Childhood Obesity: A World Wide Epidemic

How to Prevent an Unhealthy Lifestyle By: Becca Fisher

Overview
Part One In BMI or BM-Why I discuss the differences between what is defined as overweight and what is defined as obese. I will further go into detail on how to calculate your childs BMI and how to use the Center for Diseases growth chart to see if your child is in a healthy weight percentile. Part Two What Causes Obesity? explains general lifestyle choices as well as medical issues that could potential cause obesity. Part Three Television-The Culprit? discusses how technology, specifically television, has been a direct link to childhood obesity. Studies from Harvard University will be shown in this section as well. Part Four What Are You Feeding Your Child? focuses on how eating fast food affects your childs calorie intake. Part Five What Can You Eat When You Go Out? shows tips to reduce the calorie intake when you do eat out. Part Six Cooking With Your Children looks at ways to get your child to live a healthy lifestyle. I will go over why involving your child in the cooking process helps them to make better health choices. Part Seven Active Families focuses on why it is important to be active as a family and what activities you can do to stay active.

Whether you have one child or five, it is important to start teaching your child how to live a healthy lifestyle and teach them staying active does not require playing a sport. The Cedar Valley SportsPlex would like to educate you about the obesity epidemic and inform you on how to achieve a healthy lifestyle.

Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past thirty years. (CDC) While obesity is one of the easiest medical conditions to recognize, it is also the most difficult to treat. According to The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, unhealthy weight gain due to poor diet and lack of diet is responsible for 300,000 deaths each year. Studies have also shown that the annual cost to society for obesity is estimated at nearly 100 billion dollars.

Part One: BMI or BM-Why?

It is important to know the difference between being overweight and being obese. Overweight refers to increased body weight in relation to height, when compared to some standard weight. Obesity, on the other hand, is defined as excessively high amount of body fat in relation to lean body mass. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, BMI uses a mathematical formula, in which a person's weight in pounds is divided by the square of the person's height in inches and this result is then multiplied by 703. For example, a thirteen year old boy who weighs 190 lbs. and is 55 tall would have a BMI = [190/ (65) (65)] x 703 = 31.6. A BMI of 31.6 would then be plotted on a BMI-for-age and gender specific growth chart. BMI between 85th and 95th percentile for age and sex is considered at risk of overweight, and BMI at or above the 95th percentile is considered overweight or obese.

Children for Disease Controls Growth Chart

The steps to complete the growth chart are as followed: 1.) Obtain accurate weights and measurements. 2.) Select the appropriate growth chart. Select the growth chart to be use based on age and gender of the child being weighed and measured. 3.) Record data. After selecting the appropriate chart and entering the patient's name and record number, if appropriate, complete the data entry table.

First, record information about factors obtained at the initial visit that influence growth.

Enter mother's and father's stature as reported. Enter the gestational age in weeks.

The next line is reserved for recording the child's birth data. (Omit this step when using growth charts for children aged 2 to 20 years.)

Enter the date of birth.

Enter birth weight, length, and head circumference. Add notable comments (e.g., breastfeeding).

Record information obtained during the current visit.

Enter today's date.

Determine age to the nearest month for infants and 1/4-year for children 2 to 20 years.

Enter the child's age.

4.) Calculate BMI. (as we stated earlier- weight in pounds is divided by the square of the person's height in inches and this result is then multiplied by 703.) 5.) Plot the Measurements. On this step you will plot the measurements recorded in the data entry table for the current visit. 6.) Interpret the Plotted Measurements. The curved lines on the growth chart show selected percentiles that indicate the rank of the child's measurement. Interpret the plotted measurements based on the percentile ranking and the percentile cutoff corresponding to the nutrition indicator shown in the table below. If the percentile rank indicates a nutrition-related health concern, additional monitoring and assessment are recommended. Nutrition Indicator

It is safe to say that preparing this chart to calculate if your child is overweight or obese takes time as well as patience. The good news is that if you do not feel comfortable completing the growth chart process, you may visit your doctor and they will complete this for you.

Part Two: What Causes Obesity?

Now that we know how to calculate if your child is obese or not, lets take a step back and see what causes obesity. The causes of obesity are complex and include genetic, biological, behavioral and cultural factors. Lets focus on genetic factors. For example, if one parent is obese, there is a fifty percent chance that the child will be obese as well. (American Academy) However, when both parents are obese, the children will have an eighty percent chance of being obese. (American Academy) Obesity in childhood and adolescents can be related to: Poor eating habits Overeating or binging Lack of exercise Family history of obesity Medical illness Medications

Stressful life events or changes (divorce, death, moving and switching schools) Family and peer problems Low self-esteem Depression or other emotional problems

Part Three: Television-The Culprit?

