Do chubby children make fat adults? Explore the facts

Last summer, when our grandchildren came here to spend their vacation with us (grandparents), Mallika was quite upset that they were skin and bones. She rang up our daughter Radhika, who herself is a practicing doctor in the United States, to complain that she is not feeding the kids properly. My daughter advised her not to overfeed them lest they become fat as they grew up.

The cause of obesity is not over eating in adulthood but overfeeding in childhood. In many countries they have begun screening all 4 years old in order to curb health risks linked to obesity. They subject all the children to BMI (Body Mass Index) and prescribe a suitable diet for those children who are overweight. The best index for obesity in a child is to divide their weight in kilos by height in metres.

In America and other European countries where they have conducted surveys of BMI in 7 year olds, they have found an increase in the percentage of overweight children from 8% to 21%. Obesity in children is increasing day by day with junk food like hamburgers and pizzas, french fries and colas.These children grow up prone to heart problems, blood pressure, diabetes and strokes.

So the treatment of obesity really starts in childhood.