How Parents Can Help Their Kids Overcome Obestiy

by Dr. Dolgoff

The U.S. National Library of Medicine estimates that at least one out of five children in the U.S. is overweight. There are several reasons why parents need be concerned over an overweight or obese child. Obese children and adolescents have shown an alarming increase in the incidence of type 2 diabetes, also known as adult-onset diabetes. Many obese children have high cholesterol and blood pressure levels, which are risk factors for heart disease. One of the most severe problems for obese children is sleep apnea (interrupted breathing while sleeping). In some cases this can lead to problems with learning and memory. In addition, obese children have a high incidence of orthopedic problems, liver disease, and asthma.

How to determine if your child is overweight or obese:

A doctor is the best person to determine whether your child has a weight problem. Doctors will measure your child’s weight, height, age and growth patterns to determine if his or her weight is within a healthy range. Based on your child’s height and weight, they will calculate a body mass index (BMI). If your child’s BMI is greater than 95 percent of children their age and gender, they are considered to be overweight.

Why children become overweight:

Genetic factors: Children become overweight for a variety of reasons. The most common causes are genetic factors, lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns, or a combination of these factors. In rare cases, a medical problem, such as an endocrine disorder, may cause a child to become overweight. A careful physical exam and some blood tests will determine if your child is overweight due to this type of problem.

Children whose parents or brothers or sisters are overweight may be at an increased risk of becoming overweight themselves. However, not all children with a family history of obesity will be overweight. Genetic factors play a role in increasing the likelihood that a child will be overweight, but shared family behaviors such as eating and activity habits also greatly influence body weight.

Lifestyle: A child’s total diet and his or her activity level both play an important role in determining a child’s weight. The average American child spends approximately 24 hours each week watching television - time that could be spent in some sort of physical activity.

What parents can do to help:

Be supportive: Overweight children need support, acceptance, and encouragement from their parents. Children’s feelings about themselves often are based on their parents’ feelings about them. It is also important to talk to your children about weight, allowing them to share their concerns with you.

Don't use food as a punishment or reward: Withholding food as a punishment may lead children to worry that they will not get enough food which may result in overeating. When foods, such as sweets, are used as a reward, children may assume that these foods are better or more valuable than other foods. For example, telling children that they will get dessert if they eat all of their vegetables sends the wrong message about vegetables.

Set a good example: Children are good learners, and they learn best by example. Set a good example for your kids by eating a variety of foods and being physically active. Involve children in food shopping and preparing. Children may be more willing to eat or try foods that they help prepare.

Teach healthy habits: Teaching healthy eating practices early will help children approach eating with the right attitude: Food should be enjoyed and is necessary for growth, development, and for energy to keep the body running. Guide their choices rather than dictate foods. This will help your children learn how to make healthy food choices. Encourage your child to eat slowly. A child can detect hunger and fullness better when eating slowly.

Cut down on fat: Reducing fat is a good way to cut calories without depriving your child of nutrients. Simple ways to cut the fat in your family’s diet include eating lowfat or nonfat dairy products, poultry without skin and lean meats, and low-fat or fat-free breads and cereals. By the time the child is about 5 years old, you should gradually adopt a diet that contains no more than 30 percent of calories from fat.

Healthy snacking: You should make snacks as nutritious as possible, without depriving your child of occasional chips or cookies, especially at parties or other social events. Healthy snacks include: applesauce, carrot sticks with hummus, peanut butter on apples, yogurt, dried fruit, fruit juice popsicles, low fat cheese, etc.

Increase your physical activity: Regular physical activity, combined with healthy eating habits, is the most efficient and healthful way to control your weight. Some simple ways to increase your family’s physical activity include the following: Plan family activities like walking, dancing, biking, or swimming. For example, schedule a walk with your family after dinner instead of watching TV or playing video games. Overweight children may feel uncomfortable about participating in certain activities so it is important to help your child find physical activities that they enjoy and that aren’t embarrassing or too difficult.

About the Author:

Dr. Dolgoff’s Weigh: Child and Adolescent Weight Management practice boasts a 96% weight loss success rate.  There are offices in Manhattan, N.Y. and Roslyn Heights, N.Y.  There is also a national online component (http://www.drweigh.com/) to the program which children all over the country have been using to lose weight.

A Quarter of American Children Are ‘Dieting’

I know Halloween is over, but I received these stats from Coupons Code and thought it was interesting.

New research from one of America’s leading coupon code and voucher sites has revealed that a quarter of American children under the age 12 are on a diet. Furthermore, a fifth of parents admitted that they wouldn’t allow their kid to go Trick-or-Treating for fear of them eating ‘too much candy’.

New research has shown that a quarter of American parents have put their kids aged 12 or under on a diet. A further 19% of parents polled said that they did not allow their children to go ‘Trick-or-Treating’ this Halloween for fear of them eating too much candy.

The poll was conducted by one of America’s leading coupon code sites, http://www.couponcodes4u.com/, which wanted to investigate the attitudes of parents towards the food that their kids eat. As result the site polled 6,523 American parents with kids aged 12 or under to find out their thoughts on the subject.

*  When the site asked the question “what food do your kids generally eat the most?” only 24% stated ‘healthy food’, while a further 58% said ‘junk food’.

*  A quarter of parents, 26%, admitted that their child is on a diet, while a further 11% said that that they were currently ‘watching what their child ate’. When CouponCodes4U.com asked them to stipulate their reason for their child being on a diet, 6% said their child’s pediatrician had recommended it.

*  A fifth of the parents asked said they wouldn’t allow their child to go Trick-or-Treating for fear of them ‘eating too much candy’, while 41% insisted on giving their child a packed lunch for school instead of letting them eat in the cafeteria. When asked ‘why?’ 62% of these parents said it was to ‘keep track’ of what their child was eating.

*  Despite the fact that 26% of the respondents said their child was on a diet, only 11% said they made sure their child was exercising regularly. On a similar note, 19% admitted to having previously given their child a note to allow them to skip gym class.

Mark Pearson, Chairman of CouponCodes4U.com, had the following to say about the study;

“With Halloween very close now, we wanted to find out if parents would prevent their kids from going Trick-or-Treating, for whatever reason. The study actually found that more parents were concerned about their child eating too much candy on the night than them being safe, which is quite surprising."


About Coupon Codes:

Coupon Codes are great way to save money when you shop online. Also known as promotional codes, e-coupons or discount codes, they are simply special codes which will get you a discount from the listed retail price of many goods, at a variety of different online USA stores.