Sensible approaches to children's weight problems
From MayoClinic.com
Special to CNN.com
You've seen the headlines saying that more than half of American adults are obese. Turns out the problem isn't confined to adults. More and more children are overweight, too. Fortunately, the trend doesn't have to continue.
Why kids become overweight
These three factors interact to increase your child's risk of becoming overweight: poor diet, lack of exercise and genetics.
Poor diet. Does your child eat very little at meals but munch continuously throughout the day? Is your kitchen stocked with high-calorie snack foods such as cookies and chips? The foods you buy are the foods your child learns to eat, so having healthy foods on hand is important. If you are unsure about how to develop a healthy diet for your child, consult your doctor or dietitian. Because children are growing and developing, their nutritional needs differ from yours. A diet that works for you may not be right for your child.
Lack of exercise. How does your child use free time — riding a bike and playing outside, or sitting in front of the computer or television? And how do you as a parent spend your free time? Parents play a key role in their children's attitudes towards physical activity. Kids are more likely to be active when their parents exercise. The earlier you start adding fitness to your family routine, the more readily the kids will accept it as a normal part of family life. You may want to get your family involved in some sort of for-fun sport, such as soccer or swimming. These organized activities will get your kids moving, prevent after-school boredom, and help them to build social skills.
Genetics. Take a look at yourself and your child's other parent. What about grandparents? Are several members of your family obese or overweight? If you come from a family of heavy people, your child may be genetically predisposed to put on excess weight, especially in an environment where high-calorie food is always available and opportunities for activity are scarce. In other words, in a typical American household, children who are genetically prone to becoming overweight are particularly likely to do so.
Certain hard-to-control factors can also contribute to your child's risk for becoming obese. For example, children from minority or low-income backgrounds are at greater risk of becoming obese. Poverty and obesity often go hand in hand because low-income parents may lack the time and resources to make healthy eating a family priority. Compounding the problem, low-income areas often have limited recreational facilities.
Far less common than lifestyle issues are genetic diseases that can predispose a child to obesity. These diseases, such as Prader-Willi syndrome, Bardet-Biedl syndrome and Cohen syndrome affect a very small proportion of children. In the general population, eating and exercise habits play a much larger role.
Healthy diet decisions: Do you know what to eat?
Children's snacks: Don't ban them, plan them!
Fitness training: 4 elements of a rounded routine
How much exercise is enough?
Keeping kids active: Ideas for parents
Prader-Willi syndrome
The harm to your child
Although government reports highlight the physical risks of being overweight, the social and emotional fallout can hurt children more, at least in the short term. If your child is overweight, he or she is more likely to experience:
Low self-esteem and bullying. Children often tease or bully their overweight peers, who suffer a loss of self-esteem and an increased risk of depression as a result. If you suspect that your child is getting picked on, contact the school to alert teachers and administrators about the problem and have it addressed.
Behavior and learning problems. Overweight children tend to have more anxiety and poorer social skills than normal weight children have. At one extreme, these problems may lead to acting out and disrupting the classroom. At the other, they may cause social withdrawal. Stress and anxiety also interfere with learning. School-related anxiety can create a vicious cycle in which ever-growing worry fuels ever-declining academic performance.
Depression. Social isolation and low self-esteem create overwhelming feelings of hopelessness in some overweight children. When children lose hope that their lives will improve, they are well on the way to depression. A depressed child may lose interest in normal activities, sleep more than usual or cry a lot. Some depressed children hide their sadness and appear emotionally flat instead. Either way, depression is as serious in children as in adults. If you think your child is depressed, talk with him or her and share your concerns with his or her doctor and teacher.
The health risks of being overweight are similar for children and adults. Overweight children are at higher risk of developing:
And, if your child's weight problems persist into adulthood, he or she has a greater chance of developing other life-threatening conditions such as heart disease or cancer.
Depression in kids: How is it treated?
Depression
Sleep apnea
Asthma
Type 1 diabetes
Is your child at risk?
If you're worried that your child is putting on too much weight, talk to his or her doctor or healthcare provider. As part of regular well-child care, the doctor will calculate your child's body mass index (BMI) and determine where it falls on the national BMI-for-age growth chart. The BMI tells if your child is overweight for his or her age and height.
Because BMI doesn't consider things like being big-boned or muscular, and because growth patterns vary greatly among children, your doctor will also factor your child's individual history of growth and development into the overall weight assessment. This will help determine whether or not your child is truly overweight.
Your role in promoting your child's healthy weight
Whether your child is overweight, at risk of becoming overweight or currently at a healthy weight, you can take proactive measures to get or keep things on the right track. Start by setting a good example, making sure your own diet is consistent with maintaining healthy weight. Then, be active, and invite your child to join you.
Try not to engage in food-related power struggles with your child. You might unintentionally lay the groundwork for such battles by providing or withholding certain foods — sweets, for instance — as rewards or punishments. No edible treat should hold that much sway over your child.
Keep in mind that many overweight children simply grow into their extra pounds as they get taller. Realize, too, that an intense focus on your child's eating habits and weight can easily backfire, leading a child to overeat even more, or possibly making him or her more prone to developing an eating disorder. Rather than being critical, emphasize what's positive — the fun of playing outside, the variety of fresh fruit you can get year-round and the benefits of exercise apart from helping to manage their weight (e.g., it will make their heart, lungs and other muscles stronger). If you foster your child's natural inclination to run around, explore and eat only when hungry (not out of boredom), a healthy weight should take care of itself.
http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/FL/00057.html