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, January 08, 2010

Can Device to Monitor Eating Speed Help Curb Childhood Obesity?

A new, interactive weighing device could help kids track how much food their eating, and how quickly it’s being consumed. The device could help prevent kids from overeating, thereby preventing excessive weight gain.

"Known as the Mandometer, the medical gadget weighs a plate of food at the beginning of a meal and then measures and tracks the rate at which the food is being consumed, giving voice signals to slow down if the child is scarfing down his food too quickly." [Source: RedOrbit]

A 12-month study of the device found that eating speed decreased by 11 percent, and children who used the Mandometer also ate smaller portions. The device works by comparing actual consumption rates with an “ideal” rate that’s programmed into the machine by a nutritionist.

Labels: eating-habits, prevention

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Eating Too Fast May Create Urge to Overeat

A study that was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that eating a meal quickly curtails the release of hormones in the gut area that induce feelings of being full. When such hormones are decreased, people tend to overeat.

Dr. Alexander Kokkinos of the Laiko General Hospital in Greece had study participants eat the same amount of ice cream at different rates, and then took blood samples to measure their hormones. The participants who took the full half-hour to eat their ice cream had higher levels of certain hormones and tended to feel fuller than those who ate quickly.

"The warning we were given as children that 'wolfing down your food will make you fat' may in fact have a physiological explanation," said Dr. Kokkinos.

Labels: eating-habits, overeating

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

'Negative' Moms More Likely to Give Kids Junk Food

A study of more than 27,700 mothers found that those with negative moods and mindsets are more likely to feed their children junk foods.

Psychologist Elvind Ystrom of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health asked the mothers how often they fed their (all of whom were less than 18 months old) any of 36 different fatty and sweet foods, and then inquired about the mothers' states of mind.

"We found that mothers who were emotionally unstable, anxious, sad, angry, had poor self-confidence or a negative view of the world were far more likely to give their child sweets and fatty foods," Prof. Ystrom said. "At the same time there was no link between maternal personality and how healthy a diet the child got in the form of fruits and vegetables. … Unfortunately, we could not study the fathers."

One theory is that depressed mothers could not say "no" to their children.

This study was done in conjunction with the University of Oslo.

Labels: childhood_obesity, eating-habits, obese-kids, overweight children, parenting

Monday, February 09, 2009

Developing Healthy Eating Habits

With childhood obesity reaching epidemic status, many parents worry about how best to teach their kids healthy eating habits. Nutritionist and counselor Elly Stattler thinks that parents who are providing healthy options for their children don't need to worry quite so much:

"She encourages parents to trust their children. Stattler suggests parents decide when the child eats and provide healthy choices. The child decides if he/she wants to eat and how much to eat."

Letting the child make decisions early helps them develop good habits as they grow older. Parents still provide the overall guidance, but the children learn how to choose wisely. Source: Grosse Pointe (MI) News

Labels: eating-habits, healthy_eating, role_models

Monday, December 01, 2008

Healthy Habits Ward off Childhood Obesity

Healthy eating and exercise habits are not only necessary to reverse childhood obesity, but to prevent it. Parents may be tempted to worry less about kids' diets if their weight is within a healthy range.

Reversing bad habits is always much more difficult than avoiding them in the first place... The best approach is to tackle the issue as a family, not just as something to be forced on the kids. Working to improve the entire family's diet and exercise habits can lay the foundation for lifelong health for your kids.

If your children are healthy and active, take steps now to ensure that they continue these healthy habits for the rest of their lives. Source: McClatchy-Tribune News Service

Labels: eating-habits, exercise, healthy_living

Friday, November 07, 2008

Kids Who Skip Breakfast Twice as Likely to be Overweight

Researchers at the University of London have found that kids who don't eat breakfast are twice as likely to be overweight or obese as are their counterparts who regularly have a healthy morning meal. The study tracked the height and weight of about 15,000 five-year-olds and compared their weight with their eating habits.

"The study revealed that children who were obese were about twice as likely not to eat breakfast as children of normal weight. Researchers also found those with unemployed parents were almost three times as likely to go without breakfast as those whose mothers and fathers were both working."

Researchers speculated on reasons for the connection between breakfast and obesity, citing - among other possible factors - the likelihood that someone who skips breakfast will snack more and eat more sugary foods than someone who doesn't. They also theorized that the parents of children who skip breakfast may be less attentive to nutritional issues in general, and therefore may be more likely to provide less healthy food. Source: The London News

Labels: breakfast, eating-habits, lifestyle

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Parents Shape Kids' Eating Habits

In the continuing battle against childhood obesity, researchers are reminding parents that they have the greatest influence over their children's eating habits.

"'We know that parents have tremendous influence over how many fruits and vegetables their children eat,' says Debra Haire-Joshu, Ph.D., a professor at George Warren Brown School of Social Work. 'When parents eat more fruits and vegetables, so do their children...'"

A five-year study in rural Missouri found that programs like Parents as Teachers, in which parents are taught how to incorporate healthy eating and healthy eating lessons into everyday life, were highly effective in helping parents and children learn healthy eating habits. Source: Washington University in St. Louis

Labels: eating-habits, influences, parents