Narayana Health Care
  • Cardiology
  • Gastroenterology
  • Nephrology
  • Neurology
  • Oncology
  • Book An Appointment
    • Video Consultation
    • Physical Consultation
  • English
    • Hindi
    • Bengali
Narayana Health Care
  • Cardiology
  • Gastroenterology
  • Nephrology
  • Neurology
  • Oncology
  • Book An Appointment
    • Video Consultation
    • Physical Consultation
  • English
    • Hindi
    • Bengali
Home > Blog > Paediatrics > Improving Children’s Activity and Nutrition
Paediatrics

Improving Children’s Activity and Nutrition

by Narayana Health February 18, 2021
written by Narayana Health February 18, 2021
Improving Children’s Activity and Nutrition

Healthy living is a way of life. Lifestyle diseases are dominating health problems in this country, & their impact on the youth is worrisome. It is important that children are initiated into a healthy lifestyle in a natural, happy and enjoyable manner early on in their lives. Promoting a healthy lifestyle in children is an important aspect of good parenting.

CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS:-

Challenge: Lack of Physical Activity

  • Inadequate activity levels have a negative impact on cardio-respiratory health
  • Inadequate activity is a major risk factor for obesity

Solution: Make Physical Activity Fun & Cool

  • Be a physically active role model
  • Encourage children to participate in 60 min of physical activity per day
  • Everyone must be physically active for at least 30 min a day on most days
  • Children & teenagers must be physically active for at least 60 min a day on most days
  • Find fun, physically active ways to celebrate special occasions, such as swimming or roller-skating parties
  • Add physical activity to weekend or vacation plans, such as hiking, biking or long walks

Challenge: Children Are Glued To the TV

  • The average child spends up to 4 hours of watching television, playing video games & surfing the net each day

Solution: Minimize Sedentary Habits

  • Restrict TV: Start by removing TV sets from children’s bedrooms & allowing a maximum of two hours of quality TV Programs per day. Try making TV commercials a time to be physically active; whether it is skipping, stretching or jumping on a trampoline
  • Enjoyable options: Encourage children to spend time with different types of media, such as reading books or dancing to music

Challenge: Eating too much & the Wrong type of Food

  • Obesity is on the rise. In the upper-income group in India, 5% of children are obese & 18% are overweight
  • Obesity has major health repercussions like diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, hypertension & respiratory problems

Solution: Make Healthy Eating a Way of Life

  • Eat together as a family, preferably at a dining table
  • Never eat while watching TV / at the computer
  • Breakfast – the most important meal of the day
  • Eat frequently & eat slowly
  • Respond to hunger cues: start eating when slightly hungry & stop when just satisfied
  • Portion control: learn how much to eat

Promote Healthy Nutrition

  • Be aware of & balance food groups
  • Food groups include grains, vegetables, fruits, milk & protein food

CAN YOU TELL IF YOUR CHILD’S WEIGHT IS NORMAL?

Overweight children often become overweight adults. It is therefore important that we monitor our child’s weight & try to maintain it in the normal healthy range. BMI (Body Mass Index) is a calculation that uses height & weight to estimate body fast. Using this tool, one can determine how appropriate a child’s weight is for his/her height & age.

The calculated BMI score is plotted on the BMI – for age growth chart (for either girls or boys) to obtain a percentile ranking. The growth chart shows the weight status categories used for children & teenagers (underweight, normal, overweight & obese)

The formula used to calculate BMI is weight in kg/ height in meter square

Weight Status Children Adults
Obese BMI>95% tile >30
Overweight BMI 85-95% tile >25
Normal BMI 5-85% tile 18.5-25
Underweight BMI <5% tile <18.5

Check your child’s BMI!

EAT HEALTHY, BE ACTIVE

Some questions to get you thinking about your home environment:

  • How often does the family eat together?
  • How often do family members eat a wholesome breakfast?
  • What Kinds of snacks are available & accessible to your children when they are hungry?
  • Is the TV turned on during the meal times?
  • How many hours do your children go down to play (any sport/physical activity included) each day?

PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE

  • Help your children form healthy habits now.
  • Healthy & active children are more likely to be healthy & active adults.

Dr. Mahesh Balsekar | Senior Consultant – Paediatrics | SRCC Children’s Hospital, Mumbai

eating healthyexercisehealthy lifestylenutritional foodphysical activities for kidsphysical activity
0 comment
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestWhatsapp
previous post
All You Need To Know About ECMO
next post
Preventive Heart Care for Women during COVID-19 Times

You may also like

Cold in newborn

February 1, 2023

EARLY DIAGNOSIS AND TIMELY TREATMENT IMPROVE THE SURVIVAL...

