Abstract
This paper proposes an objective criterion for shedding off or putting on mass (weight) in marginally obese children. With increasing awareness of childhood obesity among community-health workers, pediatricians, nutritionists, teachers and parents, efforts are made to reduce mass based on the current obesity profile of a child. However, this approach fails to take into account the fact that a child, by the very nature of age group under study, is gaining height at the same time trying to manage mass through a combination of diet, exercise and lifestyle adjustment (optimization approach). Optimal mass was defined in 2011 by the author as the mass corresponding to percentile of height. Hence, a child should momentarily achieve optimal mass when mass-percentile trajectory crosses height-percentile trajectory. However, for the purpose of maintaining optimal mass, not only, the values, but also, the slopes of height- and mass-percentile trajectories must match (dynamicalsystem approach). This paper follows height and mass trajectories of a girl in the age range 5.88-9.44 years and illustrates the need for gaining mass instead of reducing, although she was marginally obese at her last checkup. To help achieve the goal of optimal-mass management, month-wise targets to attain specific heights and masses (on specific dates of a given month) as well as lifestyle adjustment, diet and exercise plans are provided.
