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

Obese children are more likely to have food allergies, but this does not mean that allergies cause obesity, according to a new study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Researchers with the National Institute of Environmental Health Studies examined data that had been collected from more than 4,000 children ages two to 19. Those who had body mass indices (BMI) in the 95th percentile (or higher) were 26 percent more likely to have food allergies.

"Given that the prevalence of both obesity and allergic disease has increased among children over the last several decades, it is important to understand and, if possible, prevent these epidemics," the study's lead author, Cynthia M. Visness, said in a May 8 press release.

Labels: childhood_obesity, childhood_health, allergies

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David Jones, a retired North Carolina state employee, wants to raise awareness about childhood obesity. And he's doing it one step at a time - literally.

"Jones.... plans to walk the 73 miles from Snow Hill to Raleigh in October to take his message to state officials. 'I want to raise awareness that there needs to be more actions taken to defeat childhood obesity,' Jones said."

Three people are expected to join Jones in his walk. They will walk 15 miles a day for six days. Source: Kinston Free Press

Labels: prevention, awareness, childhood_health

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As concern over childhood obesity increases, more and more parents are choosing sit-down restaurants over their high-fat laden counter-parts; fast-food. But one look at a restaurant's kids menu and you realize that many sit-down restaurants offer the same unhealthy options. But there are ways to eat out and still ensure that your child's meal is healthy.

"One way to foster good eating is to ask for substitutions with the kids' meal, and say no to the 'bottomless soft-drinks' Christian said. Better yet, forgo the kids' menu and share your healthier adult meal with your child, she said."

Helping kids develop a taste for healthy foods now means they'll be more likely to make healthy food choices in their adult years.

Labels: healthy_eating, childhood_health, fast_food

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The Allen School District in Texas is planning to re-introduce a school route that many modern-day kids aren't familiar with: a walking trail. The plan is to construct a concrete trail that joins with an existing pedestrian underpass.

"'The whole point is to reduce traffic and increase childhood health,' [Kelly McGinnis] said. McGinnis cited studies from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that show a drop in children walking or biking to school and an increase in obesity rates, diabetes, asthma and other health issues."

The new trail would give kids a safe path, away from busy streets, while simultaneously reducing traffic during common drop-off and pick-up times. Read more at Courier-Gazette.com.

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Labels: schools, texas, childhood_health

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Nine-year-olds who demonstrate self-control are less likely to be overweight as teenagers, according to a new study in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.

• Researchers used data on 844 children enrolled in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development.
• When the children were nine years old, parents and teachers rated them on a three-point scale on measures of self-control, such as "controls temper during arguments" and "keeps room neat."
• By age 15 years old, one-third of the children were overweight. This group had self-control measures of 1.2 at nine years old compared to 1.35 for teenagers who were normal weight.

The study appears in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.
 

Labels: self-control, childhood_health

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A study from Consumer Reports concluded that prescribing cholesterol-lowering drugs to children may not be worth the risk to their health.

The authors noted that no long-term studies can prove that the pediatric use of statin drugs reduces risk of heart disease in adulthood. No one knows the long-term effects of these drugs on a child's developing central nervous system, immune system, organs, and hormones. The authors concluded, however, that the decision to use statins must be based on each individual case, and is in the hands of the child's physician and parents.

"Contrary to what many consumers believe, we don't have solid medical evidence supporting the use of statins in children, and there is no long-term safety data tracking kids who take statins for ten or 20 years," said Dr. John Santa, director of the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center.
 

Labels: cholesterol, childhood_health, medications

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A professor at the University of California has discovered a link between the common cold and childhood obesity.

• Dr. Jeffrey Schwimmer, a professor of pediatrics at U.C. San Diego, tested 124 children for adenovirus 36.
• He found that only 22% of children who tested positive were not obese.
• Seventy-eight percent of the obese children in the study tested positive for the virus.
• Those obese children in the study who tested positive averaged 35 pounds heavier than obese children testing negative.

The adenovirus 36 is a common virus that causes many colds and intestinal upsets.

Dr. Schwimmer said his research was in its early stages, but "it could have significant implications in the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity in the United States and around the world."

Labels: childhood_obesity, childhood_health

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Having college students become mentors for inner-city middle school students helps the younger children develop healthier lifestyles, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics.

• Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine paired 235 African American children.
• The children, ages 11 through 16, were from low-income communities.
• The mentors were African-American college students or recent college graduates.
• The mentors talked to the children about food, took them to restaurants and food stores, and showed them how to remain physically active by hiking, skating and other sports.

By the end of this study, the rate of overweight and obesity among the younger children declined from 38% to 33%.

"We tried to normalize being healthy and taking care of yourself," said author Dr. Maureen Black. "We wanted to make it normal to be healthy and fit."
 

Labels: childhood_obesity, prevention, childhood_health, mentors

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