Kiambu District Hospital nutritionist has urged parents in Kiambu County to embrace healthy life styles to avoid obesity among their children.
Speaking today from her office, Faith Monoru said that obesity cases among children are on the rise in many parts of the county.
She said that the main cause for obesity among children is the life style that their parents accustom them to such as unhealthy fast food and physical inactivity.
“Some parents have become too busy for their children by not monitoring their diets as they are giving them high fatty foods such as fries, sugars snacks and drinks such as juices, sodas and cakes, over feeding them as well as allowing them to be glued to the televisions for hours,” Monoru.
She added that according to a research, obese children tend to have this condition even as adults and this condition makes them prone to some predisposed diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases and diabetes among others.
She advised parents to watch their children’s diet by giving them whole grain foods, vegetables, fruits and eight glasses of water daily to ensure they are healthy.
She said that they should ensure that they are physically active and avoid cooking food using saturated fats and instead use unsaturated fat (liquid cooking oils).
Maryanne Wangechi, a parent in Ruiru sub-county said that some parents have become too busy for their children in pursue of their careers while others are seemingly lazy in their parenthood.
She added that it is very wrong for parents to give their children what they want rather than what they need.
According to Millicent Wanjiku, a parent in Kahawa Wendani, parents should be role models to their children and make sure that they do not make their children disposed to diseases in the aim of pampering them.
She urged parents to maintain a healthy life style for their children and also prevent them from being inactive by playing computer games or watching television the whole day.