Persist in scientific exercise to maintain balanced nutrition
Let children say goodbye to obesity (Health Focus)
Our reporter Shen Shaotie
"People's Daily" (19th edition on January 15, 2021)
With my country’s economic and social development and the improvement of people’s living standards, the nutritional and health status of children and adolescents has gradually improved.
However, due to changes in dietary structure and lifestyle, the rate of overweight and obesity has also begun to rise, affecting the physical and mental health of some children.
The party and the state attach great importance to obesity in children and adolescents.
In October 2020, six departments including the National Health Commission and the Ministry of Education jointly issued the Implementation Plan for the Prevention and Control of Obesity in Children and Adolescents, and put forward the overall goal of the prevention and control of "overweight and obesity", that is, based on the overweight and obesity rate from 2002 to 2017. The average annual increase in the rate is the baseline. From 2020 to 2030, the average annual increase in the overweight and obesity rates of children and adolescents between the ages of 0 and 18 will be 70% lower than the baseline.
At the same time, a series of key tasks were put forward with the core of strengthening the responsibilities of families, schools, medical and health institutions, and the government.
A few days ago, the reporter conducted an interview on how to prevent obesity in children and adolescents.
Appropriate exercise to increase muscle mass and reduce fat
Muscle consumes energy, while fat stores energy.
By increasing muscles through exercise, you can increase energy consumption, reduce fat, and reduce weight
"Dad, I'm so tired, let's take a break!" "Come on! Hold on for another 5 minutes, and we will rest." In the evening, a father and son were jogging in a quiet community on Hujialou Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
They have persisted for almost half a month.
In the past two years, his son Xiao Ming, who doesn't like sports, has become heavier and heavier.
During the epidemic prevention and control period in 2020, he "home" at home to take online classes and play on his mobile phone, his outdoor activities were greatly reduced, and his weight rose a few kilograms.
Xiao Ming is only 13 years old and is 155 cm tall, but he weighs more than 130 kg and is overweight about 40 kg.
"Starting from June 2020, basically every other day run, usually around 8 o'clock in the evening." Father Li Li said, seeing his son getting fatter, he became more and more anxious.
Prior to this, Li Li took his son to see a doctor. The doctor said that the child's blood sugar and blood pressure were high and his physical health was relatively poor. He suggested that he change his lifestyle as soon as possible to reduce his weight.
In order to help his son lose weight, Li Li formulated a strict exercise plan and personally demonstrated it. Outdoor running is one of them.
After 4 months of persistence, Xiao Ming successfully lost more than 20 catties.
When he returned to school, his classmates almost didn't recognize him.
"After weight loss, the child's body improved significantly, the spirit improved, and the study became more focused." Li Li said that if you want to stay in shape, you must keep exercising for a long time.
After the weather turned cooler, Li Li made an indoor exercise plan for his son.
Now, every Sunday, he takes his son to the nearby gymnasium to play badminton.
"The child is running and jumping on the court, swinging and hitting the ball. The whole body has got exercise, and the weight has further dropped. It has already bid farewell to the'little fat dun'!"
"Children who do not exercise or do not exercise are more likely to be overweight because they consume too little calories." Ma Jun, director of Peking University's Institute of Child and Adolescent Health, analyzes that children spend a long time sitting watching TV, playing with computers, mobile phones and other electronics after studying. The product has very little exercise, which can easily cause obesity.
According to the survey, for every additional hour of sitting and watching TV, the probability of obesity increases by 1.5%.
Obesity can cause some health problems for children and adolescents.
Gao Shan, director of the Endocrinology Department of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University, said that obese children and adolescents may have high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high blood fat, and fatty liver.
Among the obese children she received, some developed hypertension at the age of 10 and some developed diabetes at the age of 13.
In addition to physical diseases, obesity can cause abnormal growth and development of children, such as precocious puberty or stunted growth, which will affect life and study.
