In Vietnam, the rate of overweight and obesity in children is increasing, especially in cities and is a risk factor for chronic diseases related to nutrition. In Ca Mau , the survey results show that the rate of overweight and obesity in children under 5 years old in 2018 was 5.4%, by 2024 it was 8.9% and the rate is increasing.

The causes and pathogenesis of obesity can be divided as follows:

Diet and nutritional habits: Energy reserves in the body are the difference between energy intake and energy expenditure, energy balance will be positive when energy intake is higher than energy expenditure and the excess energy will be stored as fat to store energy and lead to weight gain.

Children need a scientific and reasonable nutritional regimen according to their age.

Diets rich in lipids or high in calories are closely related to increased obesity rates. Fatty foods are often delicious, so people eat too much without knowing it. Not only eating too much fat and meat, but also eating too much starch can cause obesity. Fast food, pre-cooked food, reluctance to eat vegetables and fruits, the habit of eating a lot at dinner and eating while watching TV are characteristics of overweight and obese children.

Less physical activity: Less work including manual and mental work, along with dietary factors, the increase in obesity rates will go hand in hand with the decrease in physical activity, sedentary lifestyle also plays an important role in obesity.

Genetic factors: if both parents are obese, 80% of their children will be obese, if one of them is obese, 40% of their children will be obese. On the contrary, if both parents are normal, only about 7% of their children will be obese.

Socioeconomic factors: In developing countries, obesity rates are often low among the poor (malnutrition, heavy manual labor, and poor transportation) and obesity is a characteristic of the wealthy (good fat). In developed countries, where malnutrition is no longer common, obesity rates are higher among the poor and less educated than among the upper class.

Lack of sleep is also considered one of the high risks in overweight and obese children under 5 years old. The cause is unclear, but some authors believe that the family's irregular lifestyle from sleeping to eating or lack of physical activity creates low waves on the brain's electroencephalogram during sleep, which may also be due to the body's fat burning activity being maximum at night and lack of sleep reducing fat burning in general.

Maternal diabetes during pregnancy: Children of women with diabetes during pregnancy appear to be more obese later in life and have higher glucose tolerance than children of mothers without diabetes.

Low birth weight: There is a link between malnutrition in the fetus and obesity and other chronic diseases in adulthood.

Smoking during pregnancy: Maternal smoking during pregnancy is linked to the baby's ability to store fat.

Height-for-age malnutrition (stunting) in childhood: There is scientific evidence from many surveys showing a positive correlation between height-for-age and overweight and obesity in the same child or in members of the same family in urban areas of developing countries.

Consequences of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents:

Increased morbidity: childhood obesity syndrome increases risk factors for cardiovascular disease, abnormal glucose metabolism, hepatobiliary-intestinal disorders, sleep apnea, etc.

Sleep disordered breathing and asthma: Some studies have shown that 1/3 of severely obese children have symptoms of sleep apnea and 5% have severe airway obstruction while sleeping, snoring loudly. Another study found that 94% of obese children have abnormal sleep patterns. In the UK, there is a link between being overweight and obesity and asthma.

Fatty liver disease: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is increasing and is recognized as a serious consequence of childhood obesity.

Menstrual disorders and precocious puberty: Delayed puberty in boys is associated with obesity.

Impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes: although type 2 diabetes has many other related factors such as family history, ethnicity... but the most important factor is obesity.

Risk of cardiovascular disease: Overweight adolescents maintain and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood such as: high blood pressure, high cholesterol...

Dyslipidemia, hypertension, and insulin resistance are commonly seen in obese children.

Liver complications: Liver complications have been reported in obese children, especially hepatic steatosis as evidenced by increased serum transaminase levels.

Stomach complications: Obese children often have disorders of empty stomach and gastroesophageal reflux.

Anatomic complications: The serious one is Blount's disease (a bone deformity caused by overgrowth of the tibia), along with more minor abnormalities such as susceptibility to ankle sprains.

Encephalopathy: This is a rare complication related to increased pressure within the brain.

Psychosocial effects: The common consequences of childhood obesity in industrialized and developing countries are poor psychosocial functioning, reduced academic success, lack of a healthy and fit body, most children have a changed body shape, they feel ugly and believe that other children want to exclude them from activities. Obese children also often feel general fatigue, headaches, numbness in both legs making life uncomfortable.

Overweight and obesity in children have many causes and consequences, so we need to take care of and monitor our beloved children in a comprehensive and scientific way so that they do not become malnourished or overweight or obese. This is sincere advice for parents./.

Dr. Dinh Thi Nguyen

Source: https://baocamau.vn/nguyen-nhan-va-tac-hai-cua-thua-can-beo-phi-o-tre-em-a39624.html