Our Guest Speaker was Pediatrician Dr. Offringa and he spoke to us about Child Obesity! 

Our guest speaker was Dr. Pieter Offringa who is a Pediatrician and he spoke about Child Obesity!

Child Obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st Century. Obesity can harm nearly every system in a child’s body- the heart, lungs, muscles, bones, kidneys and digestive tract as well as hormones that control blood sugar and puberty. And, it can also take a heavy social and emotional toll on the children. 

Youth who are overweight or obese, have high odds of remaining overweight increasing their risk of disease and disability later in life.

Dr. Offringa shared that obesity in the CARICOM countries are the highest, especially in children. 

He also explained that the children are obese because:

- 20% are because of medical reason (genetic, hormonal etc)

- 80% eat and drink too much and don’t move enough 

 

As a Pediatrician, Dr. Offringa advised parents to do the following to avoid obesity in children: 

- Do not buy or give sugary juices

- Drink more water

- Stop in between meals 

- Stick to three meals a day

 

President Grace presented Dr. Offringa with a token of appreciation at the end of his presentation! 

 

During the same meeting, those present celebrated Rotarian Fred’s birthday! 

The birthday song was sung, Rotarian Fred received a birthday card and cake!