Obesity among primary school students: Alarming increase in the Ludwigsburg district!

Obesity among primary school students: Alarming increase in the Ludwigsburg district!

Nowadays, the issue of obesity among children and young people is becoming more and more urgent. Experts warn of an alarming increase in obesity, especially among primary school children. According to current information, there are many psychologists and medical professionals who emphasize the psychological component of this problem. Many affected children seek comfort through food and are often confronted with psychological suffering. During a stay at the Hess Rehabilitation Center in Bietigheim-Bissingen, 14 obese young people are currently being treated like this Bietigheim newspaper reported.

Dr. Christoph Lukas, the center's chief orthopedic surgeon, also emphasized the importance of psychological support in this context. After all, the majority of obese young people continue to struggle with their weight into adulthood. It is important to know that up to 90% of those affected carry their overweight status into adulthood. The AOK data shows that more and more children in the Ludwigsburg district are being treated for obesity. Thomas Kauth, a long-time health activist, has been calling for daily sports lessons in schools for more than 20 years, and he sees a central problem in the high sitting times in class.

The challenges in the school system

The time that children and young people spend sitting has increased significantly compared to kindergarten. This often leads to many of them becoming overweight. Deputy principal Eva Kohlbach and Doris Engelbrecht from “Gesunde Schule” cannot confirm the trend towards more obesity, as schools now also offer numerous programs to promote exercise and healthy eating. Still, support for obese children in the county is remarkably inadequate. Less than 1% of affected children receive appropriate treatment. Until 2018, courses for obese children were offered, but unfortunately these were canceled.

The district office has responded to this problem and set up a new information platform on the subject of overweight and obesity. In addition, free exercise offers were created with various cooperation partners to help the affected families. The AOK Ludwigsburg also offers qualified nutritional advice, and it should be noted that the role models of parents play a crucial role in terms of physical activity and nutrition.

Prevention and therapeutic approaches

In the further discussion about obesity, medical advice is also important. Whether a child actually needs weight loss should be determined based on the degree of overweight. The question may arise as to whether excess weight can be “outgrown” in some cases or whether weight loss is necessary to avoid health consequences. A healthy lifestyle that includes a balanced diet and sufficient exercise is crucial. The child's parents or caregivers should be actively involved in the counseling process to achieve the best results, as the information from gesundheit.gv.at clarify.

Weight loss measures should ideally include several aspects: nutritional therapy, exercise therapy and behavioral therapy. Weight loss programs include nutritional and exercise therapies as well as psychological support. Close collaboration with experts in the fields of nutrition, exercise and psychology is of great importance. It is also particularly important that parents are included in these programs.

A few figures illustrate the urgency of the issue: According to the KiGGS study, 15.4% of children and young people in Germany are overweight, while 5.9% even suffer from obesity. The prevalence increases particularly in primary school age and is problematic for both the children's later health and their self-esteem Robert Koch Institute.

It is clear that the early integration of preventive measures for socially disadvantaged children is particularly important in order to counteract obesity and improve quality of life. There is a great need for action and a sense of responsibility from everyone involved - from schools to parents to health facilities - is required.