How obesity is likely to gravely hurt your child

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Obesity at childhood precedes obesity in adulthood, Dr. Supa Tunje, a paeditrician at Adora Children's clinic adduces.

The effects of the disease are however somewhat similar in both situations but probably with grimmer implications during childhood.

"The major problems would be cardiovascular complications. The child would be prone to clots due to clogged vessels. There is also the risk of developing early hypertension; which could be fatal and result in sudden death," Tunje says.

An obese child is also likely to suffer hormonal imbalances as high cholesterol levels are known to interfere with organ secretions.

"When a child is eating more than they need their body could suffer an overload. This results in the body producing hormones disproportionately hence hormonal imbalance," she says.

When obesity progresses to such an extent other illnesses, such as diabetes become a reality.

Diabetes could easily precipitate into a lowered immunity and therefore difficulty in fighting disease causing germs.

The good news though, says Dr. Shchukina, is that if a patient successfully losses the extra weight, there is more than 90 per cent chance that they will revert to a healthy life without diabetes.

"Research has shown that diabetes resulting from obesity can be reversed through adoption of healthy nutrition habits accompanied by proper weight loss," she says.

What does a healthy meal look like?

Any good meal, she says, has to be moderate. A child should be raised to eat a balanced diet, which amounts to roughly half a plate of vegetables, a quarter of the plate proteins and the remaining quarter carbohydrates.

Dr. Shchukina suspects that the Kenyan diet is steeped with starch; with such staples like ugali and Irish potatoes forming a huge proportion.

"That is not healthy," she warns.

And you know what else is not healthy? A breakfast of tea and bread smudged with too much butter.

The doctor recommends lean meals. In a child's case, she says, a breakfast could be: light porridge or one Weetabix or a slice of bread, with an egg or low fat cheese, accompanied with a serving of beans and vegetable salad.

According to Dr. Tunje, obesity in a child will almost certainly cause ill health. It would also lower a child's quality of life, causing sleep difficulties from blocked airways.

It may also upstage a child's psychosocial wellbeing.

"Their peers may treat them as 'fat' and that could cause a psychological crisis, which could precipitate into below average performance in school and a low self-esteem," Dr Tunje observes.