A rising cause of childhood obesity is that children are becoming more sedentarymeaning, kids are spending more time playing with electronic devices, from computers to handheld video game systems, then being outside. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that children should not watch more than two hours of television a day. However, the average child in the U.S. exceeds these recommendations. Not only are children inactive while they are watching television, they often snack on unhealthy food choices. Television is still the most widely-viewed screen worldwide, but these TV habits are part of a larger trend: Globally, children are spending more time sitting at home, and theres mounting evidence that this sit time is a major contributor to the obesity epidemic. (Harvard) Sedentary activitiesnot only TV watching, using computers, playing video games, and the likeburn few calories and may replace more active pursuits. Increasingly, though, theres evidence that watching TVand, especially, watching junk food ads on TVpromotes obesity by changing mainly what and how much people eat, less so by changing how much they move. Researchers at Boston Childrens Hospital used a new research model to measure the moment-by-moment use of electronic media by kids ages 13 to 15 and calculate their Body Mass Index (BMI). The 91 teens studied used a handheld computer to report what they were

doing at random times of the week, prompting them to report their use of TV, video games and computers, and to record whether they were focusing most on activities like media, homework or friends. Out of all the different screen media, kids noted watching TV the most at an average of more than three hours a day. Many studies show that TV viewing is associated with greater calorie intake or poorer diet quality, and theres increasing evidence that food and beverage marketing on television may be responsible for the TVobesity link. The effects of TV viewing on physical activity are much smaller than on diet, so they dont seem to play as strong a role. Some research findings that support the food marketingTVobesity link:

The thousands of food-related TV ads that children and youth see each year are primarily for high-calorie, low-nutrient foods and drinks, according to a comprehensive review of the evidence by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Food marketing influences childrens food preferences and purchase requests, and marketers rely on this pester power to influence what parents buy. Branded foods, drinks, and restaurants are often featured in TV shows and movies, and these product placements are overwhelmingly for unhealthy foods. Laboratory studies find that TV food ads influence food consumption. In one experiment, for example, children who watched cartoons with food commercials ate 45 percent more snack food while viewing than children who watched cartoons with non-food advertising. (Pub Med)

Part Four: What Are You Feeding Your Child?

Every day, nearly one-third of U.S. children aged 4 to 19 eat fast food, which likely packs on about six extra pounds per child per year and increases the risk of obesity due to consuming 187 more calories than recommended by nutritionists. (CBS) Since 1970, the amount of fast

food restaurants in business has doubled, which equates to about 300,000 establishments in the United States. (OAC) Is Fast Food to Blame? Below are a few typical fast food menus. First, showing the calorie intake without the sides and drink.

McDonalds Big Mac: 540 calories and 29 g of fat Burger King Whopper: 670 calories and 40 g of fat Wendys Bacon Deluxe Double: 880 calories and 52 g of fat Taco Bell Nachos Bell Grande: 770 calories and 24 g of fat

Now with the sides included:

Medium fries at McDonalds: 380 calories and 19 g of fat Onion rings at Dairy Queen: 360 calories and 16 g of fat Regular Cole Slaw at Popeyes: 260 calories and 23 g of fat

Lastly, with the drinks:

Large Frosty at Wendys: 540 calories and 8 g of fat Large sweet tea at McDonalds: 280 calories and 0 g of fat Iced Carmel Latte from Dunkin Donuts: 450 calories and 12 g of fat These foods are highly processed, full of fat, calories and sodium. You could easily take in

1,500 calories from just one meal alone. Keep in mind that a general caloric recommendation for Americans is 1,500-1,800 calories per-day and around 50-60 grams of total fat. (OAC)

Part Five: What Can You Eat When You Eat out?
Lets face it, at some point in our life, we will all eat fast food. Try to make those visits few and far between. When you do go out, here are a few tips:

1. Leave off the Sauces Mayo and high-calorie sauces can add tons of calories to a sandwich. Make yours plain or add mustard, salsa or low-calorie dressing. 2. Substitute the Fries You do not have to eat the fries. Lots of fast food restaurants now offer choices. Pick a salad, fruit or yogurt instead of fries. 3. Choose Calorie-free Drinks Skip the sodas and go for water or a sugar-free beverage, like unsweetened tea or light lemonade. 4. Get it Grilled Try a grilled chicken versus a fried chicken sandwich. Instead of chicken nuggets, try a hamburger. 5. Limit Portions Portions are huge at restaurants. Cut your sandwich in half and save some for the next meal.

