Early life BMI linked to cardiovascular disease signs at 11-12 years

Childhood obesity is a serious issue and has been observed that it is increasing rapidly all over the world. Obese children show excess weight in proportion with their height than the normal range. Chubby kids are usually considered cute and attractive, but the extra pounds of weight in the body can be a matter of concern. This is because the excess fat, even at a younger age, can be a cause of many health issues like high blood pressure problems, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, just like in case of adults. Not just physical health, but being obese at a younger age can also lead the child to mental depression for being called out fat or not having enough stamina as other children.

There are two major steps in fighting the issue of childhood obesity. The first step is to find that the child is obese in time, which can be done by taking a BMI test and consulting a children’s healthcare professional. A BMI that is body mass index test is a simple and fastest way to know the health status, and this can be done at home with the help of an online BMI calculator. The second step is once the child is detected as overweight or obese, he/she must take proper precautions by following prescribed dietary changes and a regular exercise routine.

Why BMI Calculator?

Not all kids are the same, some carry extra pounds of weight. Thus, it is difficult to say if the kid is obese just by looking at his/her body structure. Some children have larger body frames. Thus, even extra pounds of weight don’t count as overweight. Also, the amount of fat in the body differ at various stages. Hence, even if a child might look overweight, it is not always obesity.

So how to find out? BMI is the best way to measure body fatness. BMI is calculated using the weight and height of the child. Based on the result, the health professional will tell you whether your kid falls in the category of underweight, healthy, overweight, or obese. The health professional might suggest some other tests as well in some cases as age, gender, and other factors affect the result in children.

The risk of cardiovascular disease and childhood obesity

Earlier cardiovascular diseases were present only in adults. People were hardly aware of their presence in children. It is observed that obesity in children and ignorance about the link between excess fat and heart issues leads to cardiovascular issues in children. Also, in many cases, research shows that the root cause of cardiovascular diseases is childhood obesity because of the excess fats developed over the years.

There are various cardiovascular diseases like hypertension, peripheral vascular disease, anomalous coronary artery disease, etc. that can originate in childhood. The only way to manage cardiovascular diseases in childhood caused due to obesity is to assess obesity at a young age with a BMI calculator and take proper measurements with the help of a paediatrician.