Question
A 3.5-year-old child, weighing 30 kilograms, has no other health issues besides obesity. The child prefers to sleep, taking 2 to 3 hours of afternoon naps daily, and enjoys drinking, cold drinks, potato chips, jelly, and other snacks. How should one handle such cases of pediatric obesity?
Answer
Obesity, also known as simple obesity, refers to an excessive accumulation of subcutaneous fat. Generally speaking, obesity is defined as a weight exceeding the average standard weight calculated by height by 20%, or more than two standard deviations above the average standard weight calculated by age. Depending on the degree of overweight, obesity can be categorized into mild, moderate, and severe obesity. Mild obesity exceeds the standard weight by 2 to 4 standard deviations, moderate obesity exceeds by 3 to 4 standard deviations, and severe obesity exceeds by more than 4 standard deviations. For such cases of pediatric obesity, it is recommended to adjust dietary habits, reduce the intake of high-calorie snacks, and increase appropriate physical activity to promote the maintenance of a healthy weight.