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

An African proverb tells us that it takes a village to raise a child. A new Chicago-area team, however, thinks the effort could be improved by involving an entire county.

The Forward Coalition is an ambitious collaboration of nearly three dozen partners  hospitals, school districts, charitable agencies, planners and other entities  that celebrated its official launch with a gathering Thursday morning at Morton Arboretum in Lisle. (Source: The Naperville (Ill.) Sun)

The group plans to raise $8-10 million which will be used to disseminate messages of early intervention to schools, doctors offices, parent association and student organizations.

Labels: prevention

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Overweight children are twice as likely as normal weight children to have overweight friends, according to a study from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.

• Researchers surveyed 617 students ages 11 to 13 years old, most of whom were in seventh grade.
  
• The overweight children in the study were more likely to have overweight friends
• Overweight girls were less likely to be named friends of normal weight girls.

These results have two important implications: the social contagion of obesity may start at a young age and social affiliations by obesity status may have far-reaching consequences for adolescent development, said Professor Thomas Valente.

This study was published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Labels: research, overweight children, friends

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In conjunction with National School Lunch Month, a group of concerned community members convened in the Naperville (Illinois) Whole Foods grocery store to discuss ways to improve nutrition in area schools.

Dena Sanderson reported on the event in the Oct. 16 edition of the Naperville Sun:

"Healthier children make better learners," said panelist Rochelle Davis, founding executive director of the Healthy Schools Campaign. "Our program allows us to help school officials make changes in school lunch programs," she added.

Davis said the coalition has helped pass key state laws, including requiring schools to have larger cafeterias so students are eating their lunches at normal times. She said this prevents unhealthy snacking and hunger during the school day.

She added that all schools need to adopt wellness policies and parents need to get involved with their schools in order to bring the health issue to the forefront. ...

Catherine Gonzalez, a registered dietitian with the DuPage County Health Department, said the time is now to make changes in school lunch programs because health issues such as Type 2 diabetes, increased cholesterol levels and psychological issues are among the many consequences of childhood obesity.

Labels: nutrition, schools, lunches

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Parents can do a lot to help children keep their weight in check, according to an expert from Harvard University -- and some of the steps to prevent childhood overweight and obesity begin should be taken during the infant and toddler years.

Professor Elsie Taveras said that mothers who start pregnancy at a normal weight but who gain more than 25 pounds increase their child's chances for being overweight by age three. Also, allowing children who gain too much weight in the first six months of life puts them at much higher risk for obesity by age three, Dr. Taveras warned.

• According to a study in the journal Obesity, today's babies are almost 60 percent more likely to be overweight than were babies 20 years ago.
• Some simple feeding practices are important, such as paying attention to your baby's cues when you are feeding him or her.
• For example, if an infant pulls his head away from his bottle, he is saying, I don't want eat anymore.
• It is a good idea to keep the television off while you are feeding your baby so that you can remain sensitive to his cues.

Dr. Taveras told parents to ask their pediatrician how their child is doing in terms of weight.

Labels: childhood_obesity, parenting, prevention, infant

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In a Sept. 2 Los Angeles Times article, Lorenza Muñoz bemoaned the sad state of nutrition among American children -- but the food writer noted that a number of efforts are underway to improve the eating habits and food IQ among the nation's youth:

Due in part to an alarming increase in childhood obesity, diabetes and other junk-food-related illnesses, healthful-food movements targeting kids are sprouting all over the United States. From kids' cooking classes to angry mothers demanding more healthful food in cafeterias to edible gardens at schools, more people are looking to improve their families' eating habits.

"The whole food system in our country is broken," says Susan Rubin, a former dentist, now nutritionist in New York, who founded Better School Food, a nonprofit program to help parents improve their kids' school food programs. "Somehow we have gotten the idea that healthy food is not good."

Countering the culture of junk and processed foods takes parental effort and a little creativity. Cynthia Walters of Powell, Ohio, takes her three children on "scavenger hunts" at the local supermarket. Every week, they try to pick out an unfamiliar fruit or vegetable. A few weeks ago, her 11-year-old son spotted an unattractive, brownish-gray vegetable and showed it to his siblings as if he had discovered something truly unique.

Labels: nutrition, healthy_eating, prevention

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In an effort to fight childhood obesity, the New York Department of Education has outlawed all bake sales in schools.

If a principal does not comply with the new rule, it will result in an "adverse impact on the principals performance ratings," according to a written statement from the Education Department.

Critics of the move include some Parent Teacher Associations, sports teams and other groups that conduct fund-raisers.The Department suggests that schools and sports teams use walk-a-thons and other activities that promote fitness to raise money.

About 40 percent of New York City's elementary and middle school students are overweight or obese.

Labels: schools, prevention

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If a mother is obese, her daughter is three times more likely to menstruate early, according to a new study from the National Institute of Health.

• Dr. Sarah Keim and her colleagues interviewed 597 women to determine their age of menstruation.
• They compared this information with their mothers pre-pregnancy weights and heights, and other demographic information.
• Menstruation at age 12 or earlier was 2.7 times more likely among daughters of obese women.

The study about one of the many possible effects of parental obesity appeared in the journal Epidemiology.

Labels: parenting, daughters

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Overweight children spend more time watching TV, playing video games and using computers than do children whose weight falls within the normal range, according to a new study from the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

• Researchers analyzed three behaviors of boys and girls ages six to 11 and ages 12 to 17 years old.
  
• The behaviors studied were eating fruits and vegetables, spending time in front of screens, and physical exercise.
  
