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The National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys give us by far the
most complete and accurate picture of our children’s growth and fitness.2
By 1999, 13 percent of children ages six through 11, and 14 percent of teens
ages 12 through 19, were at or beyond the 95th percentile for weight (the
definition for obesity) on nationally standard growth charts. This compares
to 4 percent of children and five percent of adolescents in the 1960s. Gender-specific
figures from 1999 show no difference in the percentage of obese boys ages
six through 11 versus girls in the same age range, while 1.5 percent more
teen boys than teen girls ages 12 through 19 were overweight or obese.3
Overweight children are prone to be overweight
as adults, and more likely to suffer from diabetes, heart disease, high
blood pressure, mobility limitations and stroke. Excess weight prevents
children from fully participating and enjoying physical games and sports,
and can lead to cruel teasing and bullying. The societal value placed on
"thinness" today makes the plight of the overweight youngster doubly difficult.4
Before using diet and exercise to get your child to a desired
weight, schedule a checkup with a family physician or pediatrician. Occasionally,
a child’s weight problem may be caused by a genetic, metabolic or hormonal
condition, especially if the weight gain is sudden, extreme or occurs in
a younger child. The physician can also determine if a medication or another
substance is the root problem.
Weight Management is a Lifestyle Change
If your child seems to be healthy, the best way to manage
his weight is to change his lifestyle – not just the child's lifestyle but
the whole family's. A lifestyle change may include more opportunities for
exercise and adopting a balanced and healthy diet.5 Tackling
the problem as a family adds the double benefit of avoiding stigma for the
child and plotting a more healthy future for the entire family, who may
also be at risk of being overweight and incurring medical problems.
One of the biggest changes a family can make surrounds
diet. Families should concentrate on increasing grains, starches, fruits
and vegetables, and cutting down on concentrated sweets and items high in
fat. Eliminate unhealthy snacks between meals and avoid using food items
as rewards. This decreases overall daily caloric intake. NIDDK
(National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases),
offers helpful information about ways to help children develop good attitudes
about eating. Highly restrictive diets are hardly ever needed or advised.
Another lifestyle change includes exercise. Exercise doesn't
have to be strenuous to be effective; a little bit every day or several
times a week is better than a whole lot at once. Walking, hiking, cycling,
swimming and ice or roller-skating is attractive to many families, and the
activity can vary with the seasons.
Endnotes:
- Dr. James Dobson, The Complete Marriage and Family Home Reference
Guide,
(Wheaton, Illinois, Tyndale House Publishers)2000, 49.
- National Center for Health Statistics, See: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus02.pdf
- Focus on the Family daily broadcast, January 8, 2002. See: Overweight Children.
- Focus on the Family Physicians Resource Council, USA, The Complete Book of Baby and Child Care
(Wheaton, Illinois, Tyndale House Publishers)1997, 430-432.
Last updated September 2003
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