What Parents Need To Know About Childhood Obesity In Singapore
Why it happens, the consequences, and what you should do
By Terri Kue -
Singaporean kids are getting chubbier, especially during this period. Various clinics have noted a climb in childhood obesity cases since the pandemic began. In 2021, The Weight Management Clinic at KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) saw a 12 per cent increase in cases as compared to 2019, while The Division of Paediatric Endocrinology at National University Hospital (NUH) saw a 15 per cent increase.
But why are children gaining so much weight? Obesity can be caused by various reasons. NUH's website highlights excessive calorie intake, genetic factors, as well as lack of exercise. HealthHub pins in on an affluent lifestyle. With Singapore being a wealthier country than before, children no longer need to walk to school. Instead, they are ferried by vehicles. They also have access to technology and incidentally spend more time watching television or engaging with video games as compared to playing outdoors.
Yet, there are other reasons why children are facing an obesity crisis. If your kids are in this situation, keep reading to find more, as well as how childhood obesity can be harmful to your kids.
Are your kids fast eaters? Do they wolf down their plates of food in short amounts of time? This study shows that children who eat at a faster rate consume 75 per cent more energy content than slow eaters. This is because they take larger bites and don't chew their food as thoroughly, which results in them having more fatty tissues in their bodies.
If this is something you notice your little ones are doing, urge them to take their time during their meals. Some children may eat faster in order to leave the table and play their games - so try to work out a schedule where they have ample time to eat and play.
It can also be beneficial to restrict the use of technology at the dining table. When children are distracted while eating, they are not aware of how much they are consuming and pay less attention to how they eat. Have you ever sat down with a pack of chips while scrolling through your phone and suddenly it's all gone? It's the same concept.
Yes, what you ate during your pregnancy could be affecting your children's weight. As explained by this journal, the more carbohydrate and sugar a mother consumes during pregnancy, the higher the little one's BMI will be at 24, 36, and 48 months. This suggests a long-lasting impact of pregnancy macronutrient intake on babies, and that tackling infancy and childhood obesity starts before children leave the womb.
Adding on to that, if the mothers were overweight when carrying their kids, their children have a higher chance of becoming obese as both children and adults, as shown in this study.
Believe it or not, when you wean your kids can also affect their weight gain later on in life. The study conducted highlights that infants who started baby food earlier during the first six months of their lives had a higher risk of obesity than those that started it later.
On that note, breastfeeding can protect children from rapid weight gain early on in their lives. This is due to the fact that infant demand matches what the mother's body can provide, so this helps to avoid overfeeding. Formula-fed babies, on the other hand, are shown to have a higher risk of obesity and Type 2 diabetes mellitus.
It's a genuine question; is it that bad if kids are overweight? Will it all get better when they grow up? The answer isn't as straightforward as we'd like it to be.
Childhood obesity can lead to both immediate and long-term health problems. These include, and are not limited to, diabetes mellitus, fatty liver, increased risk of heart disease, stroke, various types of cancer, and knee and ankle issues (NUH).
However, physical health is not all you need to look out for. Obese children can also face depression and low self-esteem which affect their mental wellbeing. These can stem from feeling pressured to lose weight, encountering bullying, and having trouble making friends (NUH).
If you want to help your kids along their weight loss journey, Health Promotion Board (HPB) has some guidelines you can follow.
First of all, HPB recommends distributing food throughout the day. This means that 1) no skipping of meals as it can lead your kids to feel hungry and eat more at their next meal and 2) the proportions should be sufficient to ensure your children don't feel the need to snack throughout the day.
Remember how we highlighted having your kids eat slowly? Along with that, you can also give them high-density food that is low in energy content, as suggested by HPB. These include chicken breasts, fish, egg whites, beans, and tofu.
Exercise should also be encouraged, even simple ones like walking. Encourage your kids to take daily strolls with you - aim to slowly work towards the recommended 10,000 steps a day.
If you want your kids to get more active, HealthXchange.sg has some tips to get your kids interested in physical activity. First of all, fun sports such as basketball and badminton can get kids engaged. However, try to see what your little ones themselves are interested in - enthusiasm is a great source of motivation to get moving! After, you can set realistic targets with them and work as a team to achieve it - such as playing for 35 minutes a day, etc.
On the other hand, you can try out various online fitness games such as Wii and Kinect to replace sedentary video games. Of course, this is not a replacement for proper exercise, but it's still a great way to get your kids' blood pumping.
Overall, in order to help your child, it's important to make them feel loved during the process and to help them understand why it's important that they lose weight. Showing them you care for their well-being will get you much farther than if you were to nag and force them. We also recommend allowing them to have their own pleasures from time to time; if adults can have cheat days, why not the same for kids, right?
A version of this story first appeared in Young Parents.