How can I help my 9-year old son overcome his obesity?

Question

Hello doctor,

My son is 9 years old. He is 4 feet and 11 inches and weighs about 107 lbs. I checked his BMI, it said he was obese in the 95th percentile. He is active. Should I worry about his weight? And if so, how can I help him with it? Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Your son has good height and for the same reason, his weight is not worrisome. But definitely he is on 95th centile for his height as well as for his age. Also, his BMI (body mass index) is 22.4 which puts him in the category of obese.

Let him have a lot of outdoor activity, avoid sitting for a long time in front of the computer or television, and avoid junk foods. Swimming is the best activity for this age and swimming for at least 30 to 45 minutes daily or at least five days a week will help him. Let him have a good balanced home food with less fat.

Child obesity at this age has higher chances for him to be obese as an adult with all its other consequences. So it is better to have some precautions but no need for a dieting regime at this age as he is a growing boy and needs more calories from proteins for his overall growth.

I hope this helps.