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.
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: computers, overweight children, television
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
Labels: activity, computers, exercise
Using a device that limits computer and TV time might help your child lose weight, according to a new study from the University at Buffalo in N.Y.
Dr. Leonard Epstein, a professor of pediatrics, studied 70 overweight children who watched TV and played video games at least 14 hours a week. He gave a monitoring device to half of their parents in order to gradually reduce "screen time" by 50 percent. The group with the monitors lost more weight compared to the control group.
This study appears in the
Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
Labels: computers, screen_time, TV
