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Regimen for fitness
DR. VIJAY VISHWANATHAN
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Preventing obesity in children will help reduce chances of their developing diabetes and other complications in the future.
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Photo: K.R. Deepak
ON THE MOVE: Exercise prevents children from putting on weight.
The year 2007 is very special for all those involved in Diabetes Care and also for those affected by this disorder. UN Resolution 61/22 recognises the severity of diabetes and encourages member states to develop national policies for the prevention,
treatment and care of diabetes.
Recently released figures from the International Diabetes Federation has reported that over 70,000 children develop Type 1 diabetes every year and that some 440,000 children worldwide under the age of 14 live with Type 1 diabetes requiring insulin injections throughout their lives.
More problems
Adding to this burden in children is the fact the Type 2 diabetes, which usually occurs in older people and is preventable by proper lifestyle modifications, is also increasing in alarming proportions.
Diabetes in children poses more problems than in adults since it is more difficult to implement frequent blood glucose testing, take medication and balance both activity and food intake. This poses a great challenge for both children and their parents. Moreover children with diabetes can develop complications like kidney failure at a young age.
Obesity is the most important factor for the development of Type 2 diabetes in children. Obese children develop either frank diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance, which is a prediabetic condition.
Obesity is linked to behaviour, dietary habits and physical activity. In western countries, processed food items are the main cause of obesity; while in India, the main reason seems to be rapidly changing food patterns influenced by advertisements of sugary drinks and high calorie snacks. Moreover, children are less physically active today due to the influence of computers and television.
Evidence suggests that family-based weight management techniques that involve parents and school authorities and emphasise healthy home environments are more likely to succeed.
It is important to increase fruit and vegetable intake; substitute water for sweetened beverages and low calorie snacks for high calorie ones; increase physical activity and cut down the time spent before the computer and television. Parents should encourage children to take part in sports and games either in school or through various clubs.
A study in the U.S. showed that a reduction in the use of television and video games from 12 to eight hours every week reduced body mass of many children.
Changes in schools
The trim and fit programme in Singapore involved many changes in schools like installation of water coolers to encourage children to drink water instead of high calorie drinks and rewards for schools that achieved good health results. The programme reduced the prevalence of obesity significantly in school children.
There is an immediate need to address the prevention of obesity and appropriate behaviour in terms of diet and physical activity in all children in India.
This is necessary to prevent further increase in the number of children with obesity, which in turn can reduce the chances of them developing diabetes and other associated disorders like heart disease.
The writer is a Chennai-based diabetologist.
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