Childhood Obesity

As studies have shown, childhood obesity has been on a steady incline throughout the world in recent years. In today’s fast paced environment, it’s easy to turn to the convenience of microwave meals and fast food, which are typically high in calories and low in nutritional value, unfortunately this is not the best way to keep our kids and families healthy and growing strong.

It has been found that obesity has been especially evident in industrialized nations where many people live sedentary lives and eat more of our so-called “convenience foods”. In just two decades, the trend of becoming overweight doubled for kids in the U.S. (ages 6 to 11) — and tripled for American teenagers. It is estimated that about 25 million U.S. children and adolescents are overweight or nearly overweight.

Although there are some genetic and hormonal causes of childhood obesity, most excess weight is caused by kids eating too much and exercising too little.  Television, computer and video games contribute to children's inactive lifestyles. Overweight in children and adolescents is generally caused by lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns, or a combination of the two, with genetics and lifestyle both playing important roles in determining a child's weight.

Obese children can develop serious health problems, such as diabetes and heart disease, often carrying these conditions into an obese adulthood. Overweight children are at higher risk of developing:

• Type 2 diabetes
• Metabolic syndrome
• High blood pressure
• Asthma and other respiratory problems
• Sleep disorders
• Liver disease
• Early puberty or menarche
• Eating disorders
• Skin infections

Psychological Effects

The social and emotional fallout also can hurt your child. Being overweight can cause:

• 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.
• 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're 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.

What You Can Do to Help

Whether your child is 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 setting a good example by making sure your own diet is consistent with maintaining healthy weight. Then, be active, and invite your child to join you. 
Here are some other helpful tips to help keep your child on the right track to living a healthy lifestyle through diet and exercise:

• Children should be encouraged to drink water and to limit intake of beverages with added sugars, such as soft drinks, fruit juice drinks, and sports drinks.
• Plan for healthy snacks.
• Stock the refrigerator with fat-free or low-fat milk, fresh fruit, and vegetables instead of soft drinks or snacks that are high in fat, calories, or added sugars and low in essential nutrients.
• Aim to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
• Eat meals together as a family as often as possible.
• Carefully cut down on the amount of fat and calories in your family's diet.
• Be physically active. It is recommended that Americans accumulate at least 30 minutes (adults) or 60 minutes (children) of moderate physical activity most days of the week. Even greater amounts of physical activity may be necessary for the prevention of weight gain, for weight loss, or for sustaining weight loss.
• Plan family activities that provide everyone with exercise and enjoyment.
• Provide a safe environment for your children and their friends to play actively; encourage swimming, biking, skating, ball sports, and other fun activities.
• Reduce the amount of time you and your family spend in sedentary activities, such as watching TV or playing video games. Limit TV time to less than 2 hours a day.

*Information provided by the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the Mayo Clinic.