Obesity is a big health problem. Many children are now obese due to the easy availability of unhealthy foods and poor eating habits. But with the help of their doctors, obesity in children is preventable.

Find a good pediatrician using location-based searches; such as the best pediatrician in Jacksonville FL. Select only a well-qualified pediatrician for your child’s medical care.

What is Obesity?

Obesity is a disease. You cannot push it under the carpet thinking it will resolve on its own. Being overweight and being obese is different.

Obesity, in medical terms, is defined as having excess body fat. One can be overweight and still not be obese. A person can be overweight due to muscles, bones, and other factors also. Poor eating habits, in time, cause a person to become obese. If a person continues to overeat or indulge in foods with high-fat content; it can lead to obesity.

But other factors can lead to obesity or even cause poor eating habits. A pediatrician can address these issues after examining your child.

The Role of Pediatricians in Preventing Obesity

Timely Intervention

Children visit their doctor for wellness checkups. Older children may visit their doctor less often but most may still see their doctor annually.

If your older child is bordering on obesity, your doctor will check it in time. On every visit, the child’s weight is checked along with other parameters. The BMI or the body mass index also helps in diagnosing obesity.

If the disease is diagnosed in time, its treatment can also start timely. So, choose a good pediatrician for your child. If your current pediatrician is not treating your child’s obesity or addressing it properly; find a new one.

Choose a good doctor via online searches; such as best pediatrician in Jacksonville FL (requirement + location).

Counselling and Education

Your pediatrician will help you and your child understand the cause of obesity. Parents or even the child may feel embarrassed about obesity. But it is nothing to be ashamed about really. It is a medical condition and thus needs to be treated as such.

For instance, your child may need to understand the importance of healthy eating. If your family’s poor eating habits are influencing your child’s unhealthy diet then the doctor will tackle the subject; no doubt.

Your pediatrician will also help you understand other causes of obesity. Poor sleeping habits can increase cravings for sugar-rich and other comforting foods. Stress also causes such cravings. Lack of sleep may also contribute to stress and vice versa. Children nowadays live under stress. There is immense pressure to perform well in academics, sports, and other activities. If children cannot cope with the stress; the result can be finding comfort in food and hence obesity.

A sedentary lifestyle is also a contributing factor to obesity. Children need physical activities to maintain good health. Addiction to video games can lead to a pack of physical activities. Depression and other mental health conditions can also cause overeating and hence obesity. Diabetes and heart problems can also result due to obesity.

Your pediatrician will find the root cause of your child’s obesity and help you understand its significance.

Your child may not listen to you. But when it comes to health scares, children are more likely to listen to their doctors.

Parents also need to be educated on the right diet for children. If the kids are obese, parents need to help them eat right. Childhood obesity is not preventable unless parents are educated about the health implications of obesity and what causes it.

The Right Medical Care

As per the cause of the obesity, your pediatrician will devise the right treatment plan for your child.

If the underlying cause for your child’s obesity is stress or depression, your pediatrician will address it. The doctor will even recommend a specialist for your child if needed. For instance, your child may need to see a psychologist or a psychiatrist for the treatment of depression. Once the depression is treated, any resulting problem from it will also be resolved.

The pediatrician will recommend you see a nutritionist if poor eating habits are causing your child to become obese.

A pediatrician is important for your child’s health.