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

Though the United States and many other nations continue to experience an epidemic of childhood obesity, some parents fail to grasp the significance of the problem. A report released by the Ontario Medical Association found that although 25 percent of Canadian young people are overweight or obese, just 14 percent of their parents reported their child was "somewhat overweight."

Amidst all the expert advice out there, one simple lifestyle change may help: let your kids walk to school.

"Most kids are being driven to school simply because their parents think its safer. Its the same fear that allows many parents to turn a blind eye to their kids screen time. Few will admit it, but Im convinced many parents are secretly thrilled their child is spending hours staring at a screen in the family room or basement, rather than running or cycling around outdoors." (Source: The London Free Press)

An increasing number of kids are falling prey to heart attacks, strokes and other life-threatening illnesses. Parents are right to be concerned about their children's safety, but overreacting to safety concerns may be result in today's children being the first generation who are so unhealthy that they wont outlive their parents.

Labels: parenting, safety, walking, healthy_living

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A family, school and community intervention program in Iowa has help children live healthier lives, according to a study by researchers at Iowa State University.

The following details about the study and its results were featured in a Sept. 22 article on the ISU website:

• Children who participated in The Switch program watched an average of two fewer hours of television and also consumed two more servings of fruits and vegetables per week than those who weren't in the program.
• Program participants also walked 300 more steps per day.
• The studys successes were modest, which is to be expected, as most people make gradual lifestyle changes.
  
• A six-month follow-up of kids who participated in the program found even stronger results, an indication that the program was helping to create healthy, long-term habits.

The Switch program was developed by the Minneapolis-based National Institute on Media and the Family (NIMF). The program uses community advertising, school-based curriculum, and family-based information packets to encourage children towards more active and healthy lifestyles.

Labels: healthy_eating, healthy_living

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Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and The Advertising Council have joined forces to create an ad campaign aimed at inspiring parents to adopt healthier lifestyles for their families.

"The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Nutrition and Consumer Services is sponsoring the campaign, which features characters from Walt Disney's Pinocchio. The PSAs also encourage parents to visit MyPyramid.gov, the USDA's website that contains nutritional data and promotes healthy lifestyles..."

In a press release, Secretary Vilsack said combating childhood obesity is a top priority for the USDA and President Barack Obama. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment is said to be creating the ads. Source: The Packer (Produce Industry Newspaper)

Labels: healthy_living, advertising, tips

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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

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Dr. Goutham Rao, who directs the Weight Management and Wellness Center at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh, says fewer than half of parents who are told their child is overweight will ever do anything about it. Some don't think their children are truly at risk, while others simply don't know where to start.

"On face, most of the advice is common sense: eat right and exercise. But for many families, the changes constitute nothing less than lifestyle upheaval... For a parent, the most difficult step is making habits that stick... 'We don't advocate changing everything overnight,' said Rao..."

Instead of advising families to implement large-scale changes, physicians recommend that they take gradual steps that can lead to long-term improvements. Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Labels: healthy_living, parents, habits

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Rena Wing, professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University, believes it takes more than just a switch to skim milk if people are going to effectively address the issue of obesity. Instead, it requires an entire change in lifestyle.

"'There's no way around it,' Wing said. 'If you want to lose weight and keep it off, you need to really change your lifestyle, particularly if you're overweight or have a family history of obesity.'"

Necessary lifestyle changes include a substantial increase in daily physical activity and a dramatic (but healthy) reduction in caloric intake. Often, the calorie reduction can happen when a person simply changes the types of food she eats, such as choosing fruits and vegetables instead of chips and cookies. Read more at EurekaAlert.org.

Labels: healthy_living, behaviors, lifestyle

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Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have found a strong link between sleep duration and childhood obesity.

"For the study, Wang, Chen and colleague May A. Beydoun, also a postdoctoral fellow at the Bloomberg School, reviewed 17 published studies on sleep duration and childhood obesity... The results of the analysis showed that children with the shortest sleep duration had a 92 percent higher risk of being overweight or obese compared to children with longer sleep duration."

Sleep recommendations varied between studies, but researchers settled on recommendations of 11 hours for children under 5, 10 hours for children 5 to 10, and 9 hours for children 10 or older. Read more at MediLexicon.com.

Learn about junk sleep and how insomnia is common among teens at ByParents-forParents.com.

Labels: sleep, healthy_living, lifestyle

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Beginning Wednesday, February 6th, a program called "Shapedown" will be offered to families in the Buffalo, New York area who are concerned about childhood obesity. The program offers a holistic approach to childhood obesity, involving the whole family in classes about eating and exercise.

"Children and parents working together is what sets the program apart, [Katherine] Streeter said. 'We don't just point the fingers at the kids and say, "You're the problem."... She said that the family is part of the feeding relationship and that the program asks the question: Who is in control?"

Parents have the greatest influence over what their kids eat, so the program teaches them how to be strict enough to manage what's eaten and how often, without becoming so strict that kids sneak "junk" food just to be rebellious. Read more at BuffaloNews.com.

Labels: holistic, healthy_living, lifestyle

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For the third year in a row, The Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) will launch a Kids in the Kitchen initiative designed to help fight childhood obesity. The initiative will begin in March, in conjunction with National Nutritional Month.

