Childhood Obesity

Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity in the United States is now at epidemic proportions. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) one in five children in the United States is currently overweight. Many of these children have a variety of medical problems including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, and depression. Studies show that children who are overweight during childhood are often overweight adults as well. Other studies suggest that children with overweight parents engage in lower levels of physical activity and eat diets that are higher in fat and lower in carbohydrates. The Bogalusa Heart Study found that, compared to their lean counterparts, overweight children are more than twice as likely to have elevated cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

Proper nutrition begins in the home. Poor eating and exercise habits are often established during childhood and parents and primary caregivers have a unique role in helping to prevent childhood obesity. They make daily choices on types and availability of food in the home, influence the setting for where and when meals are eaten, and implement countless other decisions that effect how often family members engage in healthful eating and exercise behaviors. Unfortunately, many families are very busy and establishing healthy eating and exercise behaviors is quite challenging. In families where both parents work, they are often not home when their children come home from school. Children are more likely to watch TV or play video games because parents do not want their children to play outside unsupervised if no one is home. Parents often bring home calorie and fat laden fast food dinners because they are too tired to make dinner when they come home from work or their schedule may not allow the time.

Currently there are no Food and Drug Association (FDA) approved drugs to treat or prevent childhood obesity. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the goal to help prevent childhood obesity is to slow the rate of weight gain while eating enough calories to achieve normal growth and development. Children are encouraged to exercise at least 60 minutes per day most days of the week. Rather than focus entirely on team oriented sports, children should include moderate exercise into their daily routine. This may help establish lifelong patterns of exercise once they are no longer involved in sports activities at school.

Perhaps the most important concept to help prevent childhood obesity and establish lifelong healthy behaviors is to get the whole family involved. Parents should set a good example for their children by changing their own eating habits and increasing their own level of physical activity.

Tips to encourage healthy eating and physical education activities.

• Get off the couch in the evenings and go for a walk together.
• Join a health club, check to see if one in your area gives family memberships. If you are unable to obtain a membership to a health club or your neighborhood is unsafe to walk in, do jumping jacks, sit-ups and pushups at home.
• Buy a game like Twister and get the whole family involved.
• Purchase a kid-oriented video that promotes physical activity.
• Offer nutritious snacks like fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy foods. Keep a bowl of fresh fruit on the table or kitchen counter.
• Make junk food such as potato chips and cookies less available by putting them out of sight.
• Don't make treats forbidden. Encourage your children's independence in self-regulation of food intake by letting them choose their own snacks, but offer fruits and vegetables more often and chips, candy and soda less often.
• Serve as a positive role model; choose healthy snacks and beverages yourself.
• Don't use food as a reward. Reward your children in non-food ways like doing their favorite activity.
• Monitor where children eat. Encourage children to eat when they are physically hungry, not tired, sad or bored.
• Watch what your children eat. If they usually eat half a sandwich at home, don't pack a whole sandwich at lunchtime.
• Consider driving a different route to regular destinations if you often pass fast food restaurants. Restaurants are very tempting, convenient places to eat because they offer a large volume of food for low prices. More nutritious meals can be prepared at home with fresh food from a grocery store and at a lower cost in the long run.
• Work with your children's school to offer more fruits and vegetables and encourage physical activity.
• Pack a lunch for your children the night before school.

Use the above ideas to improve your family's eating and exercise habits and help prevent childhood obesity. Have a family meeting to think of additional lifestyle changes together. Remember, building a healthy foundation for your child today can help them have a healthier future as an adult.

The International Food Information Council (IFIC) has published a brochure entitled "Helping Your Overweight Child." This four-page brochure has even more suggestions to help you and your family achieve a healthier lifestyle. Copies of this brochure may be found and downloaded at www.ific.org/publications/brochures/overweightkidbroch.cfm

Fun, healthy snacks for kids....

Fruit Kabobs

Fruit such as grapes, melons, bananas or berries cut into bite sized pieces. For more fun try fruits your children have never eaten before such as mango or kiwi!

Pretzel sticks

Spear four pieces of fruit onto each pretzel as if you were making a regular kabob. Parents can prepare the fruit and put them in the refrigerator for a tasty after school snack.

Ants on a Log

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 stalks celery cut into 2 inch pieces
Raisins
Fill celery pieces with peanut butter. Arrange the raisin "ants" on top of each "log." Place in a plastic container and store them in the refrigerator.

Tangy Yogurt Vegetable Dip

2-1/2 cups plain yogurt
1 onion soup mix package
1 tablespoon minced parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon dill weed
Mix ingredients together well and refrigerate overnight.

Healthy food items to pack in your children's lunch box

• Applesauce (unsweetened)
• Whole-wheat cheese or peanut butter crackers
• Raw vegetables with low-fat yogurt dip or cottage cheese
• Dried fruit such as raisins or apples
• Baby carrots
• Low fat yogurt
• Lightly salted or unsalted pretzels
• Vanilla wafers, graham crackers or animal crackers
• Air popped or low fat microwave popcorn
• String cheese
• Canned fruit packed in water, not heavy syrup
• Fresh fruit
• Freeze a bottle of water the night before and place it in your children's lunch box the next day so that it can keep food there cold until lunchtime. 

By Ruth Towns, Dietetic Intern and Vinita Kishore RD, LDN