My Overweight Child

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.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Excessive Screen Time Associated with Overweight among Children

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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Friday, May 02, 2008

Limit Screen Time

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: exercise, computers, activity

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Monday, March 24, 2008

Less TV Leads to Kids' Weight Loss

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: screen_time, computers, TV

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Friday, May 21, 2010

How Can Computers Contribute to Fight Against Childhood Obesity?

IBM’s Almaden Research Center in San Jose, California, is known for innovation, but most of its work is focused on databases and disk drives. Now, however, the tech savvy crew is teaming up with health care providers and government policymakers to tackle complex health issues.

“The first target will be childhood obesity, a growing phenomenon that has been declared a national concern by first lady Michelle Obama. Experts say excess weight in childhood is linked to a host of expensive health problems in adulthood, including heart disease and diabetes.” Source: Contra Costa (CA) Times]

The overarching, and very aggressive goal of the Research Center’s efforts is to answer the question: “If you have extra money to spend, would it be better to spend it on building another park, or having another part, or having more physical education in schools, or improving school lunch programs?”

All of these strategies have been proven effective, but rarely are they compared to each other. Experts hope this type of comparison will help both government and the private sector put their limited resources to the best use.

Labels: childhood_obesity, government, prevention, computers

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