If the weight is too high, it will also affect the child's bones, causing deformities such as scoliosis.
In addition, obesity can also cause psychological disorders such as low self-esteem and withdrawn in children.
Yan Jie, director of the clinical nutrition department of Beijing Children's Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University, found out that obese children had excessive fat and had very few muscles during a body composition test.
"Muscle consumes energy and fat stores energy. Only when energy is consumed, fat will be less. By increasing muscles through exercise, you can increase energy consumption, reduce fat, and reduce weight." Yan Jie said.
Ma Jun suggested that parents take their children to participate in physical exercises and increase outdoor activities.
As children are young and have poor self-discipline, parents try to choose more entertaining sports, such as rope skipping, dancing, swimming, and playing badminton.
Exercise time should not be too long, so that children feel relaxed and happy after exercise.
Appropriate exercise not only helps children develop healthy habits, but also strengthens their body and confidence.
Reasonable diet to control oil and reduce sugar
A healthy family diet is the key.
Parents should ensure less fat, less frying and less salt when cooking, so that children can eat less snacks and drink less drinks
"I couldn't even button my clothes before, but now I am completely different!" After more than a year of diet control and exercise training, Xiaomei has reduced from 180 kg to less than 150 kg.
Xiaomei lives in Dongcheng District, Beijing. She is 16 years old and 160 cm tall.
In 2019, she was taken to the hospital by her father because of obesity, excessive blood sugar and blood lipids, and poor health.
"This girl is too overweight, has many abnormal health indicators, and her youth development has not yet begun." Gao Shan said that Xiaomei usually has poor self-control in her diet, loves sweets and eats a lot.
The parents felt sorry for the child and gave her an extra meal.
Unhealthy diet causes severe excess weight.
According to the standard, Gao Shan calculated the calories and amount of exercise she needed every day, and formulated a healthy diet plan and exercise plan for her.
"My plan is gradual. At first, I corrected her eating sweets and asked her parents to stop adding meals. Then she slowly let her eat reasonable and healthy." Gao Shan said that she also helped Xiaomei contact a rehabilitation practitioner to guide her Sports Training.
Now, Xiaomei’s weight has been effectively controlled, her health problems such as high blood sugar and high blood lipids have disappeared, and her physical development is the same as that of girls of the same age.
"Some children like to eat fast food and other junk food, various sweets, and sweet drinks. They are easily overweight. If parents pamper their children too much, regardless of the child's mouth, they are prone to obesity." Gao Shan introduced, 2 to 6 years old Children at the age of 10 years have the fastest weight gain. If parents overfeed, the child will be overweight.
"Obesity is not a child's personal problem. A healthy family diet is the key." Yan Jie believes that the reason why some children are overweight is because the family's diet is big fish, meat, and oily polysaccharides.
Children eat with their parents and tend to gain weight.
She suggested that parents should lead by example and eat healthy.
The principle of a healthy diet is proper amount and balanced nutrition.
Parents should ensure that there is less fat, less frying, and less salt when cooking. Let children eat less snacks and drink less drinks, so that children will not gain weight.
Ma Jun believes that improper eating habits are the most prominent cause of obesity in children and adolescents.
He suggested that parents can refer to the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2016)" to master healthy eating methods and match nutritious meals for their children.
The "Guide" is issued by the CDC of the National Health Commission and can help residents make healthy dietary choices.
"Some children gain weight quickly, not necessarily because they eat too much, they may be diseases, and they should seek medical attention." Gao Shan believes that some genetic diseases and endocrine system diseases may cause obesity.
For example, hypothyroidism will cause the child's metabolism to slow down, and body fat will accumulate under the skin, resulting in obesity. If not intervened in time, it may affect the child's growth, development and intelligence.
If hypothyroidism is detected early, as long as you go to the endocrinology department of the hospital for treatment in time and regularly, you can treat it to the extent that it hardly affects your growth and development.
