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.

Monday, January 10, 2011

College Student Mentors Help Kids Stay Slim

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

Posted By: Aspen/CRC

Comments:

Chelsea on 1/27/2011
How sad that it's become "abnormal" to be healthy and fit, but that's the trend in this country. I imagine the college students can be role models not just for physical health, but to show what all they can achieve and the lives they can put together as adults when they combine both college and good physical health.