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

With ample opportunities to get outside and play, summer vacation would seem to be the ideal time for overweight young people to shed a few unwanted pounds. But according to a recent study in Madison, Wisconsin, this may not be the case.

According to a July 23 article by Adam Helmsing of the Marshalfield News Herald, the researchers discovered that many students who improved their body fat percentage during the school year gained weight during summer vacation:

"It would seem that the summer months offer prime opportunities for riding bikes, playing ball, swimming, and other activities that burn calories, but it appears that much of this time is spent in more sedentary activities like watching TV and playing video games," said [Susan Nitzke, a nutrition specialist for the University of Wisconsin-Extension].

Experts with whom Helmsing spoke offered the following tips to help children maintain a healthy weight during summer vacation:

• Share activities with your children.
• Play games outside, take a walk, or ride bikes together whenever the weather permits.
• Try to avoid concentrated sweets. Eat nutritionally dense foods instead.
• Set activity goals each week and plan small rewards to celebrate reaching these goals.
• Keep chips, candy, soda and other "junk" foods out of the house. When it's time for a snack, make sure healthier options like fruits, vegetables, whole-grain crackers and low fat milk are available.

For more information about helping overweight children, check out this list of tips for parents of overweight kids.

Labels: nutrition, overweight children, summers

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Ah, summertime -- a chance for young people to get out of the classroom and into the fresh air, where they can get ample amounts of exercise and shed unwanted (and unhealthy) excess weight.

Or not.

A study of more than 5,000 kindergarten students and first-graders from more than 300 schools across the country found that children are more likely to gain weight over the summer than during school months. Although summer is the traditional time for swimming, riding bicycles and other physical activities, more children are spending time in sedentary activities like watching TV and playing video games during the summer.

A separate study from the University of Wisconsin of overweight middle school students found that while they improved their fitness scores during the school year, all these beneficial changes were lost over the three-month summer break.

Nutrition expert Susan Nitzke of the University of Wisconsin advises parents to share physical activities with their children, eat meals together as much as possible, limit television and video games, keep junk food out of the house, enroll children in summer camps and programs, and give children gifts that encourage physical activity, such as jump ropes and balls.

Labels: weight_gain, summers

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Many parents point at school lunch and snack programs as primary culprits in rising rates of childhood obesity. But new research has found that those people may be pointing in the wrong direction.

"Data from kindergarteners and first graders found that body mass index increased two to three times as fast in summer as during the regular school year. Minority children were especially vulnerable, as were children already overweight."

Though this data doesn't absolve schools of all responsibility, it does indicate that nutritional standards often take a summer break. The research also emphasizes that healthy eating is important all year long. Source: The Providence Journal

Labels: healthy_eating, summers, vacations

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With the onset of warmer weather and time off from school, now is the perfect time for parents to help their kids make some healthy lifestyle changes. The changes they make now can go a long way towards combating childhood obesity which can lead to significant health problems later in life.

"Make activities fun. Exercise shouldn't be a chore, especially for children. With warm weather outside, kids can do a variety of activities that involve both fun and fitness. [Dr. Amy Bohn] recommends jumping rope, swimming, skateboarding, and bike riding as alternatives to inside play."

Dr. Bohn also recommends keeping healthy snacks in the house, and having the whole family take walks or bike rides together. Read more at NewsWise.com.

Labels: exercise, summers, lifestyle

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Most people assume that kids spent more time outdoors being active during the summer months than they do during the school year. But a recent study found that kids actually gain weight over the summer. Excessive use of and exposure to media (video games, iPods, TiVo, etc) is considered one of the most likely causes.

"Considering that the average American child will see more than 40,000 ads on broadcast television alone in one year, and that 83 percent of the food ads in kids' sows are for fast food and sweets, its no wonder that the amount of time kids spend in front of a screen is directly linked to their risk of being obese."

Though it's not likely that parents can get kids to avoid TV and other media altogether, now is a good time for them to set some ground rules for the summer. Read more at HuffingtonPost.com.

Labels: video_games, summers, TV

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A recently published studies kids actually gain weight during the summer.

"One researcher said, 'Clearly the sources of children's obesity problems lie outside of the school." Researchers suggested lengthening the school year or providing structured programs to maintain control of kids' eating and activity levels. Because many children are poorly supervised in the summertime, parents might be depending on junk-food and video-games to keep kids safely occupied."

Parents must begin to refrain from letting their children sit inside all day and letting them constantly eat whatever they want. It may be more difficult to do, but whoever said parenting was easy? Read more online.

Labels: parenting, summers

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