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

Parents who encourage their children to play team sports or otherwise exercise vigorously are influencing their children to spend less time in front of television and computer screens, according to a new study from Baylor College of Medicine and Duke University.

Researchers led by Dr. Cheryl Anderson studied 681 parents of 430 children in grades three to five in Houston, Texas. If parents encouraged their children to participate in vigorous team sports such as soccer, and hard exercise, such as bicycling, swimming or heavy household chores, their children tended to be more active than children who had no such encouragement.

Dr. Anderson's study revealed some gender bias, as parents tended to encourage their sons to participate in sports and strenuous activities more often than their daughters. Boys were more likely to perform heavy outdoor chores such as yard work.

Along with healthy diet, regular exercise is one of the most important factors in the fight against rising rates of obesity among young people.

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High cholesterol is a risk associated with obesity, and as obesity rates increase in children, so does their risk of this dangerous condition.

"When a young patient fits the risk profile, [doctors] recommend testing blood cholesterol levels with a simply finger prick. If the results are normal [they] suggest a follow-up test in three to five years."

Children who test positive for high cholesterol needs to make some immediate changes to their diet and level of activity. High cholesterol can lead to serious health issues including heart disease. Because of the risks associated with high cholesterol, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children between the ages of two and 10 be tested regularly for heart disease. Source: CNN

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A study by Dr. Maureen Dobbins of McMaster University in Canada found that physical education programs in schools can help combat obesity, but they aren't enough.

"Obesity among children aged 6 to 11 has more than doubled in 20 years, going from 6.5 percent in 1980 to 17 percent in 2006, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The rate among adolescents aged 12 to 19 has more than tripled."

While Dr. Dobbins acknowledges that physical activity during the school day is important, she has also found that it doesn't compel kids to be more active outside of school. Parents need to step in, set an example of a healthy lifestyle, and encourage the same in their kids, she said. Source: Reuters

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A study conducted at a university in Victoria, Australia, found that a family dog may have health benefits for the children.

"'We found that young children who are aged around five to six years of age are 50 percent less likely to be overweight or obese if they own a dog, compared to those who don't own a dog,' [Dr. Jo] Salmon said... Dr. Salmon says the health benefits come even if the children do not walk the dog regularly."

The study concluded that children are simply more likely to expend energy if they have a family pet because they spend more time playing and less time in front of the television or computer screen. The results were the same regardless of a family's socioeconomic status. Source: ABC News - Australia

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Students at Marsh Elementary School in Antioch, California, are learning to count their steps with the help of pedometers that were provided to the school through the California Center for Physical Activity.

During the 90 minutes a week they spend in her class, [physical education teacher Wendy] Jones' students attach the blue, pager-size units to their waistband. The technology tracks not only their progress toward the goal of logging 10,000 steps a day, but also calculates how many miles they cover based on the length of their strides.

Once students have learned how to use the pedometers, they can take them home and wear them all the time. Fifth-graders will get to keep the pedometers at the end of the school year. Source: East County Times (CA)

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The American Heart Association reports that engaging in moderate to vigorous activity three to five times a week can have dramatic and positive effects on a person's overall health. To get children moving, parents should choose an activity that seems more like play than exercise - for example, jumping rope.

"The best way to get your kids to put down the video game controller and pick up the jump rope, according to Brian Dodge, jump rope coach and member of the Guam Skipjacks, is to keep it fun. 'I like to introduce them to the long rope with jump rope readiness games and making it fun by letting them jump to music,' he said."

Dodge started jumping rope five years ago as a way to help control his cholesterol levels. He quickly began coaching young people in the activity, and even started an annual Jump Rope Competition. He encourages anyone who's trying to get in shape or lose weight to try it. Source: Pacific Daily News (Guam)

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The average American child spends 24 hours a week watching television, plus an ever-increasing amount of time staring into a computer monitor. As getting kids up and moving becomes harder and harder, what's a parent to do?

"Make exercise a family affair. Plan active family outings, like trips to the zoo or the playground, bike rides, or playing ball together. Take long walks after dinner and set goals as a family for distance or time. It's a great way to spend time together, and including all family members prevents a child from feeling singled out."

Assign chores that are active (like washing the car or vacuuming) and provide toys that encourage activity as well. Above all, regulate television and computer time. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than two hours per day. Source: Tampa Bay Online

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A study that was published in the July 16, 2008, edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association found that though 90 percent of 9-year-olds get an average two hours of physical activity a day, less than 3 percent of 15-year-olds are that active. Researchers who participated in the study monitored the physical activity of 1,000 children from 2000 to 2006.

"The study suggests that fewer than a third of [15-year-olds] get even the minimum recommended by the government - an hour of moderate-to-vigorous exercise..."

Lead author Philip Nader says people don't recognize this for the crisis it is, citing the drop in activity as one of the primary contributors to childhood obesity. Source: Clarion Ledger (Mississippi)

Labels: exercise, activity, teenagers

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Nine year-old children are active for more than three hours a day - but by age fifteen, individual activity levels drop to less than 45 minutes per day, according to an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers found that only a third of teenagers got the recommended minimum one hour a day of aerobic exercise, and that age 13 was the year that activity levels dropped off dramatically. Things got worse on weekends, too, when activity decreased from 49 minutes a day to 30.

The scientists speculated that older teens tend to watch television or play videos with friends, rather than pursuing active games.

"I was surprised by the degree of the drop. Its a dramatic shift," said Dr. James Griffin of the National Institutes Center for Research for Mothers and Children. "Younger children appear to be naturally active, but as kids get older, they find fewer opportunities to be active."

The study, led by Dr. Philip Nader, a professor of pediatrics at University of California, San Diego, tracked over 1,000 American children from 2000 to 2006, providing them with devices that recorded their movement.