• Seventy-five percent of overweight teenage boys spent two hours or more in front of screens, as did 50 percent of all overweight children ages six to 11 years old.
  
• Among normal weight children, 69 percent spent less than two hours a day in front of TVs, video games or computers.

These findings illustrate the value of getting kids off the couch, said Mark Tremblay, an officer for Healthy Active Kids Canada.

Labels: television, overweight children, computers

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Children who are overweight are more likely to be admitted to hospitals after they are seen in emergency rooms, according to new research presented at a meeting of the American College of Emergency Room Physicians.

• Dr. Adam Singer from State University of New York studied 6,304 children who had been seen in emergency rooms in 2007
• He determined that 12 percent of these children went on to be admitted to hospitals.
  
• Among this group, 17 percent were at risk of overweight, 18 percent were overweight, and 6.9 percent were underweight.

"We can speculate that obese children may be more likely to get sick, and when they are sick, they may be more likely to have severe illness," Dr. Singer said.

Labels: overweight children, hospitals

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American schools are becoming healthier, but theres still work to do, according to a series of recent studies. The compilation of assessments appears in a September supplement to the Journal of Adolescent Health.

The following is one example of the progress that is being made:

Students in California schools have a choice of healthier foods and beverages. More than 85 percent of 56 schools studied complied with state beverage standards that went into effect two years ago, and nearly 64 percent meet standards regarding healthy food in their cafeterias and other venues.

While nutrition is improving, physical education is not. It is currently required for just 20 percent of all 12th graders. Many researchers call for additional policies regarding nutrition and physical activity in schools, as well as a thorough study of the effectiveness of existing policies.

Labels: nutrition, schools

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Obese teenage boys are more likely to have a marker for serious liver disease, according to a new study from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

• Dr. Rose Graham studied 1323 children ages 12 to 19 who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
• Boys who had metabolic syndrome -- that is, insulin resistance increased waist circumference, high blood pressure and abnormal levels of cholesterol -- were more likely to be at risk for serious liver disease.
• The same was not true of girls.
• Metabolic syndrome is associated with obesity.

Dr. Graham's study appeared in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition.

Labels: obese teens, boys, health_risks

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Some parents of overweight children, even children as young as four years old, will be given the option of sending their children to public, six-week residential weight management camps in Great Britain.

Obesity is the biggest health challenge we face, said a Department of Health spokesperson. She said that tough action is necessary, and the first focus of the plans will be on children.

About one in three children in Great Britain is overweight by the time they leave primary school.

Labels: england, weight management, residential care

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Social class is a factor in attitudes toward children's diets and weight, according to a new British study from the University of Hertfordshire.

According to a Sept. 28 PsychCentral article by senior news editor Rick Nauert, Professor Wendy Wills and her colleagues found that attitudes of middle-class parents were significantly different from those of working-class parents:

• Middle-class parents are more oriented toward planning and the future.
• They are more concerned that obesity is linked to poor health in adulthood and lower self-esteem in childhood.
• Middle-class parents took more control over their children's eating on a daily basis.
• Some of their attitudes were based on moral teachings such as the idea that obesity reflects laziness and a lack of self-control.
• Working-class parents were more concerned about the present and less concerned about their children's ideal body shape.

Given the complex, embedded nature of familiar practices and beliefs, policy and practice targets need to be realistic in terms of the time scale needed for achieving change, Dr. Wills said.

Labels: research, attitudes

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Obese children who participated in a family weight management program were unable to sustain their weight loss after one year.

• Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh studied 192 children ages eight to 12 years old, who were heavier than 99 percent of other children their age and sex.
  
• After six months, children enrolled in the weight-loss program lost 8 percent of their excess weight.
  
• However, within a year, the children were at the same weight as obese children not in such programs, and within 18 months, their gains in health markers had disappeared.
  
• The children who lost weight had previously shown gains such as reduced waist size, lowered blood pressure, and so forth.

Interventions for obese children have health benefits, but it has to be sustained over time. The treatment needs to somehow be continued, said Dr. Marsha Marcus, author of the study.

This study appeared in the journal Pediatrics.

Labels: weight loss, weight management

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One in five British children told researchers that exercise is a chore, you only need to do it if you're overweight, and they can't be bothered to do it, according to a new study from the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

We have a generation of kids growing up with a shockingly blasé attitude toward exercise, Dr. Mike Knapton, BHF's director of prevention and care, said in a Sept. 28 Telegraph article. If trends continue in Great Britain, the paper reported, two-thirds of children will be overweight or obese by 2050.

Researchers found that more than half the children who were studied were spending an hour or more a day on the Internet.

Labels: research, exercise

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A family, school and community intervention program in Iowa has help children live healthier lives, according to a study by researchers at Iowa State University.

The following details about the study and its results were featured in a Sept. 22 article on the ISU website:

• Children who participated in The Switch program watched an average of two fewer hours of television and also consumed two more servings of fruits and vegetables per week than those who weren't in the program.
• Program participants also walked 300 more steps per day.
• The studys successes were modest, which is to be expected, as most people make gradual lifestyle changes.
  
• A six-month follow-up of kids who participated in the program found even stronger results, an indication that the program was helping to create healthy, long-term habits.

The Switch program was developed by the Minneapolis-based National Institute on Media and the Family (NIMF). The program uses community advertising, school-based curriculum, and family-based information packets to encourage children towards more active and healthy lifestyles.

Labels: healthy_eating, healthy_living

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