Part Six: Cooking With Your Children

Parents, grandparents, and children cooking together in the kitchen, sharing family recipes and secrets passed from one generation to the next, is a lost art in many households across America. These days, it's hard for busy parents even to take time out to teach their kids basic cooking techniques. Its true that including kids in cooking meals requires patience, time, and some extra clean-up, especially when the children are younger. But, many experts believe it is well worth the effort and will get children to try foods they wouldve normally turned away. What is important to remember is that kids will be kids- they will snack on chips or enjoy ice cream once in a while. But what is most important is how they eat most of the time. Encouraging kids to try healthier foods is not the only benefit of cooking as a family. Among the recommendations in a recent American Heart Association report on overweight in children and adolescents were: Reducing the number of meals eaten outside the home. Having structured times for family meals.

 Offering healthier, low-calorie foods. Involving children in meal planning, shopping, and food preparation. Cooking with children also has short-term and long-term effects according to WebMD.

Short Term Benefits It encourages kids to try healthy foods. Kids feel like they are accomplishing something and contributing to the family. Kids are more likely to sit down to a family meal when they helped prepare it. Parents get to spend quality time with their kids. Kids aren't spending time in front of the TV or computer while they're cooking. Kids generally aren't eating junk food when they're cooking a meal at home.

Long Term Benefits

Learning to cook is a skill your children can use for the rest of their lives. Kids who learn to eat well may be more likely to eat healthfully as adults. Positive cooking experiences can help build self-confidence. Kids who cook with their parents may even be less likely to abuse drugs.

Part Seven: Active Families

Engaging in physical activity as a family can be a fun way to get everyone moving. Studies show that kids who believe they are competent and have the skills to be physically active are more likely to be active. And those who feel supported by friends and families to become active, or surrounded by others interested in physical activity, are more likely to participate. (Lets Move) Children need 60 minutes of play with moderate to vigorous activity every day, but it doesn't have to occur at once. It is imperative to remember that sleep is just as important and is an essential part of living an active life. A recent study found that with each extra hour of sleep, the risk of a child being overweight or obese dropped by nine percent. (Harvard) Here are a few activities and steps that you and your family can consider to get started on a path to a healthier lifestyle:

Give children toys that encourage physical activity like balls, kites, and jump ropes. Encourage children to join a sports team or try a new physical activity. Limit TV time and keep the TV out of a childs bedroom.

Facilitate a safe walk to and from school a few times a week. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk around the block after a meal. Make a new house rule: no sitting still during television commercials. Find time to spend together doing a fun activity: family park day, swim day or bike day. Issue a family challenge to see who can be the first to achieve a Presidential Active Lifestyle Award by committing to physical activity five days a week, for six weeks. Adults and children can both receive the award! Talk to your childrens principal or write a letter to your district superintendent to incorporate more physical education in schools. Encourage schools to hold recess prior to lunch to increase physical activity before mealtime. Volunteer to help with afterschool physical activity programs or sports teams. Be sure that children get the sleep they need. Most children under age five need to sleep for 11 hours or more per day, children age five to 10 need 10 hours of sleep or more per day, and children over age 10 needs at least nine hours per day. (Harvard) Childhood obesity has become a major public health epidemic. It is widely recognized that the

Conclusion family and home environment significantly influence child diet and physical activity behaviors. While changes cannot be made overnight, the statistics have proven that keeping a child active and eating healthy foods not only have physical benefits, but almost increases their mental state as well. Children who are obese have had direct correlations with low self-esteem and depression and while these are serious issues, they can be solved. Its important to focus on healthy eating and staying active at an early age since a child who is obese has a seventy percent chance of becoming obese as an adult. (OAC) Supporting and encouraging a healthy lifestyle is essential to the betterment of your child.

Bibliography 1.) http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/cooking-with-yourchildren?page=3 2.) http://www.obesityaction.org/educational-resources/resource-articles2/nutrition/fast-food-is-it-the-enemy 3.) http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesitycauses/television-and-sedentary-behavior-and-obesity/ 4.) http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body/overweight_obesity.html# 5.) http://www.aboutourkids.org/articles/childhood_obesity_effects_physical_men tal_health 6.) http://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/Facts_fo r_Families_Pages/Obesity_In_Children_And_Teens_79.aspx 7.) http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm

8.) http://www.letsmove.gov/ 9.) http://www.cbsnews.com/news/fast-food-linked-to-child-obesity/