Child obesity and diabetes are a major problem in our nation today mostly because our word has changed so drastically in the past thirty years. Fast food has taken the place of family dining around the kitchen table. Video games have become yesterday’s backyard baseball game. Our modern world has not only affected what we perceive as normal but it has also affected the health of our children. This is why it is more important than ever before for parents to become knowledgeable about child obesity and diabetes. Below you will find the signs and symptoms of child obesity and diabetes along with healthy ways to reverse the effects of this disease.

Child Obesity and Diabetes symptoms

The diabetes child may have:

• Above average thirst
• Increased desire to eat (especially after a meal)
• Nausea
• Cotton mouth
• Stomach pain
• Weight loss that cannot be explained
• Blurry vision
• Fatigue
• Frequent urination
• Frequent infections (most common are UTI’s and infections of the skin)

While there are many advances in medicine in our modern world, the best way to reduce the effects of child obesity and diabetes is prevention. However, if your child has already developed the disease it is important that you do not blame yourself. Instead, think of healthy ways that you can help your child live a healthier life. Here are a few tips for reducing symptoms and managing child obesity and diabetes.

TIPS FOR GETTING HEALTHY NOW
• Focus on fitness. Make exercise fun!
• Check blood sugar levels a few times a day to help stay on track
• Take recommended dose or doses of insulin as directed
• Maintain a healthy diet and pay special attention to the amount of sugar and starches your child eats. This may also mean working with your child’s school or packing lunches that you know are good for their condition.
• Stay in contact with your child’s doctor and heed expert advice. Don’t be afraid to speak up if something doesn’t seem to be working for your child whether physically or emotionally. They doctor may be able to give you alternate choices.
• Stress less! Child diabetes obesity can be stressful but sometimes childhood obesity and diabetes can be more stressful on parents than children. Remember they take their cues from you. When they see you relaxed they are bound to follow suit.

Recently when a couple of US doctors suggested that kids with child obesity and diabetes symptoms should be removed from their parents’ care, it ignited a sort of controversy.  While it is an over the top suggestion it has directed the spotlight on the part that parents play in keeping their kids active and healthy. Child obesity diabetes is something that is no longer being taken lightly.

In the opinion piece in the Journal Of The American Medical Association, the 2 Harvard doctors argued the US government should have the right to remove severely obese children from their parents’ home and place them in foster care.  “In severe instances of childhood obesity, removal from the home may be justifiable from a legal standpoint because of imminent health risks and the parents’ chronic failure to address medical problems,” Lindsey Murtagh and David Ludwig wrote.

Dr Brian Morton, chairman of the Australian Medical Association’s Council of General Practice, says while this sort of measure would have no place in Australia, it is a parent’s responsibility to ensure their kids can access a healthy diet and lifestyle.  “Such an idea would not be a sensible approach to the problem in 2011,” he says. “What parents of obese children, and all parents in fact, need instead is access to education on healthy eating and incentives to help them change.”

Alarming Statistics:

The statistics show obesity is a big issue for Australia’s youngster in fact it is a big problem world wide.  Earlier this year, the Cancer Council Australia and the Heart Foundation released figures, based on a study of 12,000 students in years 8-11, that claimed 1 in 4 Aussie youths were overweight or obese.  A key finding of this survey was that 85% of kids don’t get enough exercise; 76% don’t eat enough vegetables; 59% don’t eat enough fruit; and one in three drink four or more glasses of soft drink, cordial or sports drink a week.

Cancer Council Australia describes these findings as a “chronic disease time bomb” – and as children of this age are usually under some parental control and guidance, t makes sense that parents need to accept some responsibility for the lifestyles and diets their kids are following.

While it can be argued that some kids are more genetically predisposed to obesity, overwhelming evidence supports a healthy diet and lifestyle will trump these fat genes.

Families live fast paced lives and often eat on the run.  Making sure adults and kids eat 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of vegetables a day and also managing an hour of moderate exercise can seem impossible.  But it is achievable and it must happen today, says Dr Louise Hardy, senior research fellow at the University of Sydney’s Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity Research Group.

She adds that ensuring kids are eating healthily and getting enough exercise needs to be a top priority  for parents.  “Changing behavior is very difficult and parents face many barriers to promoting healthy eating and exercise, “she says.  “However, families need to take opportunities to cook and play together, and by starting this healthy routine when the child is in their preschool years they help to establish these healthy behaviors as the norm.”

Childhood obesity and diabetes is something that no child should have to deal with and while there is no cure yet, science is making great strides. Many parents worry about their child’s long term health but it’s important to remember that child obesity and diabetes is a disease that can be managed with the right diet, exercise, medication and dedication.

Your child CAN live a healthy and long life when you begin to manage child obesity and diabetes!