Helping Our Kids Avoid Obesity

Child obesity levels are on the increase in America and many other countries around the world.
 As well as having social and psychological consequences, children that are overweight often develop potentially dangerous health problems that can affect them for the rest of their lives.

This article discusses the reason for the rise in childhood obesity and its consequences, offers some eating and exercise tips to help children lose weight, and finally discusses what we as parents can do to help our kids.

What constitutes being overweight for children?

A child with a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile for their age and sex is considered overweight.

BMI uses height and weight measurements to estimate how much body fat a person has, and parents who suspect that their child may be overweight can check with their family doctor or pediatrician who can calculate their child's BMI using a special BMI calculator designed for children.


Why childhood obesity is increasing

Put simply, the major cause of childhood obesity is our modern lifestyle.

Children today eat more and exercise less than any other generation before them and the result is that children are getting heavier and unhealthier.

The characteristics of our modern lifestyle that contributes most to the problem of childhood obesity include:


Advances in technology designed to make life easier and more entertaining.
Unprecedented access to cheap, high-calorie, high-fat food (i.e. junk and fast food).
Modern leisure activities such as playing computer games and watching TV.
Exposure to increasing amounts of marketing for fast and snack foods.
High density living with fewer parks and play areas for kids.
Poor lifestyle habits being passed on from one generation to the next.



Let's have a look at some of the things that can be done if our children are overweight or obese.

Eating Tips to Prevent Obesity in Children

Children who are brought up on constant diets of snack and junk food will grow into adults with ingrained bad eating habits and are destined to suffer from weight problems, even if they somehow manage to avoid doing so as children.

To help you get your children eating as healthy as possible, here are some common and practical eating tips that anyone can implement:


Be a role model and set a good example for your children by eating healthier yourself.
Use your authority to control what food is purchased and cooked in the home.
Do not put your child on a restrictive diet without expert medical advice.
Encourage your children to lead healthy lives and don't just focus on weight loss.
Encourage your kids to eat healthy food by making sure it is tasty, well prepared, and easily available at home.
Don't bring "problem" foods home, like chocolate, potato chips, ice cream, candy, cakes and fizzy drinks.
Prepare meals with your children - kids often enjoy cooking and as well as having fun, they can learn about healthy cooking and food preparation.
Don't force children to finish their food if they are full, they'll eat more than they need to and will adopt the 'clean plate' eating philosophy for life.
Be aware of "emotional overeating" and try to address the cause of any stress and tension in your child's life.
Don't use food as a bribe or reward.
If you need more tips or you're still not sure what and how much to feed your children to ensure that they develop good eating habits and grow up as healthy and happy as possible, seek professional advice from a registered dietitian or nutritionist.

Exercise tips to prevent or reverse childhood obesity

As well as doing whatever we can to make sure our children are eating healthy foods, it's just as important to also make sure they are getting enough exercise and developing a love of being active.

If you want to help your child avoid becoming overweight, or if you already have a child who is overweight, the following tips may be useful:


Make exercise as fun as possible and don't call the activities your children engage in "exercise" which has the wrong connotations for children.
Try to help your child get at least thirty to sixty minutes of "exercise" broken down into ten or fifteen minute segments.
Be a role model by being active yourself and engage your children in activities like walking, hiking, tennis, swimming, basketball, or bike riding.
Make fitness a family affair.
Let children set the pace and intervals of family walks, bike rides, etc.
Encourage your children to play sports without being pushy.

How parents can help their kids

Although it's easy to blame the growth of childhood obesity on our modern lifestyle, many parents of overweight children need to recognize the significant role they've played in making their children that way if things are going to change.

Remember, most children with poor exercise and eating habits have learned those habits from their parents.

Here are five of the most important things a parent can do to help their children avoid or reverse childhood obesity:



Be a role model - eat healthy food and be active yourself and your children are likely to follow your lead.

Help your kids to develop basic fitness skills by helping them to enjoy swimming, walking, cycling, running, dancing, hiking, skating, etc.

Fill your cupboard and fridge with healthy foods and drink and limit the amount of snack and junk foods your children eat.
Spend quality time with your children and have fun with them away from the TV and computer.
Make small changes first and build on them over time - radical change is unlikely to be accepted and adopted long-term so take small but progressive steps forward.

Child obesity levels are on the increase in America and many other countries around the world.

by Scott Haywood - 06/05/2009

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