Health-related issues can be difficult to detect among children

Overweight and obese children go to fitness camp to lose weight. Photo: Courtesy of Feng Lei

The average blood pressure for an 11-year-old boy is 120/80 mm-Hg. However, this boy's blood pressure was 160/120 mm-Hg, with a fasting glucose level at 9.1. Not yet 12 years old, he was obese and suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes, which is rare for a person of his age.

"His mother was so confused," said Feng Lei, a master's graduate from the Sports Medicine Department of Shanghai University of Sport, who now runs Dianfeng Fitness Camp in Shanghai. "She knew her son was a little chubby, but she never thought it could lead to such problems."

The eyes are often not the best judges when it comes to obesity, especially in children. Sometimes a rather normal-figured person by appearance can be obese, in what is called hidden obesity. Despite their normal figure, their body contains a high percentage of fat which can affect the body's functioning and cause illnesses such as high blood pressure and diabetes, sometimes even acute diseases like a stroke.

As China becomes more developed and prosperous, obesity is a health risk that is likely to rise. A 2013 report carried out by the Overseas Development Institute titled "Future Diets," states that obesity has doubled in China in the past 30 years, which coincides with China's rapid economic growth.

Obesity in children is quite different from obesity in adults, as children rely on their parents for guidance and direction when it comes to their health.

"Children do not have enough awareness of their own health situation. They like to eat high salt and sugar fried food and they don't get enough exercise, which makes them more likely to become victims of hidden obesity," said Feng.

The British Medical Journal in 2011 released a review saying that obesity in children between the ages of 8 and 18 has increased by 28 times from 1985 to 2000, according to a report on Fuzhou Evening News.

"Hidden obesity does have some recognizable symptoms. Kids with hidden obesity are often drowsy and prone to ailments, and are sensitive to weather conditions," added Feng.

Health professionals recommend that children prone to obesity undergo tests for body fat. Wang Junhua, the director at Deshengmen Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine advises parents to calculate their child's Body Mass Index (BMI) - an indicator of a child's percentage body fat - at home before visiting the hospital.

So how does one tackle obesity? Dieting and exercise are the most common solutions, but the manner in which a child loses body fat is different than that of an adult. A reduction in food consumption and strenuous exercise for a child can have dangerous consequences.

"Weight loss pills and diets that are followed by adults cannot be applied to children. Some diets can even impede a child's growth," said Feng. "You need to test the child's basal metabolism amount, making sure that they have enough nutritional balanced food for their body to function normally and to grow."

Before starting exercises to lose weight, parents are recommended to take their child for an electrocardiography test at a hospital.

"It tests a child's endurance capability for exercise, which can help avoid exercise-related sudden death syndrome," he said.