Obesity in Children aged between 6 and 12 in Chile.

We live in a society where every day it is common to see children with obesity, at
first glance it seems to be normal for some people, but the truth is that we must
raise awareness and realize that if children feed badly they will be adults with many
health problems.

According to The World Health Organization Overweight and Obesity are defined
as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. A crude
population measure of obesity is the body mass index (BMI), a person’s weight (in
kilograms) divided by the square of his or her height (in metres). The World Health
Organization also points out a person with a BMI of 30 or more is generally
considered obese. A person with a BMI equal to or more than 25 is considered
overweight. Overweight and obesity are major risk factors for a number of chronic
diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

Child obesity has increased due to the lack of not having a proper program to
decrease it. In the first place, there has been no clear, firm, sustained, coordinated
and directed state policy from the central level to address childhood obesity In
1998, the Ministry of Health created the National Council for Health Promotion or
VIDA CHILE, which implemented national policies on healthy eating, physical
activity, tobacco, psychosocial and environmental problems that reached the 341
communes of the country through Community Promotion Plans of Health, creating
the Health Promoting Schools, but these policies have lost validity and priority for
MINSAL since the application of the AUGE program in 2005. Then, implement the
EGO-schools program in 1,000 schools across the country, with no positive results.

However, from 2011 onwards the Ministry of Education has been interested in
these issues and in 2012 the National Education Council approved curricular
changes that increased the hours of physical activity to 3 or 4 hours per week and
created the subject of “ Physical Education and Health ”; the Law on the
Composition of Food and its Publicity was approved, which in its article 4 obliges
schools to educate on healthy eating and prohibits the sale of foods high in fat,
sugar and salt inside schools; and finally, in 2013 the Law of the Choose Healthy
Living System was promulgated, whose fundamental mission is to coordinate
actions with the different Ministries and public services to develop activities related
to healthy eating and physical activity, especially in schools, to prevent obesity
childish. Despite the above, there is still no structured work in food and physical
activity within each school.
By having a good program to reduce obesity people would have a lot of self-
esteem and could enjoy the beautiful landscapes that this country has, since many
times people who are obese do not go out to the streets, since they feel shame of
their body, or fear to teasing.

However I believe that implementing many more places that sell healthy and
affordable food to everyone, obesity can be reduced effectively.

In the past, this disease known as obesity was very close to me, since my cousin
Macarena suffered from childhood obesity. Shortly after birth, he was given
epilepsy symptoms. It took doctors about a year to find the solution, but their
parents had to make a decision, which consisted of making Macarena have
learning problems, or causing her to have obesity using corticosteroids. The
parents chose to have their daughter consume corticosteroids, since the doctor
assured them that when Macarena had arrived to an age, she would recover and
not have to take more medications. Today Macarena is 10 years old, since 6 years
old she stopped taking corticosteroids. She is a very studious girl, also she loves
dancing and doing a lot of exercise.

Having more hours of physical education in the schools, it would be a good

initiative to reduce obesity since through the class the students learn, execute and
create new forms of movement with the help of different playful, recreational and
sports forms. In these classes students can develop, be creative and show their
spontaneity as beings who want to discover many alternatives that may be
applicable in the future in their social life and that they cannot easily achieve in
other knowledge subjects. The Nutritional Map of the Junaeb concluded that 60%
of children in the fifth grade are overweight or obese. The trend is similar in pre-
kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade children.

However, there is another important element when thinking about reducing obesity,
and that factor is food.

Chileans are not aware of what food they are eating. According to figures from the
world health organization, more than 70 percent of deaths in the world are caused
by chronic diseases, which can be avoided with the consumption of fruits and
vegetables in the daily diet. INTA academics seek that the countries of the world
work on public policies that increase their consumption as a form of prevention.
Daily eating a healthy diet is affected by various reasons, such as lunch time, since
the house is far from school, for parents is easier to send money and the student
finally ends up eating junk food, as they consider it tastier.
Chile goverment have to implement in all schools, a workshop in which people can
learn to eat healthy, and showing what can happen in your body if you consume
food such as junk food, drinks with sugar among others. This workshop has to be
taught by a nutritionist, a doctor and a chef, since they have enough tools to make
society understand that it is good to live healthy.

The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Sports have to work hand in hand to
reduce obesity, since they have all the digital means to make people follow their
example and eat healthy. However, the salary in Chile is a determining factor when
it comes to reducing obesity, since many people in Chile live on less than the
minimum wage, so maintaining a healthy lifestyle is complicated.

