They board a bus or are dropped by their parents to school. Instead of running around playing hide and seek, they are holed up in computer games and their favourire TV channels. These urban children are at a risk of being obese, writes Gardy Chacha

The fact that obesity hasn’t been a headline in Kenya does not mean it doesn’t exist.

Obesity is the state of being overweight, with fat accounting for most of the weight. This, according to Dr Andrew Malavu, a paeditrician at Kikuyu General Hospital, is brought about by excessive consumption of high calorie (high energy) foods.

“The body of any human, children included, needs only a certain amount of energy to maintain normal functions of cells, tissues, organs and organ systems. In this sense, any extra high-calorie food consumed is assimilated into fat then stored in the body,” explains Dr Malavu.

According to him, the fat is usually riveted as cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels, which could cause a number of diseases, including heart conditions in adulthood.

Many parents in Kenya would probably play down chances of obesity derailing their child’s prospects, but recent research statistics suggest that there’s need to be wary.

In a research conducted by several scientists at Kenyatta University titled: Child obesity and fitness levels among Kenyan and Canadian children from urban and rural environments: A Kids-Can Research Alliance Study, it was found that Kenyan children in urban settings appear to show signs of nutrition-physical activity transition. The means that urban Kenyan children partake in more sedentary behaviours such as taking a bus to school everyday compared to rural children.

The research adduces that as developing nations become more prosperous, they acquire some benefits like reduction in mortality and morbidity resulting from infectious diseases. However, these incredible positives come along with increased vulnerability to chronic non-communicable diseases and associated risks.

Dr Malavu notes that children of the upper middle or higher classes live a dormant lifestyle on top of feeding on volumes of fast foods and less of traditional organic types.

Physical activity

“These children don’t understand physical activities since their pastimes involve techno gadgets like computers, phones, home theatres, televisions, laptops and many more, which they manipulate for fun, spending no energy albeit having had a bite almost every hour,” notes the paediatrician.

Taking a walk through Nairobi streets or through pavements of suburban enclosures, you realise that obesity, especially among children, is on the rise.

Nutritionist Brenda Apondo believes that the types of foods being consumed by the majority of the population, coupled with lifestyles that don’t encourage much physical activity, contribute to increasing rates of obesity.

She notes: “Most children love sweet foods, which is quickly digested and absorbed into the blood stream. However, due to low energy usage levels, it is converted to storable fat, which is kept under the skin and other crevices lining blood vessels and organs.”

Yasmin Mohammed, a resident of South B, Nairobi, had not thought about the health risks of being overweight until her doctor warned her that she had to do something about it. Yasmin now has to stick to a weight loss programme that her doctor recommended after a series of life-threatening incidences. Her son Yori has also manifested signs of accruing massive weight. He is conspicuously bigger than an average seven-year-old and has difficulties walking.

“I hadn’t given it much thought in the first years after his birth. It somehow appears unfair that I have to put him on a strict weight loss regimen, but I have to do it for his health and general outlook,” says Yasmin.

In what could seem to be correlated to Yasmin and her son’s case, Apondo points out that studies have indicated that there is a 50 per cent chance of a child developing obesity if one parent is obese. When both parents are obese, it’s much grimmer at between 60-80 per cent chance.

She explains that the extra nutrition is converted to fat containing harmful cholesterol, which is taken to the adipose tissue (heart, arms, kidney and under the skin). Cholesterol narrows the girth of vessels, which explains why high blood pressure is probable in children with obesity.

When parents have no fitness regimen, always use automobiles to work, when visiting relatives or for a picnic outdoors, their bodies and those of their children don’t get an opportunity to burn excess fats. According to the nutritionist,  a dormant and ‘comfortable’ life is perceived as affluent hence many people would do anything to display this lifestyle.  

Dr Malavu says ignoring obesity could be dangerous for your child’s future wellbeing. He advises parents to lead by example — eating the right foods and doing enough exercise to avert any possible build-up of fat mass.

An obese child is often lethargic, notes the nutritionist, which could affect the child’s general performance in school and in other activities.

GL

What you can do

Obese children need thorough medical evaluation by a paediatrician to consider the possibility of a physical cause.

• In the absence of any physical disorder, the only way to lose weight is to reduce the number of calories consumed and to increase the child's level of physical activity.

• Emphasise healthy eating, keep fatty and sugary snacks to a minimum and avail fruits, vegetables and low-fat snacks.

• Increase physical activity, perhaps by taking a few brisk walks with your child each week.

• Let your child know he or she is loved and appreciated whatever their weight. Overweight children need support, acceptance and encouragement from their parents.

•Be a good role model for your child. If your child sees you enjoying healthy foods and physical activity, he or she is more likely to do the same now and for the rest of their life.