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.

Friday, July 03, 2009

More than Two Hours of TV Per Day Linked to Fitness Declines Among Children

A new study from Australia recommends that children watch no more than two hours of television a day. ore than that amount leads to a decline in physical fitness, according to research from the University of Sydney.

Dr. Louise Hardy had 2,750 children ages 11 to 15 years old undergo physical fitness tests.
Dr. Hardy and her team also surveyed the children about how often they played computer games and watched television.
Almost 10 percent of the children spent more than six hours a day engaged in "small screen" time.
The children who spent more than two hours a day watching television were less likely to pass the physical fitness tests.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children watch no more than two hours a day -- a recommendation that Dr. Hardy said is supported by her team's research.

"As it turned out, the experts were fairly spot-on," Dr. Hardy said. "The two hours [limit] is a good benchmark.”

Labels: exercise, screen_time, television

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Arkansas Surgeon General Encourages Kids to Stay Active

Dr. Joe Thompson, the surgeon general of the state of Arkansas, brought an important message to the kids at the Fayetteville Boys & Girls Club: Progress has been made in the fight against obesity, but there’s more work yet to be done.

"Dr. Joe Thompson thanked participants in the club’s summer programs for participating in physical activities through the organization, saying places like the club are 'exactly what we need,'" reported the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette "He encouraged the students to find a physical activity they enjoy and stick with it throughout their lives."

Based on body mass index screenings, Arkansas seems to be turning a corner in its campaign to prevent childhood obesity. Dr. Thompson, a pediatrician, has served as the state's surgeon general for four years.

Labels: childhood_obesity, exercise, prevention

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