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<p><strong>GROWTH&nbsp;</strong></p>
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<p>“Is my child tall enough? “</p>
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<p>“Is my child underweight?”</p>
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<p>“Everybody says my child is weak!”</p>
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<p>&nbsp;“My child is not growing! People keep commenting!”&nbsp;</p>
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<p>“What will be my child’s adult height?”&nbsp;</p>
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<p>“Should I give protein supplements to my child for growth?”</p>
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<p>A child is not a miniature adult. Therefore the principles of adult medicine are not applicable. Our goal should be:</p>
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<ul><li>&nbsp;to achieve the highest possible potential of growth, development and intellectual achievements.</li><li>&nbsp;to nurture - protect, promote, and preserve health.&nbsp;</li><li>&nbsp;to acquire the correct lifestyle habits and values.</li><li>&nbsp;to nurture with love.&nbsp;</li></ul>
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<p>The growth of a child continues till the child becomes an adult. Growth and development go hand in hand and are not the same or interchangeable. Growth is more to do with physical aspects like height and weight or increase in size. Development is the growth in functions and capabilities. It’s about the maturation of functions and acquiring skills. Growth and development happen simultaneously. They affect each other and both processes depend on genetic, nutritional, and environmental factors.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Genetic potential is what we acquire from our parents through DNA. Environmental factors and nutrition are equally important. The emotional environment and stability is one more factor that contributes to overall good growth and development.</p>
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<p>Growth and development is a continuous process. Rate of Growth varies a bit from child to child. Standardised Growth Charts are available for different dimensions of growth such as Weight, Height, BMI( Body Mass Index), Head Circumference. Growth measurements should be plotted on the graph over the growing up years. It is a good tool to diagnose the deviation of growth from normal. The growth should stay within the percentile range that is acceptable for the child.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>REF: <a href="https://iapindia.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">iapindia.org</a></p>
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<p><strong>&nbsp;HEALTH and WEIGHT&nbsp;</strong></p>
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<p>Healthy weight is very important because it has implications for future health. It is related to lifestyle, behaviour, environment and family life.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>There is a growing prevalence of overweight and obesity and this can lead to adverse health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease. Normal&nbsp; weight range is defined by BMI (Body Mass Index&lt; 85% percentile for age&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Overweight is when weight is between&nbsp; 85th and 95th&nbsp; percentile for age</p>
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<p>When weight is greater than 95th percentile it is termed as Obesity&nbsp;</p>
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<p>The two main contributions to weight issues are nutrition and physical activity and the equation between these two.</p>
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<p>There is an increased risk of Obesity when :</p>
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<ul><li>One or both parents are obese&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>one or more siblings are obese.</li><li>When there is a disease or disability that causes limitation for physical activity.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>
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<p><strong>Our goal is to keep BMI &lt; 85</strong><strong><sup>th</sup></strong><strong> percentile, appropriate for age and sex.</strong></p>
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<p>Some strategies to achieve ideal body weight are:</p>
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<p>-healthy eating behaviours.</p>
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<p>-reduced sedentary behaviours.</p>
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<p>-increased/ regular physical activity</p>
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<p><strong>&nbsp;HEALTH AND NUTRITION&nbsp;</strong></p>
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<p>Food habits and choices are deep-rooted in our family traditions and culture. Also, children are influenced by their peers as well and media to make food choices.</p>
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<p>And this can be a challenging task. On the other hand, our attitude about body weight is also valuable. Many a time we as parents may not recognize that our child is overweight (as per BMI charts), and even feel offended if the doctor refers to the child as overweight or obese.</p>
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<p>The primary goal of providing good nutrition:</p>
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<ul><li>Adequate in quality and quantity for growth.</li><li>It's balanced in nutrients as per requirement.&nbsp;</li><li>There is variety, as often children reject monotony.</li><li>Should be in moderation.</li></ul>
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<p>One often sees parents overfeeding the infant or child and they panic if relatives say that the child looks 'weak', despite the child being overweight or of adequate weight. This may even make Parents feel guilty for not doing their job well.</p>
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<p>It is very important to monitor growth by using standardized charts for age and gender. This helps identify abnormal growth patterns.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Supplementation of nutrients such as Vitamin D is required. Nutrition needs should be met by including a variety of foods. We as parents need to ensure that nutritious food is available and when to serve them.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>How much to eat?&nbsp;</p>
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<p>From early childhood encourage the child to decide how much to eat. Nature’s setting for satiety is in place. However, by letting the child watch TV or YouTube while eating, or forcing the child to finish what's on the plate or a certain portion, we interfere with and corrupt this instinctive behaviour. And this has long term negative consequences.</p>
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<p>Family mealtime</p>
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<p>Whatever happened to eat together as a family, at the dining table. Parents can have a major influence on child's/adolescents eating behaviour.</p>
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<p>Parents who don't eat fruits and vegetables cannot accept their child to do so.</p>
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