Labels: exercise, activity, teenagers

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Ray McNulty from Treasure Coast Newspapers in Florida was feeling nostalgic. In his column, he reminisces about all the time he spent with his dad when he was a kid. His dad taught him to box, play sports, and enjoy being active and healthy, but few of today's kids are getting that same experience.

"...kids need more activity than the P.E. they get in school. That's the only exercise some kids get. That's got to change. And it's up to you fathers out there to change it - the way your kids eat and play and think."

Turn off the video games, McNulty encourages. Pick up a ball and teach your kids that sports can be fun, even when they're not played on a screen. Source: Treasure Coast Newspapers

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In response to growing concerns over childhood obesity, the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a set of recommendations regarding children's physical activity and the amount of time they spend in front of televisions and computer screens.

"Boys should take at least 11,000 steps a day. Girls should take at least 13,000 steps a day and children should limit total screen time to two hours a day."

A new study has tested these recommendations and found that children who didn't follow them were three to four times more likely to be overweight or obese. Source: Science Daily

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Barbara Jones Slater became, at 15 years old, the youngest woman ever to win an Olympic gold medal. It's a record she still holds. Now, at 71, she's encouraging young people to be active. She recently spoke at a conference aimed at fighting childhood obesity.

"The conference - 'Healthy Cultures, Healthy Kansas: Moving Forward' - was sponsored by the Center for Health Disparities at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. It kicked off April as National Minority Health Month, said Sharon Goolsby, program director for the Center..."

About 150 people attended this third annual conference, which included breakout sessions and a wellness center that offered health screenings and chair massages. Read more at CJOnline.com.

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North Carolina has unveiled a new program called "Be Active HOPS" that uses a blend of media, technology, and physical activity to help kids get more exercise.

"The program uses vibrant video presentations using music and graphics to lead students through exercise sessions, celebrities who appear as the video instructors - they coach, encourage and inspire kids to get moving... [and] a variety of activities and expertise that physical education instructors love."

A four-month impartial study of the Be Active HOPS program found that the program provides a more efficient use of physical education class time than traditional methods. Read more at WNCT.com.

Wellspring Academy of the Carolinas is a year-round boarding school for overweight and obese teens. Wellspring Academies are the world's most effective programs for weight loss. Designed for children, teens, and young adults ages 11-24, students at our Academies demonstrate the best documented outcomes of any non-surgical weight loss intervention for any age group.

There's also a summer camp option in North Carolina - Wellspring Adventure Camp North Carolina is the most fun, most effective summer program for weight loss and behavioral change ever developed for children and younger teens.

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Mississippi is often ranked 1st or 2nd in childhood obesity. In an effort to get scales moving in the opposite direction, former Miss Mississippi contestant Catherine Carter helped develop an exercise program called "You Gotta Move."

"[Carter] says this is important because it educates children about the importance of daily exercise, and it shows them at an early age that it is fun to be fit and healthy. Pediatricians are reporting more frequent cases of obesity related diseases in children such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol."

You Gotta Move was created for use in kindergarten through 2nd grade classrooms. The DVD contains exercises that kids can do right at their desks. Read more at WLBT.com.

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As the British government continues trying to tackle the problem of childhood obesity, plans are in the works to limit the amount of time children spend playing video games.

"Popular consoles such as the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii can be fitted with devices to restrict the amount of time children use them and parents could be given advice on how to activate these limiters."

Schools may also begin enforcing nutritional standards, not just on school-provided meals, but on meals that students bring from home as well. Read more at Telegraph.co.uk.

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Two new studies linking overweight in childhood with adult heart disease gives "a frightening glimpse of what we have in store," according to David S. Ludwig of Harvard Medical School.

The studies are the first to confirm that children who are overweight have a significantly higher risk of developing heart disease as adults. These conclusions are important because the percentage of overweight children in the United States has tripled since 1976 and now numbers over nine million.

Researchers from the Institute of Preventive Medicine in Copenhagen, Denmark, examined the height/weight charts of more than 276,000 Danish children between 1955 and 1960, and then looked through hospital records from 1977 to 2001 to find the ones who had been hospitalized for heart disease.

"Even a few extra pounds put a child at risk," said Jennifer Baker of the Copenhagen Institute.

If the child lost weight before age 13 years and remained at normal weight, his chances of developing heart disease returned to normal.

A second study from the University of California at San Francisco produced similar results using U.S. federal statistics.

"Overweight children are losing their childhood," said Melinda Sothern, and expert on childhood obesity at Louisiana State University. "They can't do the same types of activities as healthy weight children. Now they will lose their early adulthood as well."

Labels: health_risks, activity, quality_of_life

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Most teens exercise too little and eat too many unhealthy foods - according to a study of Australian teens. Despite all of the warnings about obesity and its health risks, little is changing about the eating and exercise habits of today's adolescents.

"The survey, published in the September issue of Health Promotion International, found most students did less than one hour of physical activity a day. 'We found that only 14 percent of students engaged in recommended levels of physical activity,' [Dr. White] said."

The Australian department that oversees health issues recommends at least an hour of moderate physical exercise every day, and no more than two hours sitting in front of computer and television screens. Read more at News.com.au.

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The U.S. Forest Service has recently allocated $1.5 million for a program called "Kids in the Woods". The program addresses two problems; the lack of physical activity during childhood which can lead to health problems, and a decreased interest in environmental sciences.

"'We can help address troubling declines we see in the mental and physical health of our children. At the same time, we can inspire future conservation leaders, who can perpetuate the critical role nature forests play in the quality of life for Americans,' [Forest Service Chief Gail] Kimbell said at a news conference Tuesday."

About 23,000 children are expected to participate in twenty-four projects in 15 states.

Read more at LCSun-News.com.

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