to early signs, and a healthy lifestyle in the family, because children learn by imitation and active parents, who eat well and move, transmit a positive model to their children.
If the weight problems are presented, you don’t have to panic, but it is important to act quickly following the indications of the pediatrician (no to DIY then), to prevent an overweight, perhaps light at the beginning, it turns over time into a chronic disease. The more the intervention is delayed, the more complicated the situation: according to a recent study, the intensive programs in the lifestyle manage to reduce BMI in over 50% of children between 6 and 9 years old, but have almost null effects in teenagers, given that only 2% of children between 14 and 16 years respond positively.
“Age makes the difference. If we intervene between 6 and 9 years of age, we can really change the health trajectories of children,” explains Rino Agostiniani, president of the Italian Pediatric Society. “This data confirms that early prevention is today the key to counteracting the increase in severe obesity and its consequences over time”.
Therapy
Serious obesity is a disease and as such must be addressed, by multidisciplinary teams and in specialized centers, which guarantee multi-professional therapy with follow-up. Children with severe obesity also often have motor difficulties that hinder participation in physical activity, fueling a vicious circle of inactivity, isolation and low self -esteem that contribute to a further increase in weight. In these cases, diet and sport are not enough, but cognitive-behavioral therapy, especially if it involves the whole family, has shown that it is much more effective than the nutritional interventions only.