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HomeTopics...Preventing ObesityTeenage Childhood Obesity
Tips for Preventing Obesity in Children and TeensObesity in children is receiving more attention from the medical community than ever before. Along with other weight-related health problems, type 2 diabetes is becoming increasingly common among children. Preventing obesity in our children is vital to the future of America's health.
Obesity in InfantsThe idea of infant obesity is difficult to grasp: a fat baby's a healthy baby, right? It seems ludicrous to discuss weight problems in infants, but it does happen. In fact, adult weight problems are now being linked to infant obesity. Our eating habits as adults are, in part, determined by how we're fed as babies.
The feeding of carbohydrate rich formula in the first weeks of life, combined with the early introduction of solid foods and juices seem to be a major factor in infant obesity. Unlike breast milk, formula does not change as the infant's nutritional needs develop. And the urge to get the child off the bottle (or the breast) and onto solid and more convenient foods is a powerful drive in today's busy, high-stress way of life. Preventing infant obesity means going back to the basics. Ideally, infants should only be fed breast milk for the first six months, and then solids should be introduced slowly over the next year. While solid food is being introduced, breastfeeding should continue.
Obesity in ChildrenHow do you determine if your child is overweight? Measuring obesity in children is more difficult than it is in adults because the line between overweight and obese has not been established for children. Generally, however, if your child weighs more than 85 percent of children of the same sex, age and height, he or she is considered overweight. Your pediatrician has height and weight charts to help you determine this.
The interesting thing about children is that they are more willing to follow by example than to do what you tell them to do. Chances are if you tell them to have a healthy snack, but pick up a cookie for yourself, they will fight you for the cookie. Teach you children healthy eating habits and follow along with them. Eating and lifestyle habits learned in childhood affect us throughout our lives. Unless you teach healthy eating habits at a young age, ensuring that your child eats appropriately is almost impossible.
Is TV to Blame?Children who watch television or play computer games four hours or more a day are more likely to be overweight than those who watch less. But before we blame the TVs and computers, we need to look at our own habits. The average American adult also spends four hours a day in front of the tube or computer: hardly a good example! Restricting television and computer in favor of active games is a good step in preventing obesity in children, but it probably won't work well unless we, as parents, get involved in those active games, too.
Obesity in TeensPreventing teenage obesity is a complex issue. The teen years are times of intense peer pressure: extra weight can lead to social demands and teasing, while the perceived ideal body image, especially for girls, creates unrealistic expectations. The rising occurrence of teenage obesity is causing diabetes, heart disease and other health problems earlier and earlier in adult life. The emotional cost includes loss of self-esteem, depression and eating disorders.
Healthy Eating and Teenagers:Junk food is everywhere a teen might want to be: at the movies, in the malls, even in the school cafeteria. Junk food is fast, cheap (a concern if you're operating on the average teenage budget) and even trendy in the right circumstances. Teenagers can't avoid it, and parents can't control it.
Educating your teenagers on healthy eating is essential, and best started when they're still children. As your children grow older, explain concepts such as serving size, calorie intake and healthy food choices. Lead by example: every time your child sees you making a healthy eating decision, it leaves an impression. Avoid lecturing or verbally running down your teens over body weight: not only does this have a negative impact on their self-esteem, they will probably fight back by heading straight for the local junk food haven.
Body Image and Teenagers:Determining where the line is between preventing your teenager from gaining extra weight and promoting an unhealthy body image, especially among young girls, is difficult. Although many teen magazines are now addressing the gulf between healthy body size and the too-skinny ideals of popular culture, girls remain under enormous pressure to be as thin as possible. Eating disorders are the sad consequence of these unrealistic expectations.
Education is critical here. Teenagers should be made aware of the media and popular culture's representations of and attitudes towards body image and how unrealistic they are. Although girls are most likely to be affected by body image, boys are also at risk. Popular culture's male "ideal" has become more and more heavily muscled over the years. The need to be seen as large and powerful is prompting increasing numbers of boys to overeat to gain body mass, weight-train excessively and abuse steroids.
Taking it to the SchoolsParents can't control what's served at the local junk food restaurants, but they can have a say in what's served in the school cafeteria. Many parent and student groups have successfully advocated for healthier food choices in school cafeterias. Talk to your child's high school to see if changes can be made. Most schools are quite willing to do so.
Resources
American Obesity Association. (nd). Childhood obesity: Prevention.
Johansen, K. (nd). Hope for overweight teens. TeenagersToday.com. La Leche League. (updated 2002). A lifetime of good nutrition begins with breastfeeding. Moran, R. (1999, February 15). Evaluation and treatment of childhood obesity. American Family Physician 59(4), 861-874. National Institute on Media and the Family. (updated 2004). Media use and obesity among children. Warner, J. (2002, April 25). Infant diet may cause adult obesity. WebMD Medical News.
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