Childhood Obesity

If you’ve noticed your child’s weight increasing faster than the time it takes you to restock the fridge, you aren’t alone.  A recent article reports that a full 20% of Britain’s children are overweight, 10% are obese, and that these figures have increased by a factor of two over the last ten years.  In the U.S., the data indicates that 33% of American kids are either overweight or obese, which is three times greater than in 1963.  And Great Britain and the United States are not alone.  Other countries are displaying similar trends. 

Even scarier is the age at which our world’s youth is beginning to pork up.  In a 2007 study that reported global statistics, it was estimated that 22 million children under the age of five were overweight.  The increase in obesity rates in the under-19 population has captured world-wide attention.  And if you haven’t noticed any issues with your child’s waistline, look again.  You may be right, but a survey of U.K. parents found that fewer than 25% of the parents with overweight children recognized their child had a problem, and this number includes parents whose children were obese.  A separate survey of U.S. parents found that while 90% acknowledged childhood obesity to be a national problem, half of them who had overweight children considered their child’s weight to be normal.

Viewing our child’s weight through an adoring parent’s jaundiced eyes does more harm than good.  Like overweight and obese adults, children and teens with higher body mass indexes (BMIs) are more likely to have numerous physical problems, ranging from more difficulty in moving to high blood pressure, high blood glucose and high cholesterol levels, and sleep disorders. 

These conditions can result in heart disease, type 2 diabetes, liver disease, and cancer over time.  A number of studies have determined that a large percentage of overweight children become overweight adults with higher mortality rates.  One of these studies found that if a child’s weight problem begins before his 8th birthday, he is more likely to suffer from morbid obesity as an adult.  And overweight children may face additional physical problems, early puberty and eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia, among them.

The psychological effects can be just as damaging.  Researchers have found a strong link between obesity in children and low self-esteem.  They also found that a greater percentage of obese children reported feelings of sadness and anxiety than did children of normal weight.  And a negative body image and depression go along to complete the package.  These are not unlike the psychological problems experienced by obese adults.  But you do know how cruel kids can be to one another, don’t you?  Any aspect that sets a child apart from the group becomes fair fodder for relentless teasing.

So, as that adoring parent with your eyes now wide open, what do you do?  One of the first steps should be a visit to the child’s doctor since any weight management program for a child should be physician-directed.  In rare cases, the problem may be the result of a hormonal or genetic disorder. Usually not, though, and the recommendations you receive for controlling your child’s weight will be similar to those you’ve read in all the health and nutrition articles targeted to adults:  eat healthier and get more exercise.  With children, however, the goal will typically not be weight loss since children’s bodies are still growing up as well as out.

If you’re one of the lucky ones, those health and nutrition articles hit the bull’s-eye, and you are at a healthy weight.  If not, you may be despairing about how you can help your child when you haven’t been able to help yourself in all these years.  Cheer up!  This may work out better than you think now that you have the extra motivation.  Regardless of which category you place yourself, there are some ground rules that all the experts recommend you follow.  Many of them may be familiar to you.

  1. Never use food as a reward or punishment.  In other words, don’t promise little Jennie an ice cream cone if she behaves in the store, and don’t warn little Eddie that he’ll get no dessert if he doesn’t clean up his room.
  2. Don’t be overly restrictive with the sweets and treats.  Remember, everything in moderation. Do stock the pantry with healthier foods and snacks.  Read the labels to limit the amount of high fat calories, sodium, and sugar in your family’s daily diet.
  3. Try to eat together as a family as often as you can.  Difficult with the hectic schedules we all lead, I know, but take baby steps.  If you currently never find time to dine together, try scheduling it for just one night a week.  Following the family dinner with an evening of games might make this weekly event something that everyone will want to do more often.
  4. Promote physical activity.  This is going to work best if you don’t simply tell Willy and Susie to go outside and play.  Join them.  Take a walk around the neighborhood, play kickball, ride bicycles, take them to the nearest park or playground and push them on the swings.  Rainy day?  Turn on the music and dance. 
  5. Encourage slower eating.  Just like adults, when children eat more slowly, they will be better able to recognize when they are full.
  6. Encourage your child to drink more water.  Again, just like us, children often mistake thirst for hunger.  Buy them their own special water bottle with the image of one of their current idols on it.
  7. Make a new family rule:  No snacking while watching the telly.  This means you, too.

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