Major Reasons of Children’s Anorexia

Anorexia, i.e. loss or lack of appetite, is one of the most common problems in children. Several factors and faulty habits contribute to the complications of this problem. According to Dr. Hesham Sharabi, Pediatrics Consultant, loss or lack of appetite and abnormal unwillingness of a child to eat cause considerable worry to many parents, and prompt them to use certain drugs that are assumed to increase his appetite.

Often, nothing of the assumed results of such drugs appears, and instead, the child may be susceptible to their side and adverse effects that appear when interrupting the use of such drugs. Failure of such drugs and other medicaments to treat the problem of anorexia is due to the fact that anorexia is often caused by reasons that have no direct relation with food. 

Of such reasons: The child may not get sufficient rest, or perhaps he does not practice enough sport. Also, the way with which a mother treats her child may be another major cause. This includes over protection, excessive directions, instructions and advices she gives her child while he is taking his food. Or she might insist on that he should take certain amount of food. All this may make him lost his appetite and prompt him to escape eating, which he then considers as a heavy duty.

The most common anorexia cause that may be attributed to children themselves is the self-assertion tendency that involves the desire of a child to assert himself and emphasize his independence through refusing what the others want him to do. Therefore, the more his parents ask him to eat, the more he refuses and insists on his attitude as this makes him feel more important or more independent, which, in turn satisfy his self-assertion tendency.

Dr. Hesham holds that treatment of anorexia may be done through a number of steps. First, the child should never be compelled to eat. Parents should realize that children vary in their eating needs and abilities. Some children can eat much, others eat little. The appetite of the child himself may vary from time to time. Therefore, stopping all attempts to force him to eat particular kinds or quantities of food is the first step towards the treatment of anorexia.

The second step is to take the child tendencies into consideration in respect with the kinds of food he likes and those he dislikes, and to try to present the food to him in an attractive way. Also, being among a group taking food may considerably help with his appetite.

The third step, which starts in an early age of a child is to prevent his tendency to reject certain kinds of food. This step consists of presenting him various kinds of food since he is 4 – 5 months’ old so that he is accustomed to them all without preferring some of them to others. It would also be better not to present him any sweets between meals, nor immediately before a meal. Parents should also be patient and try to calmly and tenderly convince their child to take the food presented to him. They should show express any worry while directing him to eat. Worrying often leads to adverse results.

In addition to the above causes of anorexia, there are other causes resulting from certain diseases and lead to loss or lack of appetite, such as an unapparent illness in the digestive system. Therefore, a physician should be consulted when an abnormal change is noticed on the child.

Finally, Dr. Hesham Sharabi stresses the importance of freeing the child and letting him to be exposed to light and fresh air, and practicing sports in addition to enough rest and sleep. All of this would help in making him naturally willing to eat without being forced to, besides preventing the risks involved in the appetite-related drugs.