Childhood Obesity and Mental Health

Abstract

Obesity is known to be the condition where someone is becoming too fat or overweight. Apparently, many children and even adolescents are dealing with it in this generation, becoming a major concern. A lot of people are not taking this situation seriously enough, and that is leading children to not grow with their full potential and instead are losing confidence with themselves. Shelly Russell-Mayhew explains in her article how children’s mental health can have an effect on their obesity. She points out the psychological factors of obesity, such as depression and anxiety. Parents and teachers especially need to be more aware of this issue and act to prevent that from happening, plus should help these children take care of their obesity and mental health. Some ways that they could do that are to encourage these children to eat more healthy foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, eggs, and fish; plus they should drink a lot of water too. Also, they should be motivated to be more active, and that could be by running, exercising, and playing sports. If schools took these opportunities more seriously, the number of children dealing with obesity could be decreased significantly. If mental health is causing them to become obese, then their parents should take them to fun places where the children could make new friends, helping them feel better and a lot less lonely. It is always nice to talk to people, so a therapy or psychologist would be a great idea for those children too.