The issue of obesity among children is a major concern for public health organizations nationwide. Obesity and overweight are significant risk factors for a variety of chronic illnesses in mature individuals and children, and they can have negative effects on the quality of life and longevity. In this sense, the younger generation has an increased chance of battling coronary heart diseases and high blood pressure. Moreover, the research found that the likelihood of children being overweight increases if their parents have obesity issues (Karmali et al., 2019). Thus, in any situation, education on overweight should start with the parents due to their direct influence on children.
Parental understanding of how to follow a proper diet, their mindsets regarding physical exercise, being role models, and providing support, whether financial or psychological, have an influence on children’s behavior. At this point, parental actions can serve as an encouragement for children with obesity. In practice, parents’ encouragement for physical exercise and leadership behaviors are substantially correlated with their children’s physical activity levels (Karmali et al., 2019). Moreover, programs that involve parents are linked to better levels of self-esteem in the respondents’ children than those that simply target children (Karmali et al., 2019). Even though child engagement in family-based projects is crucial, the parent is in charge of its execution. The parent’s commitment to participating in the program, therefore, plays a major role in its effectiveness. Considering that the child might be unaware of financial issues and the inability to buy healthy food, it is still necessary to lead by example start with physical activity, and refrain from eating foods high in cholesterol and fats.
Hence, due to their direct impact on children, parents should always be the first to be educated on obesity. Children’s conduct is influenced by parents’ knowledge of healthy eating habits, attitudes toward exercise, serving as role models, and offering support, whether material or emotional. Even if the child may not be aware of financial difficulties or the inability to purchase nutritious food, it is still important to set a good example by engaging in physical exercise and avoiding meals that are high in fat and cholesterol.
Reference
Karmali, S., Ng, V., Battram, D., Burke, S., Morrow, D., Pearson, E. S.,… & Irwin, J. D. (2019). Coaching and/or education intervention for parents with overweight/obesity and their children: Study protocol of a single-center randomized controlled trial. BMC Public Health, 19(1), 1-12. Web.