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

The My Overweight Child blog will help you keep informed about the latest research, findings, and resources available to parents of overweight or obese kids. There are many knowledgeable people working on the increasingly dire problem of childhood obesity - and we want to give parents a place where they can check in regularly to see the latest studies and tips available to help you help your child lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

We invite you to add your comments - if you have feedback for the blog, would like some specific topics covered, or you just want to share your experience as a parent dealing with childhood obesity.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Overweight Kids at Increased Risk for Pancreatic Cancer, Heart Disease

Overweight and obese youth are at greater risk for two serious diseases -- pancreatic cancer and cardiovascular disease -- according to two new studies.

The first study compared the childhood weights of 841 pancreatic cancer patients to 754 healthy people:

Those who were overweight from ages 14 to 39 years old were 67 percent more likely to develop pancreatic cancer.
People who were overweight between ages 20 to 49 years old increased their risk by 2.5 times.
This study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The second study was from The Nemours Children's Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.

Dr. Nelly Mauras and her colleagues found that obese children as young as seven years old were at higher risk for future cardiovascular disease and stroke.
They compared 115 obese children to 87 lean children, all of whom had normal fasting blood sugar levels, normal blood pressure, and normal cholesterol levels.
The obese children had elevated levels of certain proteins and other markers for cardiovascular disease

The old thinking was that cardiovascular disease is associated with a cluster of symptoms called metabolic syndrome. These symptoms include high blood pressure, high levels of bad cholesterol, low levels of good cholesterol, and high blood glucose.

Dr. Mauras and her team wanted to know if obesity could raise cardiovascular disease risk before metabolic old syndrome develops. "The results were striking because the children were entirely healthy otherwise," she said while presenting the study during the annual meeting of The Endocrine Society.

Labels: cancer, heart_disease, overweight children, research

Friday, June 26, 2009

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Study Questions Connection Between Obesity, Proximity to Fast Food

A study conducted by researchers from Indiana and Purdue Universities found that living in close proximity to fast food restaurants does not put a child a greater risk of obesity. The study's results sharply contradict previous research, which found that fast food posed a threat to children's health.

"Previous studies did not benefit from the wide range of information we acquired such a details of both sick and well doctor visits, changes in a child’s address, annual food service establishment inspection data, aerial photographs of neighborhoods and crime statistics over time," reported a press release that was issued by the universities that were involved in the recent research effort.

Though proximity to fast food was ruled out as a negative effect by the Indiana-Purdue study, location was found to be an important factor in another area. Living close to parks or other recreational areas was found to have a positive effect on childhood obesity rates, as exercise has been identified as an important component in the effort to reduce obesity among young people.

Labels: causes of childhood obesity, research

Monday, June 22, 2009

Texas School Kitchens to get Makeovers

More than 350 Texas schools will be awarded more than $11 million worth of new kitchen equipment as part of the federal stimulus package. According to the North Texas News, the new equipment will go toward replacing components such as deep-fat fryers.:

The kitchen equipment purchased with these funds will allow schools to provide more nutritious meals to Texas school children and also help in the fight against childhood obesity, Commissioner [Todd] Staples said. "I am very proud of the accomplishments of our Texas schools as they take another step toward encouraging the 3 Es of Health Living: Education, Exercise, and Eating Right."

When the Texas Department of Agriculture announced that stimulus funds were available, it received requests from more than 3,000 schools. Though all the requests couldn't be met, 939 pieces of kitchen equipment will be provided, including ovens, freezers, steam tables, and food processors.

Labels: cafeterias, healthy_eating, schools

Friday, June 19, 2009

Technology to Help Kids Stay Active, Lose Weight

Researchers from Keck School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, are studying how to use technology to fight childhood obesity.

Dr. Donna Spruijt-Metz is developing a program that entails having children wear wireless sensors to measure their physical activity. If the children are sedentary for a long time, they will receive a “ping” to remind them to be active.

A second program involves using CD-ROMs in schools to promote better health. Dr. Spruijt-Metz reported that this program was more effective for girls than boys.

"Technology gives us more objective and reliable measures than self reporting," she said. Dr. Spruijt-Metz presented her findings during the 5th Biennial Childhood Obesity Conference, which was held June 9 to 12 in Los Angeles.

Labels: childhood_obesity, prevention, technology

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

7-Year-Olds Experience Symptoms of Obesity-Related Diabetes

Researchers at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center found signs of Type 2 diabetes in children as young as seven years old.

Dr. Melinda Sothern studied 118 healthy children ages seven to nine years old. Some of the children had Metabolic Syndrome, which includes markers such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. This syndrome is usually seen in overweight adults.

Dr. Sothern found that the child's weight was the factor most likely to predict Metabolic Syndrome. Some of the children had fat in their liver cells and leg muscles, which is a predictor of poor insulin sensitivity and a link to Type 2 diabetes.

This study was presented at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association.

Labels: childhood_obesity, diabetes

Monday, June 15, 2009

Weight Loss Camps for Kids Continue to Improve

Weight-loss camps for children have made significant improvements in recent years, and are providing campers with excellent long-term results. With an emphasis on good health habits (including proper nutrition and exercise), many weight loss camps for kids are now better described as "fitness camps."

According to Tony Sparder, who has been operating weight-loss camps for over 30 years, The average participant in an effective weight loss camp for children and teens will lose between two and six pounds per week.
In years gone by, Sparder said, campers spent considerable time and energy performing boring fitness trials such as push-ups and sit-ups, and most weight-loss camps would limit calories to 1200 to 1300 calories a day.
In contrast, today’s fitness camps offer activities that are more fun, such as hiking and swimming, and the children’s calorie allowances are usually set at 1800 to 2000 calories a day.
The emphasis in the new fitness camps is on building long-term habits, portion control, and learning how to handle situations such as parties where a child might be offered pizza and birthday cake.

