Childhood obesity: how can the doctor help?
During the specialist consultation and examination, the current condition of overweight children is assessed with a physical examination. In addition, the patient-parent discussion, which extends from the circumstances of the birth to the meeting with the attending physician, is of particular importance. We will discuss your eating habits and needs in detail, assess the degree of obesity and begin the examination with general and special laboratory tests. If necessary, we ask for additional specialist consultations: e.g. endocrinological and cardiology examination.
During the discussion, the inclusion of active physical activity and regular sports in the children's everyday life is given a prominent role. We give nutrition-related advice at the very first meeting, and then, based on the results, we determine further feeding-nutrition advice. When compiling the diet - for which the cooperation of the parents is also necessary, since they know the child's eating habits best - we take the "favorites" into account. It is very important to facilitate the transition to proper nutrition for the child, which does not mean that you have to deprive him of everything that he enjoyed eating before. The goal is to create a long-term nutrition program to preserve the child's health.
Professionally based advice plays a decisive role in prevention from the first moment of feeding, and even at the first sips offered during the breastfeeding period. These are important in later obesity, they determine the presence of the types of intestinal bacteria living with us, essentially our future health.
In all areas of children's gastroenterology activities, but particularly in relation to obesity, care and close follow-up between parent-child-professional are of particular importance.
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Get to know our specialists:
Dr. Katalin Tamás