How can obesity be prevented? How should it be treated if developed in young children?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

To help prevent childhood obesity, these healthy habits are recommended:
Limit consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soft drinks and fruit-flavored punches.
Eat the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables every.
Learn to eat age-appropriate portions of foods.
Eat foods low in energy density such as those high in fiber and/or water and modest in fat.
Eat a nutritious breakfast every day.
Eat a diet rich in calcium.
Eat a diet balanced in recommended proportions for carbohydrate, fat, and protein.
Eat a diet high in fiber.
Eat together as a family as often as possible.
Limit the frequency of restaurant meals.
Limit television watching or other screen time to no more than 2 hours per day and do not have
televisions or computers in bedrooms.
Engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day.
The initial goal for overweight children is to reduce the rate of weight gain; that is, to maintain weight as the child grows taller. Continued growth will then accomplish the desired change in BMI. Weight loss is usually not recommended because diet restriction can interfere with growth and development. Intervention for some overweight children with accompanying medical conditions may warrant weight loss, but this treatment requires an individualized approach based on the degree of overweight and severity of the medical conditions.
The many benefits of physical activity are well known but often are not enough to motivate overweight people, especially children. Yet regular vigorous activity can improve a child’s weight, body composition, and physical fitness. Ideally, parents will limit sedentary activities and encourage at least 1 hour of daily physical activity to promote strong skeletal, muscular, and cardiovascular development and instill in their children the desire to be physically active throughout life.
Weight-loss programs that involve parents and other caregivers in treatment report greater success than those without parental involvement. Because obesity in parents and their children tends to be positively correlated, both benefit when parents participate in a weight-loss program. Parental attitudes about food greatly influence children’s eating behavior, so it is important that the influence be positive. Otherwise, eating problems may become exacerbated.
The use of weight-loss drugs to treat obesity in children merits special concern because the long-term effects of these drugs on growth and development have not been studied. The drugs may be used in addition to structured lifestyle changes for carefully selected children or adolescents who are at high risk for severe obesity in adulthood. Orlistat is the only prescription weight-loss medication that has been approved for use in adolescents 12 years of age and older. Alli, the over-the-counter version of orlistat, should not be given to anyone younger than age 18.