"More than 230 Junior Leagues participate in this grassroots initiative to empower children to adopt healthy lifestyles. Organized in 2006, Kids in the Kitchen responds to the staggering statistic that nearly one-third of children and adolescents in North and South America will be overweight by 2010... "

Cartoon Network plans to support the program will public service announcements, event-activation kits and an online animated educational game. Read more at MediLexicon.com.

Labels: healthy_eating, healthy_living, influences

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Teaching good eating habits when children are young in instrumental in helping them develop healthy lifestyles and lifelong positive eating habits.

"Unfortunately, some parents over-think what to do about their child's eating habits, which give way to practices like forcing kids to clean their plates. And some parents don't think about nutrition at all, letting their kids eat a lot of junk food and drink a lot of juice. So, it's important to find a balance."

Helping your child develop healthy eating habits can start when she's still an infant. By introducing fruits and vegetables early, children will be more likely to eat them when their older. Read more at Pediatrics.About.com.

Labels: healthy_living, parents, lifestyle

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A new book has just been released by Barbara Storper. Janey Junkfood's Fresh Adventure! is a children's book designed to make healthy eating fun for kids.

"...the book is designed like a colorful scrapbook, filled with Tobe's discoveries as she investigates the case against junk food and comes up with fun and helpful ways to help her friend eat to win."

The book also includes "14 tickets to fresh adventures" recipe cards for nutritious snacks.

Labels: healthy_eating, healthy_living, books

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On Thursday, November 29th, the National Institutes of Health launches its We Can! program across the Unites States. We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity and Nutrition) is an educational program aimed at helping young people ages 8 - 13 develop and maintain a healthy weight.

"We Can! offers parents, health professionals, youth, and community groups evidence-based programs and activities to help children ages 8 - 13 maintain a healthy weight. The program targets parents and caregivers as the primary groups for influencing youth and focuses on three important behaviors: improved food choices, increased physical activity and reduced recreational screen time.

"The national event begins in Boston with eight other cities nationwide hosting related events.

Labels: weight_loss, healthy_living, federal_programs

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Though obesity rates for kids haven't been released yet, the rates for adults show promise. Based on surveys and physical examinations of about 4,400 adults, it appears that obesity rates are beginning to plateau. That's good news considering the fact that rates have steadily increased since the 1908s.

"In generalizing the results to the U.S. population, researchers calculated a margin of error that swallows up the differences between years. In other words, the increases were not considered statistically significant."

The new report compared four years' worth of data.

Read more at LATimes.com.

Labels: obesity_rates, healthy_living, health_care

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Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Arizona is launching its third consecutive Walk On! program, an initiative designed to promote healthier living among school children. In its first two years, the programs saw thousands of students take billions of steps, literally, toward more active lifestyles.

"BCBAZ has enhanced the Walk On! Challenge for 2008 to inspire even more Arizona fifth-graders around the state to walk. Enhancements include Walk4Life pedometers, subject-specific lesson ideas selected from submissions by teachers statewide and more incentives for participants."

Last year, 10,000 students participated in Walk On!, and walked more than 3 billion steps.

Labels: exercise, fitness, healthy_living

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Three American universities conducted studies on the eating habits of youngsters. They found that kids whose families eat together regularly were healthier.

"Children who regularly have meals with their parents, according to a recent article in the New York Times about the research, 'eat more fruits, vegetables and calcium-rich foods, ingest more vitamins and nutrients, and consume less junk food.'"

Though it's tough to make time for family meals, it's worth the effort.

Labels: healthy_eating, family meals, healthy_living

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American children and teenagers are growing up in an environment that encourages obesity, according to an extensive study at the University of Illinois/Chicago.

Researchers analyzed over 200,000 food advertisements, food choices in middle and high school cafeterias, the numbers of fast food restaurants near where young people congregate, the availability of physical education classes and other factors. They concluded, "The general environment is not conducive to a healthy lifestyle." For example, over 65% of middle schools and 84% of high schools offer sugary soft drinks, and only 20% of 17 and 18-year-old teens took physical education.

"Historically people have thought of obesity in terms of individual willpower, but there is a great abundance of environmental influence that contributes as well," said Dr. Lloyd Johnston. "Communities and schools need to look at what they are doing and try to improve it."

This study appears in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Labels: healthy_living, enviroment, influences

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The Nation Association of Chronic Disease Directors has established an Obesity Workgroup intended to focus strictly on obesity prevention in America.

"Today's environment does not always promote healthy food and physical activity choices... Our nation's children are facing a burden of chronic diseases, which will impact the quality of their lives, and ultimately, may cripple the U.S. health care system."

The Workgroup will create an open forum where health departments from various states can dialogue and brainstorm prevention and health promotion ideas. Read more online.

Still looking for a summer camp for your overweight child? Check out Wellspring Camps to find a camp near you.

Labels: prevention, exercise, healthy_living

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ABC News posted ways for parents to help their children in the battle of the bulge. By using simple planning strategies provided by the American Obesity Association, families can incorporate healthy eating habits and exercise into their lives. Some of the tips include:

"'Create a family activity that involves fitness, such as walks, bike rides or Rollerblading' and 'Find other families in your neighborhood and schedule time for basketball, hide and seek and other active games.'"

Read more tips to get and stay healthy online.

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