By Faten Omar

KUWAIT: Childhood obesity is a serious problem around the world, especially in Kuwait, putting children and adolescents at risk for poor health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 1 billion people worldwide are obese - 39 million of them are children, and the number is still increasing.

Speaking to Kuwait Times, Nutritionist Shaikhah Al-Mesbah revealed that the percentage of child obesity has reached up to 35 percent in males and 28 percent in females. "We are seeing children's diabetes developing because of an increase in obesity. This is type 2 diabetes - we usually see it in adults, but now we are seeing it in children. This type of diabetes is related to a person's lifestyle, including unhealthy habits and a sedentary lifestyle," she said.

Nutritionist Shaikhah Al-Mesbah

Mesbah indicated that parents are role models in healthy eating for their children, noting that to change the eating habits of children, parents have to change. "Parents are role models. Whatever parents eat, the children will eat the same because children imitate their parents. If the parent is obese, the child is likely to be obese, mostly because of the child learning the same food habits. So if the parents want their child to be healthy, it is better to start with themselves. The parents should try to change their lifestyle, be healthier and exercise more," she said.

"The first food that should be introduced to babies should be vegetables instead of sweet foods. This is done to make children get used to vegetables, as well as not be addicted to sugars and have a sweet tooth. Unfortunately, some parents provide children with excess candies, chocolate and soda. Start teaching them young, develop healthy habits, and this will help them to be healthy when they grow up, and lead to a healthier society," she said.

Mesbah advised parents to make children get used to eating three meals a day instead of avoiding meals and snacking all day. "Those meals should be adequate in protein, fruits, vegetables, dairy and healthy grains. The caregiver is responsible for providing healthy cooked meals. Food should be cooked healthily, with no fried foods, and not very calorie-dense meals. Also, if the child participates in the preparation and cooking of healthy meals, the child will be more likely to eat healthy," she explained.

The availability of candies and chocolates makes the child desire them more, she stressed, adding children will eat snacks and neglect their meals or even neglect to eat any healthy food. Instead, parents must provide healthy snacks like fruits, slices of vegetables, nuts and popcorn, and make healthy snacks always available and accessible.

"Children will benefit a lot from joining a gym or a sports group, especially a sport that they like and enjoy. This will help them become busier with something beneficial, instead of having too much free time and eating a tremendous amount. Being active will help them maintain a normal weight, and have a healthier, fit body," Mesbah said.

Mesbah called out to parents to encourage and motivate their children, pointing out that blaming children for their unhealthy eating habits will lead to an unhealthy relationship with food, where the child will not feel good about themselves and might eat unhealthy foods behind their parents' backs or even binge eat. "Instead of blaming children for their food habits and trying to make them feel guilty, it is better to encourage and motivate. Motivation and encouragement lead to good results in terms of the child enjoying eating healthy and most importantly continuing to be that way," she said.