Childhood obesity is a growing and worrying problem for a few years. However, far from being solved, pediatricians are watching how the problem is getting bigger over time.
In a series of posts we are commenting on the main aspects of this table, in order to bring to any father and mother (or person interested in this topic) all the necessary information that allows him to face (better prevent) this situation.
In a previous post we already commented that this problem must be addressed from the root, since not doing so in a few years we can find the problem that an obese population poses: greater health risks, greater number of diseases, casualties, disabilities and therefore until repercussion in the economy and the progress.
In this post we comment on important news, curiously after what was said in the first post, but intimately related to the arguments we used in that post to comment on the importance of properly educating our children in proper health habits, including food .
The President of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN), Roberto Sabrido, warns of a situation that would mean the first time a generation has a life expectancy lower than that of their parents.
I admit that for me at least it is a pleasure to agree on this issue with someone who runs an institution of such relevance. By the way, a single sentence from his presentation summarizes the real risk we face at the moment:
For the first time a generation of citizens adds a life expectancy lower than that of their parents.
This is a phrase that in itself should be enough to make us finally understand that this problem is getting out of hand.
Do we have to worry?
You are right. The first alarming figure given as official data is that no less than 28% of the Spanish child population is overweight or obese. While being overweight is a lesser degree, it is also true that not only does it predispose itself to obesity, but that it accumulates the risk factors of it.
The bad thing about this childhood obesity figure is that if we look at adults it almost doubles, reaching 51%, which confirms that not only obese children are adults, but many others join them along the way.
The problem is that the union of risk factors derived from or associated with obesity (bad eating habits, sedentary lifestyle, hypercholesterolemia ...) can make a generation of citizens for the first time add a life expectancy lower than that of their parents, in words from the President of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition.
Spanish society has a "serious problem" health but also economic
We have already commented in a previous post to this news the importance of obesity not only in the consumption of health resources, but in the potential reduction of their availability in case of creating a less healthy future population than the current one.
The President of the AESAN also pointed out that currently between 6 and 7% of health spending is already committed to problems arising from overweight and obesity, a fact of course worrying, since it would be largely avoidable.
Are we in time to do something?
The answer is a resounding yes. And although it depends on many factors, the solution is in the hands of each of us, since we are the ones who have the key to the future of our society, represented in our children.
Roberto himself stressed the importance of food education, supported by measures of the different administrations, focused mainly on the acquisition of good habits.
However, it is important to remember that these actions can never replace the education the child receives. Ideally, a set of actions based on home education together with the support of the school, pediatrician and other parties involved.
We hope, with this series of posts focused on obesity in infants and young children, to continue insisting on this important issue, in addition to offering useful and truthful information that helps parents not only understand the problem, but to deal with it successfully. with his children, since we are still on time ...
Source | Excess weight will shorten the life expectancy of children with respect to their parents
