Why Dietary Therapy Works Best for the Treatment of Childhood Obesity
Obesity, one of the diseases affecting many people the world over, is a disease that results from the accumulation of fat in the body. Obesity is measured through determination of the Body Mass Index (BMI), which is a ratio of the mass of an individual to the height of the individual (Vaidya, 2006). Vaidya (2006) further asserts that a person with a BMI of more than 25 is normally considered obese. Though with differing pros and cons, there exist many proven therapeutic models for the amelioration of obesity. Dietary Therapy, conventionally known as Dietetic Therapy, presents one of such proven therapeutic techniques.
Dietary therapy is ordinarily intended to reduce the amount of fats in the body and prevent further accumulation of fats in the body. The underlying principles behind dietary therapy revolve around promoting low fat foods, low energy foods, formula foods, and meal replacement programs among others (Vaidya, 2006). From this, it can be clearly instituted that dietary therapy does not employ the use of surgeries and chemicals- perhaps why it is the most widespread therapeutic technique for treating childhood obesity.
Obesity mostly results from unhealthy eating habits. Unhealthy eating habits in this case is taken to mean the consumption of foods with high calorie content, fatty foods and over eating while ignoring low calorie foods and non fatty foods like vegetables and fruits. It is openly acknowledged that the efficiency of a problem-solving plan depends on its ability to deal with the root cause of the problem. In this light, dietary therapy works to reduce obesity by promoting healthy eating habits (Vaidya, 2006). Other methods like pharmacotherapy are only intended to reduce the fat content on the body. It is inevitable, therefore, to assert that dietary method, since it tends to curb obesity from its root cause, is by far the most effective amelioration method for obesity. In addition, short-term effects rather than long-term effects characterize most of the obesity amelioration methods in existence. However, as Ayyada and Andersen (2000) report, Dietary therapy is the only obesity treatment method with long-term effects and efficiency.
In a nutshell, obesity is a disease that results from the accumulation of fats in the body. There are various treatment methods available for treating child hood obesity. Dietary therapy is among the most common obesity treatment methods. The pertinence of dietary method is attributed to the fact that; it does not involve any surgery or use of chemicals, it has long-term effects, and lastly it tends to treat obesity from its root cause.
References
Ayyada, C. & Andersen, T (2000). “Long-term efficacy of dietary treatment of obesity: a systematic review of studies published between 1931 and 1999.” The International Association for the Study of Obesity, 1, 113-119. Retrieved from www.blackwellpublishing.com/products/journals/freepdf/obr19.pdf
Vaidya, V. (2006). Health and treatment strategies in obesity. Basel: Karger Publishers.
Reference
Waters, E. & Seidel, J. l.,& Swinburn, B. (2010). Preventing Childhood Obesity: Evidence Policy and Practice. West Sussex: Blackwell Publishing Limited.
Jelalian, E. & Steel R. G., (2008). Handbook of Childhood and Adolescent Obesity. New York: Springer Science+Business Media.
