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

Children who become obese teenagers are usually overweight by the time they are two years old, according to a new study in the journal Clinical Pediatrics.

• Dr. John Harrington of Eastern Virginia Medical School studied data on more than 100 obese children and teenagers.
• Dr. Harrington discovered that 90 percent of his subjects had been overweight by the time they were five years old.
  
• The researcher said that he believes that age two is a "tipping point" age for being overweight, although most of the children in the study began gaining weight as early as three months.

Dr. Harrington said that his study should be a wake-up call for pediatricians to address inappropriate weight gain in early infancy during well child visits.

Labels: parenting, infant, obese teens

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Two 14-year-old British boys have received gastric band surgery, a type of weight loss surgery that is used to control weight in morbidly obese individuals. Prior to surgery, the boys each weighed in at around 250 pounds. They are the youngest Brits to receive the surgery.

A Feb. 15 article on the British news website telegraph.co.uk provided the following details about the boys' experiences with gastric band surgery:

The first of the teenage boys underwent the surgery in 2006 and the second had the operation last year. Obesity experts said the operations illustrated Britain's failure to come to terms with the problem.

Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, said the surgery, which was believed to have been carried out on the NHS at Sheffield Children's Hospital in South Yorkshire, would have been a ''last resort'' after the boys' weight became life-threatening. ...

Mr Fry said National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) guidelines stated that such surgery for children should only be carried out in ''really extreme'' cases.

''It is something which is certainly not desirable but in some instances where life is threatened by the size of the child then this kind of surgery is appropriate,'' he said.

''Clearly, if it was life-threatening then that's what the doctors thought would be necessary. It is absolutely a last resort.''

Labels: obese teens, gastric band

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Weight loss surgery is advancing technically, and rapidly becoming an option not only for obese patients, but for those who are merely overweight. However, some doctors and nutritionists worry that these surgeries carry risks and can never replace improved diet and exercise as a long-term solution to weight control.

• The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery reported that 220,000 people had procedures in 2008, representing a twofold increase from 2007.
• This year, the Penrose Medical Center in Denver became one of the first surgical centers for obese teens. A surgery costs $9,500 and is not always covered by insurance.

"I am so disgusted with this," said Dr. Wendy Scinta, a pediatric specialist in childhood obesity on the board of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians.

"In children, it is still considered experimental. It's kind of young to be going through something so drastic," Dr. Scinta said. "We're at the point where the obesity epidemic is happening faster than we can get our arms around it, but especially with children, we do have time. We need to give them a shot at doing something less aggressive at first."

Labels: obese teens, weight loss surgery

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One in every five American teenagers has abnormal cholesterol readings, according to a new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The problem is particularly acute among overweight and obese youth:

• Among obese teens, the abnormal cholesterol rate is 43 percent.
• Among the overweight teens, it is 22 percent.
• Among teens of normal weight, the percentage is 14 percent.
  
• Boys were at greater risk than girls, with 24 percent of boys having abnormal readings, compared to 16 percent of girls.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that people under 18 years old should be screened for cholesterol if they have family histories of heart disease or high blood cholesterol, if they smoke, have high blood pressure or diabetes, or if they are overweight.

The new study was published in the Center for Disease Control's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Researchers used data on 3125 young people enrolled in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted every other year

Labels: obese teens, cholesterol, overweight children

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Waiting too long to have surgery for obesity may mean that a severely obese teenager will not achieve normal weight, according to a new study from the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

• Dr. Thomas Inge and his colleagues studied 61 teenagers a year after they had gastric bypass surgery, an operation that involves stapling the upper portion of the stomach to create a small pouch that restricts the amount of food a person can eat at one time.
• The group that was the most overweight managed to lose nearly 40 percent of their body mass index (BMI), but that did not mean they achieved a medically-recommended weight.
  
• The ones who had the lowest BMIs going into surgery had the lowest BMIs a year after the surgery.
  

Having the weight loss surgery did help the teenagers reduce their blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and triglycerides.

The study appeared in the Journal of Pediatrics.

Labels: obese teens, weight loss surgery, gastric bypass

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A five-year study of more than 2000 teenagers found no link between drinking sugar-sweetened sodas and becoming overweight.

• The researchers found that teens who drank milk tended to be slimmer, and those who consumed no-calorie drinks were more likely to be overweight.
• Researchers at Project EAT (Eating among Teens) surveyed 2294 teenagers in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area about their beverage habits over a five-year period.
  
• The teens who were drinking low-calorie soft drinks had general dietary behaviors and weight concerns, which could explain their weight gain.

The study appeared in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

An earlier study from the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) linked drinking sugar-sweetened sodas to being overweight in teenagers.

Labels: sodas, causes of childhood obesity, obese teens, teens

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Obese teenage boys are more likely to have a marker for serious liver disease, according to a new study from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

• Dr. Rose Graham studied 1323 children ages 12 to 19 who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
• Boys who had metabolic syndrome -- that is, insulin resistance increased waist circumference, high blood pressure and abnormal levels of cholesterol -- were more likely to be at risk for serious liver disease.
• The same was not true of girls.
• Metabolic syndrome is associated with obesity.

