The Obesity Epidemic: How Do You Protect Your Family?

1/2/2008

It’s no exaggeration to say that obesity in children is at epidemic proportions in the United States. This problem, with its far-ranging implications, is so serious that an entire supplement to the journal Pediatrics was recently devoted to the topic. Pediatricians—and many other health experts—share a great concern that overweight kids will develop many of the chronic conditions of adulthood earlier and more severely, putting them at risk of disability and death at far earlier ages than their parents and grandparents. As a pediatrician I now treat more and more children with conditions once associated solely with adults such as hypertension, high cholesterol, and type-2 diabetes. I am no longer just treating the diseases of childhood, but also trying to prevent serious health issues in adulthood.

Overweight is not necessarily a child’s fault—it is a family issue and is best addressed by the family as a whole. In fact, studies consistently show that the best way to reduce or maintain a child’s weight is through changing the behaviors of his parents. Aside from being tied to genetic vulnerabilities, weight issues are deeply rooted in family shopping and eating patterns, activity levels, attitudes, habits, and income levels.

Here are 13 ways parents can protect their children from obesity:

1. Eat well while pregnant. Children born to moms with high blood sugar are more likely to develop insulin resistance and obesity themselves.

2. Breastfeed your babies.

3. Offer water first. Soft drinks, fruit juices, and fruit “drinks” full of high-fructose corn sweeteners are major sources of excess calories in the young. For more on soft drinks, fruit juices, and fruit “drinks” see this feature article.

4. Provide lots of fruits and vegetables at meals and for snacks. They are low in calories and high in important nutrients and fiber.

5. Watch the fats. Every brain needs a certain amount of healthy fat, but the saturated and partially hydrogenated fats found in so many processed and fast foods carry an increased risk for cardiovascular disease and cancer. Olive oil, nuts (if there’s no allergy), and flaxseed are better options. For more on trans fatty acids and heart disease see this feature article.

6. Watch the carbohydrates. Avoid nutrient-poor foods like most baked goods, many cereals, white potatoes, white rice, candy, and sugary beverages. There is good evidence that these quickly digestible refined carbohydrates upset the insulin metabolism and cause the body to store fats rather than use them for fuel.

7. There are some studies that suggest that dairy foods can help with weight control (perhaps because of their calcium content), but the data are conflicting. If your family eats dairy, choose low-fat or nonfat products.

8. Eat more meals at home and eat them together. Studies find that when families eat together, they eat more nutritiously. Make sure your kids eat breakfast too.

9. Don’t overfeed. Restaurants may pile on the food, but at home, keep portions appropriate to the age and size of the child, and never force kids to eat everything on their plates if they’re no longer hungry.

10. Limit screen time to no more than an hour-and-a-half a day. Get that TV out of your kid’s bedroom and put it where you can control access to it. TV time is not only sedentary but also strongly related to excess calorie intake through “mindless snacking.

11. Get moving. Start taking a walk together every night after dinner, take a dance or self-defense class, schedule swim time, or play a video “exergame” with your kids. Lobby for more active P.E. in the schools.

12. Make sure your kids get enough sleep. Lack of sleep raises levels of stress hormones that cause the body to hang onto fat.

13. Educate yourself about nutrition and become a good role model. The eating patterns your children learn from you will affect them their entire lives.