Active action to prevent obesity
Solving the problem of obesity in children and adolescents is not a child’s personal business. It requires the joint efforts of parents, medical institutions, schools, and the government to create a social atmosphere for a healthy life.
"On the morning of November 28, 2020, we will continue to carry out winter fat loss training in the Shijingshan Women and Children's Activity Center..." In the "2020 Cloud Weight Loss Registration Guidance WeChat Group", a notice has just been issued, and parents have signed up for their children. , And soon surpassed 10 people.
This is the winter "Cloud Weight Loss" event organized by the Clinical Nutrition Department of Beijing Children's Hospital.
The event is jointly organized by the Clinical Nutrition Department of Beijing Children's Hospital and the State Sports General Administration, aiming to systematically teach the correct diet and exercise methods to children and parents to help children lose weight.
Nutrition experts use online videos to teach the nutritional knowledge needed for weight loss; exercise experts use videos to guide parents and children in real-time scientific exercise to lose weight.
Through months of "cloud weight loss", many children's weight has dropped significantly and their health indicators have gradually returned to normal.
Hunan Children's Hospital started to organize the "Fatty Slimming Summer Camp" in 2003, and has held 19 sessions so far, each period recruiting about 60 obese children and adolescents aged 8-14.
After a detailed physical examination, the children entered the camp for 14 days of closed training, during which they were trained in strict accordance with health prescriptions, exercise prescriptions, and nutrition prescriptions issued by hospital experts, and the average weight loss was nearly 5 kg.
"While weight loss is given to children, the weight loss summer camp will also cultivate healthy lifestyle habits for children so that they can continue to exercise and maintain a healthy diet after returning home." said Zhong Yan, director of the Children's Health Center of Hunan Children's Hospital.
Experts believe that solving the problem of obesity in children and adolescents is not a matter for the child. It requires the joint efforts of parents, medical institutions, schools, and the government to create a social atmosphere of healthy life.
“If your child is overweight, the sooner you intervene, the better. Parents are the closest to your child, and you should monitor your child’s weight since childhood.” Gao Shan suggested that parents should keep the growth and development manual after establishing a health file for their child. And regularly monitor the growth and development of children, make records and comparisons.
If the child's weight exceeds the same age standard, it is recommended to intervene or seek medical attention as soon as possible.
In 2018, the National Health Commission issued the "Overweight and Obesity Screening for School-age Children and Adolescents", which lists the criteria for judging overweight and obesity for boys and girls at different ages from 6 to 18 years old. Parents can make judgments based on the age and gender of their children. .
Ma Jun believes that schools are the most important learning places for children and adolescents, and play an important role in preventing and improving obesity.
He suggested that reasonable dietary nutrition and exercise knowledge should be integrated into the regular education of kindergartens, primary and secondary schools to encourage children and adolescents to develop a healthy lifestyle from an early age.
The school allocates nutrition and health management personnel to the canteen, improves cooking methods, ensures the supply of fresh vegetables, fruits, coarse grains, and appropriate amounts of fish, poultry, eggs, milk, etc., and avoids providing high-sugar, high-fat, and high-salt foods so that students can eat more nutritiously and health.
Schools must strictly implement the national sports and health curriculum standards, and include sports performance in the high school entrance examination in accordance with relevant regulations.
Ensure that the daily outdoor activities of kindergarten children are not less than 2 hours under normal weather conditions; primary and secondary school students must spend at least 1 hour of medium-intensity physical activity in school every day, and ensure at least 3 hours of high-intensity physical activity per week to promote muscle strength Exercise and strengthen bones.
"Currently, in some areas with relatively developed economies, the problem of obesity in children and adolescents is more prominent." Ma Jun suggested that the relevant departments should shift their focus to carrying out multi-channel and diversified health promotion and advocacy activities to improve the health of children, adolescents and their parents. Health literacy and self-care awareness, develop healthy living habits, stay away from obesity, and create a social environment for children to grow up healthy.