The Children’s Hospital leads the charge against childhood obesity

Nov 4 2009

The Children’s Hospital is leading the charge against childhood obesity, a problem that is impacting more and more families across the country. Experts from The Children’s Hospital offer a pediatric perspective on proactive steps parents can take to ensure their children maintain nutritious diets and healthy, active lifestyles.

Key Facts:

• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than nine million American children between the ages of six and 19 are overweight.
• Portion sizes have nearly tripled in the last 20 to 30 years, kids often drink too many sugar-sweetened beverages, recess and physical education have drastically decreased in schools, and kids eat out more than ever before.
• Obesity in children can lead to a host of health problems, including Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and depression.
• To avoid the serious, often lifelong health risks associated with childhood obesity, parents should focus on prevention. Specific tips to prevent childhood obesity include:

• Increase parental involvement at school and at home

• Know food and exercise policies at your child’s school; try to influence those policies if there is concern
• Send lunch to school with your child and involve your child in packing that lunch
• Stock the kitchen with fruits and vegetables and refrain from buying junk food
• Prepare healthy snacks ahead of time; cut up fruits and vegetables to “grab and go”

• Keep it predictable

• Setting regular schedules for healthy eating and physical activity is important for children, especially young children, because they are more likely to adopt them as habits

• Eat the right breakfast

• Skipping breakfast leaves children with an empty stomach and low on energy, but eating the wrong breakfast can be just as bad
• Children should eat a breakfast high in protein and fiber and low in sugar

• Eat at home and keep it small

• Eating out exposes children to unhealthy food choices and inappropriate portion sizes

• Portion sizes vary for children of different ages, genders and overall activity level
• Unhealthy food is often high in simple carbohydrates (like sugar) and fat, which do not provide the same sense of fullness as healthy foods, meaning that children may eat more to fill up

• Lose the soda/Eat your fruit, don’t drink it

• Most kids who drink sugar-sweetened beverages will drink an excess of 200 calories a day
• The problem includes any sugar-sweetened beverage, including fruit juice drinks; most fruit drinks contain 10 percent juice and 90 percent water and sugar
• Solid fruit fills children up more than juice, contributing to an overall feeling of satiety

• Play outside

• Children need at least 60 minutes of physical activity and no more than two hours of “screen time” every day
• Physical activity can include any activity such as biking or hiking with the family, but can also include simple outdoor exploration

Supporting Quotes:
“If your child is overweight, it is important to be supportive when talking with him/her about it,” said Renee Porter, obesity clinical nurse coordinator at The Children’s Hospital. “Small children especially won’t understand long-term health complications, so instead focus on positive health behaviors. For example, create a sticker chart for healthy behaviors (eating fruits or veggies, or riding their bike), which will positively promote new choices instead of negatively focusing on unhealthy behaviors.”

“Parents should be role models when it comes to the food choices that are made and provide encouragement to their kids,” said Nancy Krebs, MD, director of the clinical nutrition program at The Children’s Hospital. “Children will follow the examples that their parents set. For example, make it a family practice not to drink your fruits and vegetables in the form of juice. Rather, eat them, and drink your milk.”