RSU Expert: How to Avoid Child Obesity

Obesity is evident in one in five children in Latvia, and the proportion of children who are overweight keeps increasing. As World Food Day, celebrated on 16 October, approaches, it is worth reminding of the significance of eating healthy food and leading a healthy lifestyle within the family, as it affects the health of both adults and children. Assistant Professor of the Faculty of Public Health and Social Welfare and the Department of Sports and Nutrition of Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) and dietologist Laila Meija explains about the health problems caused by obesity in children and reminds about things to avoid this risk as much as possible.

“At the age of 11 almost one third of boys and one fifth of girls suffer from obesity, whereas, at the age of 15 one fifth of boys and one tenth of girls face this problem”, reports RSU Assistant Professor Laila Meija. “Obesity affects these children for the rest of their lives. The main problems caused by obesity are metabolism disorders, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, disorders of the immune system, they are at greater risk of developing mental diseases, infertility, oncological diseases, heart attack and stroke at a certain age etc. Overweight people have a chronic, slowly spreading inflammation of the entire body”, reveals the dietologist.

What causes obesity in children? “Firstly, these are genetic factors over which we have limited influence. Next, lifestyle – people tend to consume many more calories than 50 years ago and move much less.” The risk of obesity is higher due to the polluted water and environment, as well as substances that promote obesity ingested by using cosmetics and plastic materials.

How to reduce the obesity epidemic in Latvia?

• We should think about a child’s health before pregnancy. Both parents should have a healthy weight and lead a healthy lifestyle
• We must have healthy eating habits and traditions within our family.
• Movement is very important, and the child has to get used to it from an early age.
• We have to teach and shape the child’s understanding of healthy eating habits.
• It would be advisable for “healthy products to be taxed less and Latvia is already on the right track.”
• The knowledge of healthy foods should be improved. “We need one authoritative and evidence-based product branding so that healthy products could be easily recognised,” says Laila Meija.