Obesity in Children: A Growing Issue

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Obesity in Children A Growing Issue

• By Karen Troendly, MS, RD, LD
• Healthy Start in Child Care

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Obesity Defined

• Chronic disease that is hard to treat costs
  about 100 billion per year
• Begins in childhood 5-6 years old
• Energy in is greater than energy out
• Body Mass Index (BMI) wt (kg)/ht (m2)

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BMI can be calculated or
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http//www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/00binaries/bmi
-tables.pdf
Go to
for BMI charts
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See Sample BMI Chart
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BMI
U.S. News World Report Aug. 19, 2002
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For children, BMI is then plotted on a growth
chart to see what percentile the child falls
in. Age is the horizontal axis and BMI is the
vertical axis.
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Human Biology

• Eat whatever is available whenever its
  available.
• Natural protection against starving
• Choose foods high in fat
• Choose foods high in sugar

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How did the childhood obesity issue get so
popular?
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Causes
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Family History

• One obese parent
• 50 chance the child(ren) will be obese
• Two obese parents 80 chance the child(ren)
  will be obese

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Dietpoor eating habits overeating

• Fast food restaurants
• Super-sized meals
• Decreased consumption of fruits and vegetables
• Prepared foods (sugar and fat added)

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Too Much Food

• 3,800 kcal available per person per day
• USDA data between 1984 and 2000, there has been
  a 500 kcal increase per person per day
• Eating out usually eating more
• Availability gas stations, food courts, vending
  machines

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Inactivity

• TV
• Computers
• Video games

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Medications or Illnesses

• Medications
• Steroidsanti-inflammatory meds
• Psychiatric meds
• Illnesses
• Nerve disorders
• Endocrine disorders

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Social/Emotional Stress

• Self-esteem
• Not making friends
• Not fitting in
• Divorce
• Moving
• Abuse
• War
• Death

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Risks of Being Overweight as a Child

• Increased chance of being overweight as an adult
• Increased risk of emotional problems
• Increased risk for early onset of chronic disease
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes

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Type 2 Diabetes

• Used to be called adult onset
• Increasing incidence in children and
  adolescentsmost are overweight, some obese
• High Blood Glucose Levels Caused by
• Not enough insulin
• Resistance to insulin
• Or bothnot enough and resistant

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Type 2 Diabetes (cont.)

• Ask, Is child
• Thirsty?
• Needing to urinate a lot?
• Very tired?
• Characteristics
• Fam Hx
• Ethnic
• More likely in females
• More likely during adolescence

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Heart Disease and High Blood Pressure

• Fatty streaks found in childrens blood vessels
• Plaque build-up in arteries increases risk of
  heart attack and stroke
• Total cholesterol should be
• Healthy blood pressure is 120/80
• High blood pressure stresses the heart and
  arteries

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So, how do we prevent the onset of obesity and/or
deal with the disease?
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Dealing with Obesity

• Tell children they are loved
• Support, accept, and encourage
• Good goal is to help child maintain weight while
  growing in height
• Focus on health and the positives
• AND MOST IMPORTANTLY

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BE A GOOD ROLE MODEL!!!
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Positive Behaviors
Physical Activity
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Keys to a Balanced, Healthy Diet

• 5 a day
• Reduce fat
• Eat sugary foods in moderation
• Eat healthy snacks
• Serve appropriate portions

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Reduce Fat

• Opt for low-fat substitutes
• Skim or 1 milk (after age 2)
• Cheese with 2-6 grams of fat per oz.
• 95 lean ground beef or turkey
• Low-fat or fat-free salad dressings, mayonnaise
  and margarine

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Eat Sugary Foods in Moderation

• One sweet a day
• Water skim, or 1 milk instead of high-calorie,
  sugary drinks
• Check ingredients on nutrition labels

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Eat Healthy Snacks

• Fresh fruit
• Low-fat cheese with low-fat crackers
• Raw veggies with low-fat dip
• Cereal with low-fat milk
• Graham crackers with low-fat hot chocolate
• Applesauce

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Serve Appropriate Portions

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Physical Activity

• 1 hour per day most days of the week
• Have the whole family participate
• Limit TV watching to under 2 hours per day,
  including video games and computer time
• Needed to improve skills

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Physical Activity (cont.)

• Let babies crawl around and stretch
• Let toddlers be active running, jumping, playing
• School-age children need 30 minutes of playtime
  after school
• Sign up for team sports
• Be prepared for rainy or very cold days

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Get Active!

• Walking
• Biking
• Bowling
• Ice Skating
• Hiking
• Sledding
• Tag
• Jogging

• Playing Outside
• Swimming
• Dancing
• Flying a Kite

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Healthy Eating

• Stock home with healthy snacks
• Dont eat while watching TV

• Eat slowly and only when hungry
• Eat together
• Portion control
• Avoid high fat/high sugar foods
• Dont use food as a reward/punishment
• Dont put child on a diet

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Healthy Eating (cont.)

• Parent/caregiver decides what to offer and child
  decides what to eat
• Make small changes
• Use the Food Guide Pyramid
• Encourage children to try foods may have to
  offer them several times
• Find substitute fruits/vegetables
• Do not declare never foods

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Healthy Eating (cont.)

• Age
• 2-6
• 6-12
• Teen boys
• Teen girls

• Calories Per Day
• 1,600
• 2,200
• 2,800
• 2,200

Approximate Calorie Levels
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Weight Management

• Children usually grow into weight
• Gradual weight loss recommended fast weight loss
  usually ends up in weight regained
• Focus on changing behaviors

• Should be overseen by MD

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References

• Prevention Magazine Nov. 2002
• U.S. News World Report Aug. 19, 2002
• www.diabetes.org
• www.americanheart.org
• www.cdc.gov
• www.aacap.org
• www.surgeongeneral.gov