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3 thumb rules to reduce childhood obesity-
Washington: Scientists have identified three simple family-oriented goals to overcome the complex problem of childhood obesity and related mental disorders.
They involve limit setting to address the brain's 'get more' drive strengthened through habitual over-consumption of temptations including highly caloric processed food, hyper-reality media and electronics, as well as excessive sitting.
These 3 'rules' of living promote physical and mental health for children and parents for both treatment and prevention, researchers said.
'The paediatric obesity crisis arose from systemic changes in society and multiple dynamic interacting risk factors,' said Kristopher Kaliebe, Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Centre New Orleans School of Medicine.
'It has been parallelled by increased mental health problems that seem interrelated,' Kaliebe said.
Childhood obesity correlates with attention-deficit /hyperactivity disorder, learning disorders, and academic under-performance as well as increased internalising and externalising disorders.
'Moreover, many behaviour patterns associated with obesity, such as sedentary lifestyles, excessive media exposure, and inappropriate diets, also correlate with a psychiatric diagnosis or psychological distress,' said Kaliebe.
Kaliebe explains that eating natural, unprocessed, raw food eliminates the constant need to calculate calories, carbohydrates, fat, protein, vitamins, etc – a reason diets fail.
This rule also advises severely restricting foods like chips, sodas and fast food.
Noting that humans are not built to sit for much of the day, Kaliebe says children as well as parents need to find excuses to move whenever possible and be especially active during leisure time.
Kaliebe says sensory overload and 'noise' from popular culture, gaming, advertising, media and electronics crowds out important things such as family matters, academics, sleep, and the development of other interests.
The findings are published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
