How to Prevent Child Obesity

Child obesity is at an all-time high in the world today. There are many factors that play a part in this health problem, including genetics. However, most of the time other factors play a role in childhood development and obesity. There are ways you can help.

Instructions

• 1

  Refrain from awarding children with sweets. Yes, children should be rewarded for good behavior and good grades, but find a healthier way to do so. A couple of ideas include taking them to see their favorite sports team, going to see a movie, a trip to the mall or picking out a new book at the bookstore.

• 2

  Encourage children to become involved in recreational and school activities. Most school activities do not start until children are in the 6th grade. However, most cities in the world offer soccer, baseball, basketball and softball for children of all ages.

• 3

  Speak with school administrators about purchasing healthy vending machines. These machines only carry fresh fruits and vegetables, fruit juices, water and other healthy snacks.

• 4

  Limit how much time a child spends watching TV, playing video games or surfing the web. Give a child an hour or less to do all these things. The rest of her free time should be spent doing something active such as playing outside with friends or assisting with household chores.

• 5

  Help children develop a positive self-image. Concentrate on the positive aspects of the child, not the negative. Everyone likes to hear praise and should be praised for a job well done. It has been proven that children with positive self images are less likely to become obese or to be hindered with an eating disorder.

• 6

  Practice what you preach. If you are going to encourage your child to eat healthy and be active, you should do the same. They do learn all behaviors from their parents and that includes healthy ones.