Treating Overweight Children in New York 

Providing the correct weight loss option for the client is essential. That is especially true for children, who are a regular part of Dr. Scinta’s practice. Today’s lifestyle puts parents on the road and pulling into McDonald’s for dinner while children are glued to video games, the Internet, and the TV. As the world moves faster, parents and children typically take less time to eat healthy foods and get the exercise they need.

One in Three Children are Affected

“Since the 1970s, the percentage of overweight kids and adolescents in the United States has more than doubled. Today, 10% of 2-5 year olds and more than 15% of children between the ages of 6 and 19 are overweight. If you combine the percent of kids who are overweight with the percent of kids who are at risk of becoming overweight, about one out of three children are affected.”

Quality of life issues are fast becoming a concern of bariatric physicians today, as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and abnormal blood lipid levels, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes begin to surface in our children. Overweight children also are experiencing bone and joint problems, shortness of breath, sleep disorders, menstruation issues, and liver and gallbladder disease.

Treating Children Means Treating the Family Too

 “Treating a child involves treating the entire family. It is important to see how much of the weight issue is genetic and how much is environmental. Often, it is a combination of both, and the entire family has to change its behavior,” says Dr. Scinta.

It is also important to watch for underlying depression or the emergence of eating disorders in kids. “Children start to pick on each other as early as kindergarten. A child may then turn to food as a source of comfort compounding the problem. Binging and purging behaviors can arise, and a vicious cycle is created. It’s important to teach parents how to identify and address these issues.”