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Women's Health
Children's Health
Childhood Obesity
Parents often feel children will "grow" into their weight. This is not necessarily true. As childhood obesity is a growing medical concern in our country, we see overweight children becoming overweight adults. In the United States, 13% of children (age 6-11 years) and 14% of teens are considered overweight.
To determine if a child is overweight, growth charts are used. The child's weight may be compared to their age (weight-to-age) or their BMI is determined (a comparison of weight and height). A child is considered to be overweight if they are 95% or above for weight-to-age or their BMI is greater than 95. Children are considered to be at risk for obesity if their weight or BMI is between the 75th and 95th percentile. The following website has growth charts that will help you determine where your child's weight plots: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/major/nhanes/growthcharts/charts.htm.
Obesity is a serious health problem. Overweight children and adults are at a greater risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease. At least 61% of overweight children have a risk factor for heart disease such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. Being overweight also puts children at a higher risk for experiencing bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and poor self esteem.
We do not always recommend weight loss for an overweight child. We encourage families to have healthy eating habits and increase physical activity to prevent additional weight gain and better health. Many children and teens try unhealthy methods to lose weight such as eating very little or skipping food groups. These unsafe eating habits leave out important foods that they need to grow. Other unsafe methods for losing weight include smoking, self-induced vomiting, or using diet pills and laxatives. These practices can lead to other health problems.
Children and teens should be encouraged to consume more fruits and vegetables as well as whole grains. These foods are nutrient dense (contain many vitamins and minerals) and contain few calories. Another method to cut calories is by decreasing the amount of fat in our diet. Avoiding fried foods and other high fat foods (potato chips, pepperoni, and cookies) will prevent weight gain and assist in lowering cholesterol levels. Portion distortion also plays an active role in what our children eat. Studies show that people who are served "more food" actually "eat more food". A child or teen should not eat more than a fist size of one food item. This is typically a ½ cup serving.
Many resources are available on the web encouraging good nutrition for children and teens. The food guide pyramid site has an activity that promotes healthy eating habits in children (http://www.mypyramid.gov/kids/index.html). The National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute has a program called: We Can. Their website promotes programs to help families and communities promote more active children. They also have information about improved food choices (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/index.htm).
It is much easier to encourage changes in our overweight child or teen's diet and physical activity by promoting better health choices in the whole family. Be sure to make small changes over time that is realistic. By substituting water for sweetened soda or selecting a salad instead of French fries at a restaurant will make a big impact over time.
TIPS FOR PARENTS
- Be a role model for healthy eating and regular exercise.
- Eat meals at the table.
- Do not make food a reward.
- Limit TV, video games, and computer time.
- Take steps as a family to be more active by including family exercise time in routines (such as walks, Frisbee, etc.).
- Drink water instead of soda or juice.
- Eat smaller portions.
- Offer fresh fruit for snacks instead of candy or chips.
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