Important article highlighting the state of this health crisis.
Let’s point out that surveys in 2011, 2015, 2019 …also highlighted this, so while the pandemic made a bad situation worse, we can’t blame it all on the pandemic.
This is a result of a critical lack of good health education and expert lifestyle healthy support at community level necessary to support families to stay healthy. Over decades.
We need to very definitively separate out “body image” from health. Every child should feel confident and happy, whatever their body shape or size. However, we do want to keep a child or teen healthy.
Childhood obesity concerns aren’t about a body shape or image: the health complications are real and include [the condition referred to in the article “going blind” can be caused by an obesity-related condition called “benign intracranial hypertension”]. Other complications include diabetes, bone and joint pain/problems, breathing problems like asthma, premature heart disease, liver disease, problems with hormones/puberty. Longer term mental and physical health risks are substantial.
The article also referred to “stage 3 obesity” -Obesity is staged (called Edmonton Stages) not by size or shape but by the impact that the excess weight is having on health.
Childhood obesity is preventable, treatable, and reversible. And childhood obesity education is now available to all healthcare professionals in Ireland, so likely your GP is up-to-date. If you are concerned, this is a great place to start. If you are concerned about an eating disorder (including binge eating) @bodywhys also has good resources. Your INDI or CORU registered dietitian is also an excellent resource. There are also docs like me who are further obesity medicine training or certified.
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