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

New devices are available to help children lose weight, and are now being used in scientific studies of childhood obesity.

The mandometer is a computerized scale that shows a child how fast he is eating and at the same time, provides him with an ideal rate of eating. The computer tells him when to slow down.

• Researchers at a children's hospital in Bristol, Great Britain, asked 106 obese children ages 9 to 17 years old to follow a diet and exercise program.
  
• Half of them were given mandometers.
  
• After a year, the children who use the device had lost more weight and were maintaining a slower speed of eating.
  
• The study appears in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

Having children wear body sensors provides a more accurate measure of their activity levels. These devices even "ping" if a child is too inactive.

• A study involving 1,892 British children using body sensors found that parents were overestimating their children's activity levels.
  
• Accurate measures from body sensors found that 39 percent of the girls and 18 percent of the boys were inactive, even though 80 percent of their parents mistakenly believed their children were getting enough exercise.

Finally, researchers at Pennington Biological Research Center in Louisiana had participants in an ongoing study use Blackberry Curves to take pictures of their food and leftovers. These study participants are also using body sensors to measure their activity levels.

These devices may even become more accurate and easier to use in the future. A University of Pittsburgh engineer, Mingui Sun, has invented a necklace with a video camera that to take pictures of food on your plate.

Labels: weight_loss

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A study that was conducted through the University of California (San Diego) School of Medicine found that overweight teenagers who weigh themselves at least once a week exhibited healthier overall behavior, including eating more fruits and vegetables and getting more exercise.

"We think that regular weight monitoring may increase a teen's awareness of weight fluctuations or gradual weight gain, enabling him or her to appropriately adjust their diet and exercise, said [Kerri] Boutelle. They also reported less daily calorie intake, less junk-food consumption and greater use of a structured diet." (Source: MediLexicon)

Some people have expressed concern that teens who regularly weigh themselves are more likely to develop body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. But this new study shows that the opposite appears to be true for teens who are overweight or obese.

Self-monitoring is encouraged by a number of highly effective and reputable weight loss and wellness programs, including the Structure House residential weight loss program.

Labels: self-control, weight_loss, teens, self-monitoring

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Exercising can reduce belly fat, even if the exerciser is not dieting, according to a new study from the University of Illinois.

Dr. Jeffrey Woods divided mice into four groups: One group exercised, one group was sedentary, one group was put on a low-fat diet without exercise, and one group followed both a low-fat diet and an exercise regime.

"The surprise was that the combination of diet and exercise did not yield dramatically different and better results than diet or exercise alone," said Vicki Vieira, lead author of the study.

Only the sedentary mice had a significant increase in belly fat, which is linked to heart disease and diabetes.

"Even if you struggle with dieting, we believe you can still reduce the likelihood of developing obesity-related inflammatory diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, by adding a modest amount of exercise to your life," said Dr. Woods.

This study appeared in the American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Labels: overweight, weight_loss, exercise

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A study from the Netherlands found that family involvement is a key factor in helping overweight teens and children lose weight.

 

Hiltje O. Luttikhuis of the University Medical Center in Groningen, the Netherlands, studied whether changes in lifestyle, family involvement, surgery, or drugs were effective in helping young people lose weight.

Family lifestyle interventions that included behavioral therapy and changes in diet and exercise worked better than self-help programs. Teens and children on drug therapy suffered some adverse effects.

"While there is limited quality data to recommend one treatment program over another, this review shows that combined behavioral lifestyle interventions compared to standard care or self-help can produce a significant and clinically meaningful reduction in overweight in children and adolescents," the study's authors wrote in the journal Cochrane Review.

Labels: weight_loss, families, involvement

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A new study from the Netherlands found that family involvement is a key factor in helping overweight teens and children lose weight.

Hiltje O. Luttikhuis of the University Medical Center in Groningen, the Netherlands, studied whether changes in lifestyle, family involvement, surgery, or drugs were effective in helping young people lose weight.

Family lifestyle interventions that included behavioral therapy and changes in diet and exercise worked better than self-help programs. Teens and children on drug therapy suffered some adverse effects.

"While there is limited quality data to recommend one treatment program over another, this review shows that combined behavioral lifestyle interventions compared to standard care or self-help can produce a significant and clinically meaningful reduction in overweight in children and adolescents," the study's authors wrote in the journal Cochrane Review.

Labels: weight_loss, families, involvement

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Physical education classes in schools do not affect children's weights, but do they improve fitness, cholesterol levels, and lung capacity, according to a new study from Cochrane Research.

Scientists looked at data from physical activity programs in schools in the United States, Canada, Australia, and South America. Children involved in these programs did not lose weight, improve their blood pressure readings, or exercise more after school than non-participants. However, their fitness levels improved.

"Given that there are at least some beneficial effects, we would recommend that schools continue their health promotion programs," said the study's lead researcher, Maureen Dobbins of McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.

Labels: schools, weight_loss, physical_education

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A new study of teenagers with diabetes found that half of them are trying to lose weight. However, many choose unhealthy weight loss practices such as skipping their insulin doses.

Kaiser Permanente sponsored the study of 3,357 students with an average age of 15. About eight percent of the study's subjects had tried fasting, 7.5 percent used diet aids, 2.3 percent tried vomiting or laxatives, and 4.2 percent skipped their insulin. Girls dieted more than boys did.

Labels: diabetes, weight_loss, insulin

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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 maintenance programs helped children lose weight and keep it off, the long-term effects are not strong or consistent. A recent study conducted at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis also found that, when left to their own devices, kids will regain weight once a weight-loss program comes to an end.

"The researchers studied obese youngsters from 1999-2004 at a university clinic in San Diego, where [Denise] Wilfely used to teach. The children weighed at least 65 percent more than their recommended weight. All of the children in the study also had at least one parent who was overweight."

Researchers discovered that the best outcome was had by kids who changed their social groups - spending more time with kids who were active and healthy.

Labels: weight_loss, long_term_weight_loss, influences

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When a child is diagnosed as being overweight or obese, the first thing parents often think is that they have to help their kid lose weight. But, surprisingly, many experts say that the first goal is simply to not gain anymore weight.

"If you remember that your child is going to keep getting taller as he approaches and goes through puberty, it makes it easy to understand why simply not gaining weight can be helpful. Even if your overweight child isn't losing weight, as long as he isn't gaining weight or at least isn't gaining weight as quickly, he can slim out and reach a healthy BMI as he gets taller."

Once a child has met his goal of not gaining weight for a few months, you can work with a pediatrician to set actual weight loss goals. Read more at Pediatrics.About.com.

Specialty high school boarding schools can help kids with emotional or behavioral issues. Oakley School is a private boarding school near Park City, Utah.

Labels: weight_loss, body_mass_index, puberty

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In addition to working with over 100 teenagers for her book Weight Loss Confidential, Anne M. Fletcher, M.S., R.D., also interviewed parents for help and advice on teen weight loss. In speaking with parents of overweight children, Fletcher found

"First, they make it clear that kids need to know that they're loved unconditionally, regardless of their weight. Both the parents and the teens also stress that the initiative for weight loss has to come from the teenif the teen's not ready or isn't motivated, nagging, preaching, and complaining will only backfire... Parents also emphasized the importance of providing healthful foods, not having a lot of high-calorie foods around, and being role models for healthy eating and exercise. Once the teen makes a decision to slim down, parents stressed the need for providing them lots of support and praise, no matter how small the changes are."

Read a full review of Weight Loss Confidential.

Labels: parenting, weight_loss, tips

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