Obesity in kids is our nation's ugliest health scandal
Obesity in kids is the greatest health scandal facing our nation today. How is it that in a country which prides itself in protecting its children, we are allowing this silent, deadly epidemic to victimize our most precious assets? Because of childhood obesity, I’ve heard it said that today’s children might be the first generation to have a shorter life span than previous generations. The statistics on overweight children and adolescents are shocking. According to the US Dept of Health & Human Services, in 1999 13% of children aged 6 to 11 years and 14% of adolescents aged 12 to 19 years were overweight. Those figures have nearly tripled in just the past 2 decades. According to the Centers for Disease Control, about one-third of U.S. children are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. In total, that’s about 25 million U.S. children!
As you can see, obesity in kids is no small matter. Who’s the blame for this epidemic? We adults are that’s who. We buy the food that goes in our children’s mouths, we let them plop down in front of the t.v. or computer for hours each day, and we model the type of behaviors (overeating, overweight, sedentary lifestyle) that they copy. As with adults most kids are overweight or obese because they eat too many calories and get too little exercise. Genetic disorders such as Prader-Willi syndrome and Bardet-Biedle syndrome which can predispose a child to obesity are pretty uncommon. Obesity in kids and adults usually comes down to too many calories and too little exercise.
Testing for Childhood Obesity Kids who are overweight know they are overweight. They don’t have to be an Einstein to figure this out. But, sometimes overweight kids grow up and lose that “baby fat.” Your doctor or health care provider can do a weight assessment on your child. This assessment will help determine if your child’s weight is in an unhealthy range.
There are tons of great things you can do to help your child eat better and get more exercise. The most important thing you can do is model the right behaviors for your children. You need to eat healthy and be active. Despite being overweight your child is more than likely nutritionally malnourished. When it comes to obesity in kids, a daily multivitamin is a must. Here are some more things you can do:
Make better food choices and limit high-calorie & high-fat foods, fast foods, soft drinks, candy and desserts Fixate on health not weight Lighten up when it comes to food-don’t make it a big issue (don’t use as a reward or punishment) Emphasize activity not exercise-let kids have unstructured play (just let ‘em run, jump, climb and do what kids do best) Incorporate activity whenever you can (take family walks, hikes, bike rides) Be supportive and let your child know how much you love him/her no matter what Find activities your child likes to do Limit t.v., computer, video time, talking on the phone Focus on long-term diet and exercise changes (quick fixes never work for long) Both you and your children should get at least 30 minutes of exercise/physical activity every day Here are some great resources you can check out for other great health tips: www.surgeongeneral.gov and www.cdc.gov.
Obesity in kids like its adult counterpart, is growing at a frightening rate. We cannot expect the government to solve this problem. It’s up to us. As adults we can provide the first line of defense for our children by modeling a healthy and active lifestyle for our children to copy. No matter how challenging this problem is, we have to ask ourselves, “Are our children worth it?”
Until you try, you don't know what you can't do
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