Calling "the fat one" actually makes the child gain weight

Most children have a unique calling at home. Whether from parents or people around him. For example, calling "the fat one" or "the chubby one" in a child has a chubby body with chubby cheeks. Even though it sounds funny, did you know that calling your child "the fat one" can make him gain weight even more? How could this be? Check out the following explanation.

Calling a child "the fat one," makes him continue to gain weight

"Eh the fat guy, where are you going?" You may often hear neighbors or family members refer to your little one by that call. It may seem trivial, but recent studies have found that it has an impact on children's health.

A study conducted in May 2019 reported that children who have a call to fat, fat, and so on tend to gain weight rapidly in the next few years. Why is it that calling a child "fat" can make him gain weight?

This study looked at 110 children and adolescents who are overweight and at risk of obesity. Then, the researchers asked the children to fill out a questionnaire on how often they were called fat or other names related to body weight.

The results showed that children who were often referred to as fat, obese, or other expressions related to body weight gained 33% more weight than those who did not have a weight-related designation. They are also known to have an increase in fat mass of 91% per year.

Researchers concluded that teasing or calling a child "fat" made him stressed. This condition then affects the physiology of the body and makes children vent their feelings of annoyance and anger by eating unhealthy foods.

What should parents do?

Mentioning and taunting children who are obese, obese, or other weight-related children has been shown to have a negative impact on children. Not only does his weight continue to gain, the call can also kill a child's self-confidence.

Quoted from the Healthy Children page, bad calls can make children feel isolated, ashamed, and sad. As a result, he will withdraw from school activities and the environment is vulnerable to calling them by a nickname he does not like.

To overcome this, the role of parents is needed. Here are some tips for dealing with kids who are called fat.

1. Ask the child

"It is very important to ask a child whether he or she is subjected to any kind of teasing, including regarding weight at school or in the environment," says Natasha Schvey, PhD, a psychology lecturer at Uniformed Services University in Washington.

Emphasize to the child that they don't deserve to be made fun of or take bad calls. Whether it's weight, skin color, or other deficiencies.

Knowing your child is experiencing this kind of teasing or not can help you better understand how to help your child get out of this problem.

2. Teach children to deal with people who call "fat"

Parents are not always able to avoid the child from the taunt 24 hours. So, teaching children to deal with it is the best way. When a child is called a bad name, ask the child to remain calm and not bother with it.

Give the understanding that if your child reacts with anger, anxiety, or tears, people will make fun of him even more. In fact, the taunts could be even worse than before.

Make sure that the taunts from the people won't matter because your child can still do good things.

3. Talk directly with the person who calls the child fat

If you catch the scene in sight, you need to take action. Talk to people who call your child fat or other taunts that his attitude is bad and has a bad impact on the child's emotions.

Try to talk calmly and choose the right words so that they can be received well.

4. Make sure the child adopts a healthy lifestyle

In addition to dealing with children from being called "fat", you also need to make children lead a healthier lifestyle. In addition to avoiding people who will call your child fat, maintaining a healthy lifestyle will also keep children away from various risks of diseases, such as obesity.

Pay attention to the choices and portions of food consumed by children. Then, adopt good eating habits, such as eating on time, not sleeping immediately after eating, and eating calmly. In addition, increase the child's physical activity by inviting him to exercise.

If you have difficulty losing weight in your child, don't hesitate to consult a doctor or child nutritionist.

Photo courtesy of: Sunlight Phamacy.