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 this post we explain a series of aspects related to how the pediatrician studies and focuses the diagnosis and study of possible cases of obesity and overweight.
This study is, after all, the first step to achieve the most important goal, which is none other than to achieve not because the child is thin, but at an appropriate weight for his age. And above all, with healthy living habits that allow it to develop physically, psychologically and socially.
The purpose of this post is for parents to know a little better how professionals work, so that they understand why certain studies or explorations are carried out.
The medical history in the child with possible obesity or overweight
In the medical history the pediatrician reacacates a series of fundamental data for the diagnosis and monitoring of any process, and of course for the control of any healthy child.
Among these data are personal and family history, since in some cases (and as we saw in a previous post), there are genetic and family factors that can influence the development of overweight or obesity.
Within that background It will place special emphasis on those who can contribute to increased cardiovascular risk, such as high blood pressure or hypercholesterolemia, since they can be inherited. And if they are associated with obesity, they can generate more risk and require adequate monitoring.
It will also ask about possible symptoms or data that may be related to processes that favor the onset of obesity. Among them will be eating, exercise or other habits. Another important aspect will be the evolution of the weight and height of the child (hence the importance of making the tables from birth).
Exploration in children with possible obesity or overweight
It is another fundamental part, since in it the pediatrician not only verifies the visible signs of these processes, but also discards others that may be related to diseases or underlying disorders.
The pediatrician usually performs a complete examination, looking for or discarding signs of processes that may be related to the presence of overweight, such as hypothyroidism.
One of the most important measurements made by the professional in the consultation is the so-called Body Mass Index (BMI), which is the relationship between the child's weight and height, squared.
It is a fast, economical and reliable method to know if a child is overweight or obese, in relation to their age, weight and height. However, the drawback is that it does not allow to assess the amount and proportion of body fat. This is done by other measurements that require other instruments and more time, such as those performed on skin folds.
One of the advantages of BMI is that it serves to check the evolution over time, since the measurements are transferred to graphical tools, whose values vary depending on the age of the child.
Another fact that helps to assess these tables is the ideal weight, which is the result of dividing the child's real weight by the ideal weight for his age and height according to the tables of normality, for his age and sex.
In cases where there is indeed an alteration of the weight, the pediatrician usually also periodically controls blood pressure and certain elements in the blood, such as cholesterol or different fats. Sometimes, it may be necessary to even ask for hormonal or even radiographic studies.
What is all this for?
One of the most important aspects of current medicine is prevention. In healthy child reviews it is easy to control the evolution of weight and height, with very fast and reliable measurements. The BMI calculation allows the professional to anticipate risk overweight and obesity substitutions, so that he can advise both the child and the family.
Therefore, visits to the pediatrician are the second of the fundamental steps to address this picture, which can be avoided.
The first step always consists in the will of the family to provide their children with a healthy lifestyle, in which the aforementioned visits to the pediatrician should be included.
