BOBBEE BEE AND FREDDIE "NO FRIENDS": OBESITY: A WEIGHTY ISSUE FOR CHILDREN

BOBBEE BEE AND FREDDIE "NO FRIENDS" OBESITY:A WEIGHTY ISSUED FOR CHILDREN

Its not 'cool' to be fat, but that has not prevented an obesity America's youth. Childhood obesity increased from 5 percent in 1964 to about 13 percent in 1994. Today, it is about 20 percent and rising. Reversing the rapid rise in obesity among American children and youth will require a multipronged approach by schools, families, communities, industry, and government that would be as comprehensive and ambitious as national anti-smoking efforts. "We must act now and we must do this as a nation," said Jeffrey Koplan, vice president for academic health affairs, Emory University, Atlanta, and former director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Koplan chaired the committee of 19 experts in child health, nutrition, fitness, and public health who developed the report in response to a request from Congress for an obesity prevention plan based on sound science and the most promising approaches. "Obesity may be a personal issue, but at the same time, families, communities, and corporations all are adversely affected by obesity and all bear responsibility for changing social norms to better promote healthier lifestyles," Koplan added. "We recognize that several of our recommedations challenge entrenched aspects of American life and business, but if we are not willing to make some fundamental shifts in our attitudes and actions, obesity toll on our nations health and well-being will only worsen."
What are factors for the increased obesity we see in children today?
Lifestyle factors are surely to blame. Many young people today follow a very sedentary lifestyle. Leisure time is so often spent watching television and video games, playing computer games, surfing the web, or chatting on the internet. Children, on the average, spend an average of five to six hours a day involved in these sedentary activites. Perhaps it would not matter if they are sufficently active at other times, but most of them are not.

To make matters worse, children are bombarded with well-crafted TV ads from fast-food chains and other purveyors of high-fat, high sugar meals and snacks. A recent study reported that two-to-six years old who watch television are more likely to choose food products advertised on TV than children who do not watch such commericals. These highly effective advertising campaigns, combined with a physically inactive lifestyle, have produced a generation of kids who are at high risk for obesity-associated medical conditions.
Another factor that impinges upon the nutritional quality of a child's diet is the fact that many American families don't eat meals together very often. Children who eat by themselves tend to eat foods high in fat, sugar and salt. Research shows when children eat meals with their parents they eat a more nutritious diet. The search also shows that regular family meals provide order, discipline and emotional security for a child.
Since not all children who eat non-nutritious foods, watch several hours of television daily, and are relatively inactive develop obesity, the search continues for alternative causes. Heredity has recently been shown to influence fatness. In addition, infants born to overweight mothers have been found to be less active and to gain more weight by age three months when compared with infants of normal weight mothers, suggesting a possible inborn drive to conserve energy.

Obesity presents numerous problems for the child. In addition to increasing the risk of obesity in adulthood, childhood obesity is the leading cause of pediatric hypertension, is associated with Type II diabetes mellitus which can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, stroke, limb amputations and blindness. It also lowers self-esteem, and affects relationships with peers. Some authorities feel that social and psychological problems are the most significant consequences of obesity in children. It is a scary prospect for our children but, in many cases, obesity is preventable.
Industry Contributions to Addressing Obesity

The food and beverage industries spend $10 billion to $12 billion annually marketing directly to children and youth. The average child views more than 40,000 TV commericals each year and more than half of TV ads directed at kids promote high-calorie foods and beverages such as candy, snack foods, fast foods, soft drinks, and sweetened breakfast cereals.

In addition, the entertainment industry promotes many products that encourages sedentary behaviors. While research suggests that the cumulative impact of long-term exposure to such advertisements may adversely affects kids eating habits and activity levels, there is insufficient causal evidence that directly links advertising to childhood obesity and that would support calling for a ban on all food and beverage advertising to children. Instead, the committee recommended an approach to the marketing of foods, beverages, and sedentary leisure pursuits to kids that would be similar to that recommended for controlling alcohol advertising.

Given Americans increasing reliance on prepared foods and restuarants for meals and snacks, food packages and restuarant menus or displays should enhance the nutrition information they provide, to help consumers make informed choices, the report says. The Nutrition Facts panels on food and beverages should prominently state the total calorie content for items typically consumed all at once, to dispel confusion created when a package contains more than one serving. Prevention Begins At Home

Parents play the most significant role in prevention of childhood obesity. They can exert a profound influence on their children by promoting healthy foods and an active lifestyle from an early age and serving as role models. Parents can encourage their children to develop a healthy, varied diet by introducing new foods in a persistent but noncoercive fashion. Studies show that repeated exposure to a new food before a child will accept it. In addition, parents should consider smaller portion sizes, encourage children to stop eating when they feel full, and avoid using food as a reward. Parents also should stock their homes with healthy products, particularly fruits and vegetables, to encourage their kids to choose them as snacks. Many concerns have been raised about whether increased consumption of sweetened beverages, such as soft drinks and flavored drinks, is linked to the rise of childhood obesity. By the time they are 14 years old, 52 percent of boys and 32 percent of girls are drinking three or more eight-ounce servings of soda a day. The links between sweetened beverage consumption and BMI are not definitive, the report notes. However, the committee recommened that children be encouraged to avoid sodas and other high-calories, low-nutrient beverages because of concerns about excessive consumption of "empty calories" and displacement of beverages containing fewer calories and more nutrients.


Caregivers can encourage children to make physical activity a regular part of their lives by engaging in active play or sports with them, providing equipment and opportunities, and by cheering on children's active pursuits. In addition, parents should decrease their childrens inactivity by limiting recreational TV viewing as well as video and computer game playing to less than two hours a day. Studies have shown that the prevalance of obesity is highest among kids who watch several hours of television each day or who have TV sets in their bedrooms.

Help For Obese Children
If you are a parent of an overweigh child struggling with obesity, visit www.myoverweightchild.com. They offer you some insights, tips and suggestions to help your child getting in shape, eat healthy and get active.