A nine-year-old Ohio boy who was removed from his mother's home after his weight skyrocketed to over 200 pounds has been allowed to return home.
The case made headlines last fall after the nine-year-old was placed in foster care due to significant concerns over his health. Cuyahoga County caseworkers in Ohio argued that the child's mother was not doing enough to control the boy's weight and said that they had been working with the family for over a year prior to the child's October removal. Most boys around the age of nine weigh 60 pounds.
The boy was originally placed in foster care before he was placed under the supervision of his uncle. After loosing 50 pounds through healthy eating and regularly engaging in physical activity the court allowed him to his mother's home in March under protective supervision.
On Thursday, the child released from court-ordered supervision and the family has been offered nutritional and health consulting as well as memberships to the YMCA.
"Let's hope we never have to go back to court with this child," attorney John Lawson, who was appointed by the judge to act as a guardian during the court proceedings, told The Associated Press.
In a January report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers found that little has changed in the United States since 2007-2008 with regards to obesity. From 2009-2010, 35.7 percent, or 78 million adults, and 16.9 percent, or 12.5 million children aged 2-19, suffered from obesity.
Childhood obesity has both immediate and long-term effects on the health of children making them more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease including high blood pressure or high cholesterol. Children and youth struggling from obesity can suffer from joint problems and prediabetes, a dangerous condition that could eventually evolve into full-blown diabetes.
Healthy eating habits and exercise can lower the risk of childhood obesity.
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