We need strong and effective campaigns in relation with products labels

According to information collected from the Ministry of Health, they indicate that the
warning seals ensure us access to clear and visible information regarding the
composition of food, making it easier for us to make healthier purchasing
decisions. The warning seals do not prohibit us from consuming the foods that
present them, but they invite us to make gradual changes in our diet, preferring
those foods without stamps or with fewer seals.

Obesity is more than an aesthetic problem, since its presence carries serious
health risks for those affected. The best thing is that young generations learn to
prevent it. The treatment of the disorder is essentially based on a well-designed
eating plan along with a frequent physical activity program, which, in certain cases,
may be accompanied by the use of medications. It is also very important to control
associated disorders such as high blood pressure and excess fats (cholesterol and
triglycerides) in the blood. Almost all factors associated with childhood obesity are
related to lifestyle. That is why a good early education is recommended with
respect to eating habits, balanced diets that are responsible for offering the
vitamins and minerals necessary for the body. The teaching of performing some
physical activity or the practice of a sport that helps you stay healthy and in good
shape, also the idealization and custom from an early age so that in the future the
sport becomes a habit. Both equally important for weight control to be successful.
First of all there must be prevention, that is, an early recognition of overweight in
order to modify the feeding mode more easily. However, even when the overweight
is excessive, the treatment is always the same: It begins with the implementation of
a balanced diet that consists of providing the child with the necessary nutrients to
ensure proper growth, and this does not mean eliminating food or subjecting them
to diets rigorous, but change eating habits, for example, it is recommended to
exchange based on equivalent portions of food, so that the food is varied,
enjoyable and eligible. The exercise allows you to reduce fat without changing the
growth rate, improves the degree of acceptance, increased self-esteem and the
feeling of acceptance, in young children the exercise reduces a sedentary lifestyle
avoiding so many hours in front of the television. Life expectancy changes as
people with obesity have more health problems. It is important to promote healthy
eating in children so that in the future they do not have obesity problems and can
have a full life.

Treatments for childhood obesity should be based on an education that applies

physical activity, eating habits and medical monitoring for the good health of
children. Parents should be the example for minors, since being imitation is a good
way to improve and the habit of good nutrition, parents should follow up on the
programs that the specialized doctor gives children , since to begin with the
treatments it is necessary the recognition of the problems of overweight. They will
decide the schedules and contents of the meals as well as the permission of some
small meal between meals, always taking into account the appropriate vitamins
and minerals for the little ones. The specialized doctor will provide the treatments
to follow according to and depending on the child to be treated and the studies
previously carried out. It is recommended to avoid eating food on the street and
industrialized; it is preferable to eat homemade food, to avoid flour, sugary drinks,
etc. It is also highly recommended to perform at least one hour of exercise a day,
to improve metabolism and base a good physical condition, it serves to combat
sedentary lifestyle since current children prefer to remain without movement in
front of the computer, video games, etc., becoming a habit for most children. Some
parents think that obesity is not a disease and that it should not be treated as soon
as possible. It is important to talk with the children or with someone we have close
to and suffer from this disease and support and help them in this regard.
In conclusion Citizens of Chile should be aware of the diseases that can be caused
by eating junk food, drinking sugar beverages, and smoking. I have seen many
announcements about the dangers involved. There is a phrase that says that each
one is own of his life; I think it is better to live well and healthy because if you have
an illness can't to be able to enjoy the pleasures of life.

It is more common for an obese child to suffer than an older child because he
needs protection and containment from the people around him. A more sedentary
life, in which we walk a little, the car, is used a lot, the food has changed and the
children have more snacks, among others. as noted by the ministry of health"While
there has been an effort in the place where they sell candy in schools, selling
healthy food, the problem must be addressed from home, with a solid education,
because the problem is clearly not diminishing." Campaigns of physical activity in
schools or investment in bicycle lanes. We need greater investment and strong
education from the schools, in the houses. If a child has that in his family there is a
bad diet he will not learn healthy habits. There are positive signs of the results,
such as labeling, but there are still worrying indexes in diseases caused by obesity.
"All chronic diseases, such as diabetes, for life, where the cost in health is
tremendous. It is important to prevent this problem.

I hope that the objective of this work has been accomplished and that you have
grasped how important it is to help a child with this disease; Starting with one is
important; No matter how hereditary this disease is, the important thing is to
prevent it as soon as possible.