December 19, 2022

Inguinal Hernia in Children

December 19, 2022

Asthma in Children

December 9, 2022

How to burp your baby?

October 26, 2022

Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD)

August 26, 2022

How families can help support breastfeeding moms

August 7, 2022

Allergies or COVID-19: A Symptom Checker for Kids

July 18, 2022

Your Child’s Mental Health

June 28, 2022

Autistic Pride Day

June 18, 2022

QUICK LINKS

Book an Appointment

Find a Doctor

Hospitals

Medical Services

About NH

Narayana Health

Narayana Health is headquartered in Bengaluru, India, and operates a network of hospitals across the country, with a particularly strong presence in the southern state of Karnataka and eastern India, as well as an emerging presence in northern, western and central India. Our first facility was established in Bengaluru with approximately 225 operational beds and we have since grown to 23 hospitals, 7 heart centres, 19 primary care facilities across India and an international hospital in the Cayman Islands.

Keep In Touch

Facebook Twitter Instagram Linkedin Youtube Telegram

Popular Posts

  • 1

    Boosting your Immune System against Coronavirus: How to minimize the risk of...

    April 2, 2020
  • 2

    How to maintain a Balanced Diet

    September 3, 2019
  • 3

    Coronavirus Testing – How to Test for Coronavirus? – Different Types of Tests

    March 13, 2020
  • 4

    Know about proper usage, disposal and reuse of mask

    April 6, 2020

Categories

  • Aids (5)
  • Bengali (1)
  • Blood Pressure (4)
  • Bone Marrow Transplant (12)
  • Breast Cancer (28)
  • Cancer (48)
  • Cardiac Surgery (23)
  • Cardiology (167)
  • Coronavirus (110)
  • Dental Sciences (2)
  • Dermatology (15)
  • Diabetes (37)
  • E. N. T – Paediatric (7)
  • E. N. T. (9)
  • ECMO (1)
  • Endocrinology (11)
  • Gastroenterology (34)
  • General Health (127)
  • General Surgery (4)
  • Gynaecology (46)
  • Haematology (5)
  • Health Nuggets (44)
  • Healthy Life (2)
  • Hepatology (14)
  • Hindi (7)
  • Infectious Diseases (4)
  • Kidney (5)
  • Liver (30)
  • Medical Oncology (1)
  • Mental Health (4)
  • Narayana Health (243)
  • Nephrology (34)
  • Neurology (103)
  • Neurosurgery (30)
  • News (6)
  • NH services (6)
  • Nutrition and Diet (27)
  • Oncology (108)
  • Organ Donation (1)
  • Orthopaedics (102)
  • Paediatric Cardiology (11)
  • Paediatric Liver Transplant (1)
  • Paediatric Oncology (3)
  • Paediatric Surgery (4)
  • Paediatrics (77)
  • Pain & Palliative Care (4)
  • Pregnancy (9)
  • Psychology (5)
  • Pulmonology (34)
  • Radiation Oncology (8)
  • Rheumatology (4)
  • Services (3)
  • Spine Surgery (30)
  • Stroke (7)
  • Swine Flu (1)
  • Transplant (1)
  • Urology (38)
  • Vascular Surgery (10)

Follow us

QUICK LINKS

Find a Doctor

Book an Appointment

Make an Enquiry

Feedback

Hospitals

Blogs

Privilege card

Heart Rhythm Disorder

NH CARES

Hernia

Lung Cancer

Brain Tumour

Liver Cancer

Heart Attack

Urinary Problems

Heart Transplant

Kidney Transplant

Bone Marrow Transplant

Pulmonary Hypertension

CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE

Liver Transplant & HPB Surgery

Cardiology

Cardiac Surgery

Neurology

Neurosurgery

Orthopaedics

Robotic Surgery

Vascular Surgery

Nephrology

Radiation Oncology

MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS

Academics

Clinical Research

NH Colleges

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe to our Newsletter for new blog posts, tips & new photos. Let's stay updated!

About Narayana Health

|

Stakeholder Relations

|

News & Media Relations

|

Awards and Accreditations

|

Leadership

|

Careers

|

CSR

|

Sitemap

© Narayana Hrudayalaya Ltd | All rights reserved
NPPA Implant Pricing     Terms & Conditions     Privacy Policy     Disclaimer

Book Online Consultation