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Dr. Andrew Rynne
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Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Does My Son's Abdominal Obesity Need Medical Attention?

For the last two months, I notice my 9 year old son's stomach bulging out and his height has remained same at 134 cm. He is active , likes to play outdoor games and plays for about 2 hours everyday. He also spends 2-3 hours on an average in front of TV/ computer everyday.

His food habits are not very healthy, snacks more on biscuits than fruits and tries to avoid vegetables as far as possible, has a craving for sweets, chocolates and icecreams.

Please suggest if my worry around bulging stomach and no change in height needs some medical attention.
posted on Thu, 13 Mar 2014
Twitter Wed, 1 Oct 2014 Answered on
Twitter Wed, 1 Oct 2014 Last reviewed on
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Pediatrician,  's  Response
Thanks for asking on HealthCareMagic. When the amount of energy taken in in the form of food is greater than the amount of energy spent, obesity occurs. Childhood obesity is on the rise due to improper lifestyle. The answer is very simple. You would need to control the food habits. What is good for the tongue is generally not good for the body. You would have to counsel the child yourself about this. Try increasing the content of green leafy vegetables.
The next issue to take care of is activity. It is not a problem if he spends a few hours before the TV or computer. But what is needed is that he would need to walk briskly and regularly in the morning along with good amount of playing or exercise. Enrolling him for swimming classes could be a good idea.
You need not worry about the height. It will increase with time if he exercises well.
Get his thyroid profile checked.

I hope that helps. Feel free to revert back in case of further queries if any.
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Does My Son's Abdominal Obesity Need Medical Attention?

Thanks for asking on HealthCareMagic. When the amount of energy taken in in the form of food is greater than the amount of energy spent, obesity occurs. Childhood obesity is on the rise due to improper lifestyle. The answer is very simple. You would need to control the food habits. What is good for the tongue is generally not good for the body. You would have to counsel the child yourself about this. Try increasing the content of green leafy vegetables. The next issue to take care of is activity. It is not a problem if he spends a few hours before the TV or computer. But what is needed is that he would need to walk briskly and regularly in the morning along with good amount of playing or exercise. Enrolling him for swimming classes could be a good idea. You need not worry about the height. It will increase with time if he exercises well. Get his thyroid profile checked. I hope that helps. Feel free to revert back in case of further queries if any.