NA Rotary Club launches initiative to address childhood obesity

The Rotary Club of New Amsterdam is moving to address childhood obesity in the New Amsterdam community in which it operates.
Childhood obesity is a serious health issue worldwide, and is a complex disease that can occur when a child is above the healthy weight for their age and height.
This Rotary club is partnering with the Rose Hall Canje and Tucber Cricket Clubs in an effort to bring about awareness and simultaneously institute measures that would reduce instances of childhood obesity. This is to ensure that more children are involved in activities which would lead to healthier lifestyles.
Dr Rosa Acevdo, a member of the New Amsterdam Rotary Club and a Gynecologist attached to the New Amsterdam Hospital, said on Wednesday that through the programme – one of the projects undertaken by the club this year – there is hope that enough information would be provided on diet and the need for exercise, in order to prevent complications which may occur later in life, including high blood pressure which is prevalent in Guyana.
“From my experience, about 80 percent of the population in Guyana is actually suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure,” she said.
Dr Acevdo is advising that children should eat lots of vegetables, and reduce their consumption of fat.
“They should use more natural oils, like vegetable oils,” she said. “Apart from diet, I would advise them to come off of Facebook and other forms of social media and games on their tablets and go to the play grounds. Sports help to keep you fit and healthy. Apart from exercise, children learn a lot on these grounds about their culture,” Dr Acevdo added.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one child in five children and one adolescent in five adolescents in the United States has obesity. Children who have obesity are more likely to carry the condition over into adulthood. Children who have obesity are at a higher risk of developing many health conditions. These include: asthma, sleep apnea, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension , heart disease, stroke and certain cancers, including colon cancer and breast cancer.
In addition, children who have obesity are at a higher risk of experiencing bullying, social isolation, low self-esteem and depression, the CDC has said on its website.
It says fast food and unhealthy snack foods can contribute to childhood obesity. However, the CDC advises parents to help their child to focus on their health, not their weight.
The CDC has also said there is no simple solution to tackling childhood obesity, but advises parents to encourage children to reduce sugar intake and get good sleep at night.
Children aged 6 to 12 years old need nine to 12 hours of sleep every night. Adolescents aged 13 to 18 years old need eight to 10 hours of sleep every night. Poor sleep can lead to obesity, because it makes a child want to eat more and be less physically active.
Dr Acevdo has said that from the age of 8 years, children should become actively involved in sporting activities, which should involve some form of exercise. Moreover, she has expressed concern for teenagers between the ages of 12 and 16 years old. (G4)