According to a study in California, approximately 5.5 percent of girls and 7.3 percent of boys are classified as extremely obese. The case gets worse when it comes to black and Hispanic kids, where 11.9 percent of black teenage girls and 11.2 percent of Hispanic teenage boys are classified obese. A child having a body-mass-index (BMI) of 35 kg per meter square or weighing more than 1.2 times the 95^th percentile can be termed ‘Obese’. This obesity epidemic has shown increase with the number of years and has thus become a matter of concern for the parents.

The Obesity epidemic is said to be driven by a combination of poor eating habits and lack of physical activity. Parents really need to keep a check on these as extreme obesity can lead fatal and serious health problems like heart disease and diabetes. Thus, it is very important to keep a watch on these obese kids in order to prevent the adverse effects rise up in the near future.

The obese children even might continue to be extremely obese as adults, and any type of health problems related with obesity tends to become a part of these children’s futures. These children tend to have a 10 to 20 years shorter life span compared to a normal healthy child as they start showing signs of obesity problems while in their twenty’s, which one might observe during the 40 to 60 span. No major lifestyle changes appear for such children.

Obesity peaks at age of 12 for girls and 10 for boys.  Thus, it becomes extremely critical for the parents to provide their families with healthy and nutritious food right from the very beginning. Healthy food is also delicious and affordable but the people are made to believe that the junk or fast food and sweets are the cheapest and the easiest way to go. Even the food advertisements target children. The statistics revealed that more than $1.6 billion was spent on marketing beverages and food to children in 2006. Imagine if even a fraction of this money was spent to promote healthy food items like fruits, vegetables, beans, grains and other nutrition education for the public, the scenario could have been totally different. People would have learnt how to buy and prepare healthy foods on a budget, which could have reduced the prevalence of obesity and chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes and hearth disease in children.

Thus, it has become very essential for food companies, health professionals and state governments to motivate, educate and empower children and adults to lead healthier lives before it gets too late!

Swine Flu also known as H1N1 is an up-to-the-minute flu virus that has by no means previously scattered amongst individuals. The H1N1 virus is not related to earlier or existing human cyclic infection viruses. H1N1 was initially sensed in Mexico in April, 2009, it has scattered to scores of countries in the World. H1N1 virus is on the whole a misnomer.

The reason as to why H1N1 is well-known as Swine Flu is that when tests were conducted in the laboratory they discovered that the genes present in this virus are similar to those which are present in pigs i.e. swine. In the lead, it has been discovered that this latest virus has genetic material fragments from the pigs, avian & human being flu virus genes. The scientists have named this as a ‘quadruple reassortant’ virus & for this reason this up-to-the-minute (new) virus is named “influenza-A (H1N1) virus.”

Emblematic Symptoms of Swine Flu:

1. Relentless & Continuous Queasiness

2. Body Pains

3. Impulsive Wooziness

4. Runny Nose or Stuffy nose

5. Rapid breathing or difficulty in breathing

6. Fever, which is more often than not high, however not like seasonal flu, is at times absent.

7. Not consuming sufficient liquids.

8. Having pain in the chest or stomach.

Precautions to Be Taken:

- If you have a fever of 100.5 Fahrenheit or more, contact your physician immediately (be it in daylight hours or hours of darkness) & begin consuming lots of liquids. Stay well hydrated & acquire an analysis & management for no matter what is causing your fever

- If you have cold or cough, wrap your snout & mouth by means of a hankie & after that toss it out

- Clean your hands over and over again with soap & water or alcohol antiseptic,  this will slaughter the majority of germs.

- Stay away from inhabitants who have a cold, cough, fever or sneezing, or protest of any flu-like indications.

Swine Flu Vaccine Almost Ready

The WHO has alleged that vaccine producers are on trail to begin delivering the primary batches of Swine Flu vaccine a short time by next month i.e. September. Quite a lot of drug producers have allegedly started testing their vaccines on human beings & untimely safety consequences ought to be accessible by next month, as a result clearing the approach for its exploit.

Drug monitors in United States of America & Europe boast of a fast track drug endorsement development that will make the vaccine accessible yet before widespread safety test are concluded. The WHO does look ahead to spot reports of side effects just the once vaccine supply begins & is suggesting that the foremost vaccine recipients should be health-care personnel.