Dr. Graham's study appeared in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition.

Labels: obese teens, boys, health_risks

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A new study indicates that young adults do not usually take time to eat leisurely meals, and that this practice of eating "on the run" leads to the consumption of too many junk foods.

Researchers from the University of Minnesota studied 1,687 people ages 18 to 25 years old and found that about 40 percent reported that they did not have to time to sit down for regular meals, leading to higher intake of soft drinks, fast foods, and high fat foods. People who do sit down for leisurely meals tend to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, and make other healthy choices, the researchers reported.

This study appeared in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Labels: obese teens, junk_food, fast_food

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There is yet another reason to help your daughter to maintain a healthy weight as she enters puberty: hyperandrogenemia. This condition is one in which there is an abnormally high amount of androgens, a type of steroid hormone - and girls who are obese as they enter puberty have an increased risk of developing it.

The authors of a recent study on obesity and hyperandrogenemia, reported in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, hope that their findings will help to increase awareness of the link between obesity and this hormonal disorder. Because androgens control the development of masculine characteristics, girls who have hyperandrogenemia may have irregular or delayed periods and excessive facial hair. They are also more likely to develop polycystic ovary syndrome later in life, which is a condition that affects fertility.

Labels: obese teens

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Pediatricians are reports more foot and ankle pain from their overweight and obese patients.

"Overweight children can have arch problems, fractures and inflammation, as well as bunions, flat feet and problems with the bones in the feet connecting properly. And having foot problems makes it even harder for kids to lose weight because it's more difficult to be active."

Learn more online.

Labels: causes of childhood obesity, obese teens, weight loss, foot pain

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On her way back from Mexico, first lady Michelle Obama stopped to visit a community farm in San Diego to help promote her anti-obesity initiative:

Obama toured the New Roots Community Farm to promote her ‘Let’s Move!’ campaign against childhood obesity. The event kicked off a $1 billion project by the California Endowment to fund healthy living initiatives in 14 communities across the state." (Source: The Associated Press)

The farm is planted, maintained and harvested by about 80 farmers who have immigrated to the San Diego area from countries around the world. Many of the workers plant the same crops that they grew in their native countries, giving the farm a decidedly international flair. The crop is used to feed the neighborhood, and is also offered for sale at local Farmer’s Markets.

Labels: childhood_obesity, prevention, awareness, obese teens

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 0 Comments

Every year, the first week of May is set aside by the National Association for Sport & Physical Education to promote healthy, active lifestyles. This year, the organization is acknowledging the numerous programs, like Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move,” that have been launched to address obesity.

“Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates a positive correlation between physical education and academic achievement and the ability to concentrate. Further research positively links classroom physical activity to improved attention, achievement and behavior. Co-curricular physical activity is also correlated to educational aspirations, school affiliation, graduation and grade-point average.” [Source: Gannett Wisconsin Online]

One of the programs initiated for the spring is a fundraiser involving tens of thousands of children from Wisconsin. The kids will be jumping rope and shooting hoops to raise money for and awareness of heart disease.

 

Labels: prevention, awareness, obese teens, exercise

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 0 Comments

Recent analysis of medical information from nearly 700,000 overweight and obese young people found that they’re at a higher risk for acid reflux disease than are their healthy-weight counterparts.

“They found moderately obese children and teens were 30 percent more likely to have GERD [gastro-esophageal reflux disease]. Extremely obese kids and teens were 40 percent more like to have GERD than those at normal weight… The link between obesity and GERD has been known for adults, but doctors didn’t know whether children were suffering from this too.” [Source: CNN]

One of the most serious issues with acid reflux is that the longer a person has it the more likely that person is to develop esophageal cancer. The risk for acid reflux is one more in the long list of reasons why overweight and obese youth need help achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.

 

Labels: health, obese teens

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The heaviest American children are getting even heavier every year, according to a new study in the International Journal of Pediatric Obesity.

• Researchers from the Johns Hopkins University used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1988 to 2004.
• The waistlines and weights of children in the heaviest groups increased over the past 10 years at the highest rate.
• For example, children's waistlines grew an average of one inch during the period of the study, but for children in the top percentile for being overweight, average waistlines increased by three inches.
   

Labels: overweight, obese teens

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 1 Comment

According to a controversial report from a group of retired military officers, childhood obesity is a threat to national security because it is so hard to find young people sufficiently fit to serve in the military.

The group calls itself "Mission: Readiness."

"When over a quarter of young adults are too fat to fight, we need to take notice," said retired Navy Rear Adm. James Barnett Jr.

Barnett and others in the group said that the government has to spend tens of millions of dollars a year to train replacements discharged because they are overweight. It is also harder to find recruits since nine million young adults, or almost one in three of those ages 17 and 24 years old, do not meet weight standards for military service.

Mission: Readiness is asking Congress to improve school lunch programs by eliminating junk food and sugary sodas, and by spending more money to serve healthy foods like fruits and vegetables.

"This is the future of the Army we are talking about when we look at the 17 to 24-year-olds," said U.S. Army Recruiting Command Officer Mark Howell. "The sad thing is a lot of them want to join but cannot."
 

Labels: obese teens

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