Childhood Obesity - Do you have an overweight child? We offer tips to help your child lose weight and get fit!

A major study from the University of California found that obesity rates have fallen slightly for white children, but keep rising for African-American and Hispanic children.

Dr. Kristine Madsen, lead author, studied data on over eight million children ages eight to 17 years old collected between 2001 and 2008. About 38% of the students were overweight, including 20% who were obese.

• The disparity between ethnic groups was greatest among girls. African-American, Hispanic and Native American girls were two to three times more likely to be overweight as non-Hispanic white girls.
• The rates of obesity rose from 20% to 22% among African American girls in the past seven years.
• Among Native American girls, the rate rose from 15% to 23% in the same period as the percentage for obese white girls fell by 0.6% to 10%.

This study appeared in the journal Pediatrics.
 

Labels: minority

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 0 Comments

A recent study of more than eight million California students found that instances of childhood obesity are beginning to level off in some cities, and fall in others. Many believe the study is proof that the state’s legislative and educational programs are starting to work.

The study, published in the September issue of Pediatrics, is tempered by the fact that obesity rates continue to climb for black and American Indian girls even as they fall for Caucasian and Asian children and level off for Latinos. [Source: Mercury News]

Researchers don’t know why there’s a disparity between ethnic groups, but they believe the positive results among Caucasian and Asian children shows that obesity-related issues can be overcome.

Labels: prevention

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 0 Comments

An Aug. 17 editorial on the website of Springfield, Illinois, newspaper The State Journal-Register praised overweight teenager Scott Basso for his participation in the Wellspring Academies weight loss program and the Style Network show Too Fat for 15: Fighting Back:

A report last year by Trust for America’s Health ranked Illinois 10th in the nation in childhood obesity, with 34.9 percent of children here classified as obese.

Those statistics may frame the problem, but they only tell the numerical side of the story. The real story of the problems obesity can cause can come only from going through the struggle yourself or watching someone close to you fight that battle.

That’s why we give a lot of credit to 14-year-old Scott Basso. The Athens High School freshman-to-be has struggled mightily with his weight for much of his life.  ...

It takes courage to share a struggle as personal and emotional as this even with close relatives and friends. For a teenager to share it with a television audience is especially courageous.

Labels: weight loss, teenagers, wellspring

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According to a common college myth, freshmen come home for winter break about fifteen pounds heavier than when they moved into their dormitories.  However, the actual average weight gain is closer to five pounds, according to Cynthia Bulik, director of the Eating Disorders Program at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

Part of why freshmen gain weight is that dining halls are now open all hours and provide all-you-can-eat helpings. 

"It's like a smorgasbord on a cruise ship," Dr. Bulik said.

High school students should not to go on reducing diets or engage in other dangerous weight-loss techniques the summer before college. Instead, Dr. Bulk advises students to  go to college "as robust and healthy as you can."  Concentrate on eating fruits and vegetables, and eating meals at regular times of the day.

"Remember that you are so much more than your body," she said.  "Don't think that your success in college either academically or socially is just related to your weight and size."

Labels: students, college

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 0 Comments

Though some progress is being made in the fight against childhood obesity, not everyone is on board. Studies continue to show that an alarming number of parents still don’t recognize that their kids are overweight or obese.

“In another survey, only 38% of parents had taken steps, or were planning to take them, to help their obese child lose weight. Several factors may be contributing to this indifference among parents, experts say. Some parents believe their child’s excess weight is just ‘baby fat,’ for instance, and some may simply be in denial.” [Source: Health.com]

Other parents assume their kids are “normal” because their friends are overweight, too. So many kids today are overweight and obese, that they don’t stand out anymore, making obesity appear normal. But parents need to look past what everyone else is doing, and consult with their family doctor regarding healthy weight for all the family members.

Labels: childhood_obesity, awareness, infant, parents

Posted By: CRC Health 0 Comments

Researchers from the Mahidol University in Bangkok were able to convince a group of kindergarteners to double the amounts and kinds of vegetables they ate during school lunches.

Among the techniques used on the 26 participants ages four and five years old were to have them plant vegetable seeds, take part in vegetable-tasting parties, prepare vegetable dishes, sit down and eat vegetables with the children, and show them cartoon characters like Popeye who enjoy vegetables.

This study appears in the journal Nutrition and Dietetics.
 

Labels: nutrition, vegetables

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 0 Comments

Weis Markets, which has dozens of stores in five states, is introducing a new program aimed at helping combat childhood obesity. Called the Weis Mystery Tours, the field trip will be offered to elementary school students.

“During a 90-minute tour, students will play the role of Weis Detectives searching the store for clues to solve the Case of the Missing Energy. Weis Markets director of lifestyle initiatives, Karen Buch, developed the store-touring program, which is offered at no charge.” [Source: Drug Store News]

Tours will be available for both school and private groups, including home-schooled students, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. It will teach kids the importance of making good nutritional decisions, and will be based on the USDA’s MyPyramid principles.

Labels: prevention, elementary_school_students

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 0 Comments

H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending machines are unique tools in the fight against childhood obesity. Part vending machine and part interactive educator, Healthy Vending machines teach kids what they should be eating and why, the manufacturers claim.

For Amy & John Hobbing, preaching the importance of health & nutrition extends beyond the ears of their two children & the walls of their Meridian, ID home. …

The two progressive parents & forward-thinking entrepreneurs have recently partnered with the Boys & Girls Club of Ada County to place vending machines in the two local clubs, giving Idaho’s youth access to a wide variety of healthy, tasty & affordable snacks & drinks. [Source: PR Web]

The Director of the Ada County Boys and Girls Club, Jason Sears, believes that nutrition is one of the many areas where kids need to learn how to make good choices. By providing vending machines that offer healthy foods, the Boys and Girls Club can help kids take some important steps forward.
 

Labels: awareness, education, vending_machines

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 1 Comment

Obese teenagers who haveType 2 diabetes show subtle abnormalities in their brains when they undergo Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRIs). They also perform more poorly on tests that measure intellectual functioning, memory and spelling, according to a new study from New York University Langone Medical Center.

"Subtle changes in the white matter of the brain in adolescence may be a result of abnormal physiology that accompanies Type II Diabetes," said Dr. Antonio Convit, lead author of the study.

This study appears in the journal Diabetologia.

Labels: health, brain_activity, diabetes

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 1 Comment

School uniforms for preschoolers now come in plus sizes in Great Britain.

• Marks and Spencer will sell plus-sized uniforms for ages 3 to 16 years old.
• Three-year-olds can find pants with 23-inch waistlines, a size usually worn by eight-year-olds.
• The largest sizes feature waistlines up to 41 inches.

"It is a small online trial running in response to customer demand," said a spokesperson for the company. "Marks and Spencer is the leading school wear retailer, and we will make sure our school wear is accessible for children of all shapes and sizes."

Labels: schools, students, pre-school

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