At Wellspring Camps, which operates a network of the nation's premier weight loss camps for children and teens, changing behavior is the key to weight loss. For example, Wellspring campers learn how to cook and how to order in restaurants. They also work with psychologists to learn how to handle stress and emotional eating.

Labels: weight loss camps

Friday, June 12, 2009

Recession May Cause Kids to Gain Weight

Almost a third of American children are overweight, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. Now a new report says they may grow even heavier during the recession.

"There is concern with 'recession obesity' apart from the general trend toward an increasing number of obese American children," said Dr. Kenneth Land, director of the Child Well-Being Index, a project that tracks how American children fare in terms of education and health.

Dr. Land, a professor at Duke University, said that parents often substitute less expensive foods with high carbohydrate and high sugar contents when money is scarce. This kind of diet is related to the increasing numbers of overweight children.

Dr. Land's conclusions are consistent with the findings of others who have explored the link between obesity and poverty.

Labels: causes of childhood obesity, economics, overweight children

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Childhood Obesity Conference Underway in Los Angeles

The 2009 Childhood Obesity Conference is underway in Los Angeles. The conference, which is scheduled for June 9 to 12, is focusing on proven strategies to improve children’s health -- an objective that organizers say is of particular importance given the nation's current economic difficulties.

[The Childhood Obesity Conference will feature] sessions in which experts discuss efforts to rebuild urban infrastructures to enable residents to live healthier lifestyles; the persistence of high-calorie, high-sugar food consumption; the impact and reach of digital food and beverage marketing that targets children; and the efficacy of school and after-school wellness policies. (Source: The Berkeley News)

The director of the California Department of Public Health and the CEO of The California Endowment are among the keynote speakers who are scheduled to address conference attendees.

Labels: childhood_obesity, conference

Monday, June 08, 2009

Breastfeeding, Quality Diet Weaning Help Keep Kids Lean

Children who are breastfed are less likely to be fat, regardless of their height or family background. Now a new study finds that the quality of diet a breastfed infant consumes during weaning also affects body mass index.

Researchers at the University of South Hampton in the United Kingdom studied 536 children at age six and twelve months old, and again at age four years.

"We found that independent of the duration of breastfeeding, children with higher quality weaning diets including fruits, vegetables, and home-prepared foods had a greater lean mass at four years of age," Dr. Sian Robinson of the Epidemiology Resource Center at the University of South Hampton wrote in the Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Labels: childhood_obesity, parenting, prevention

Friday, June 05, 2009

Eating Fast Food Linked to Lower Math, Reading Scores

Does eating too much fast food make children less intelligent? A study from Vanderbilt University found that children who ate at fast food restaurants often were more likely to score lower on reading and math tests:

Dr. Kerri Tobin and her colleagues studied 5,500 children ages 10 and 11 years old.
Half of the children who were studied ate fast food three times a week, 10 percent ate fast food four to six times a week, and two percent ate fast food four or more times a day.
The ones who ate fast food four to six times a week scored seven points lower on math and reading tests, and the ones who ate there once a day or more scored 14 points lower.
The researchers reported that both of these measures were "statistically significant."

Dr. Tobin said she was unsure if it was the fast food itself causing lower scores. She speculated that having parents who are "more lenient" could be the actual link to lower scores.

A spokesperson for McDonalds restaurants said that the majority of the fast food chain's customers visit a restaurant two or three times a month.

Health and fitness experts have long argued that the excessive consumption of fast food is a prime cause of rising rates of childhood obesity in the United States.

Labels: academics, fast food

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Large Waist Size, BMI are Risk Factors for Sleep Disorders in Kids

A study published in the June 1st issue of the journal SLEEP found that waist size and BMI (Body Mass Index) are consistent, independent risk factors for all severity levels of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) in children.

According to principal investigator Edward O. Bixler, PhD, of Penn State University College of Medicine in Hershey, Penn., it is assumed that the primary mechanism of SDB in children is the presence of large tonsils or adenoids. The study suggests, however, that the causes of SDB in children are more complex, that there may be a systematic influence of obesity. (Source: Red Orbit)

The study included data from 700 children between the ages of five and 12 years who were monitored for one nine-hour period in a sleep laboratory. Obesity-related sleep disorders can inflict severe damage on an individual's health, and are among the many health problems facing overweight and obese teens.

Labels: bmi, health problems, sleep disorders, waist size

Monday, June 01, 2009

California Middle School Promotes Lifelong Exercise, Activity

For a group of middle school students in California, the days of sitting (or lying) in the grass during gym class, listening to a lecture about softball rules are over. At Antelope Crossing Middle School, physical education students don't have much time for lying around (unless, of course, they're on their backs doing so some ab crunches)

These days, you're more likely to find students checking the heart-rate monitors they've strapped on during jump rope to "stay in the zone," try for that aerobic threshold on the step trainer, and harden those abdominals and obliques with side planks. -- Source: Fort Meyers (Fla.) News-Press

In 2008, the National Association for Sport and Physical Education selected Antelope as one of the nation's four "star schools." Antelope's award-winning program is aimed at teaching students not only to engage in a lifetime of physical activity, but also to enjoy the experience.

Finding physical activities that a child enjoys is an important part of encouraging that child to get an adequate amount of exercise. Children who remain active -- and who follow a nutritious diet -- are less likely to experience the many health effects of childhood obesity.

Labels: exercise, middle school, physical_education