A report released late July of this year by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation showed that the number of obese and overweight children has now reached 30 percent in 30 states. This is a worrisome statistic, as it could predict a future riddled with weight-related complications such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer for these youths as they enter adulthood.
Childhood Obesity Causes
The causes of the rising childhood obesity trend are multifold. Common sense tells us that weight gain in general occurs when one consumes more calories than one burns through physical activity. Hence, with children spending more and more time watching television, playing video games, surfing the net and texting while ingesting increasingly large amounts of high calorie foods, the result cannot be otherwise than what we are seeing with this obesity trend.
It’s easy to see how children’s eating habits have changed over the years. According to the Institute of Medicine's 2005 Dietary reference intakes for energy, carbohydrate, fiber, fat, fatty acids, cholesterol, protein, and amino acids, soft drinks have replaced water and milk in many kids’ diets and now account for more than 10% of caloric intake, which is double the number in 1980. The food industry comes up yearly with a new high calorie beverage aimed at children and teens, such as sports drinks, fruit drinks, iced coffees, smoothies, and energy drinks. Research shows that a high intake of sugar-sweetened drinks is associated with an increased risk of obesity in children because of the significant extra calories the drinks provide to a child’s diet (Ludwig et al. 2001; Nicklas et al. 2005).
Comparing snacks of 1996 to those of 1977, a research published in the Journal of Pediatrics found that the average size of snacks and calorie content remained about the same, but that the number of snacking occasions had increased significantly, raising the average daily energy from snacks. In other words, kids ate about the same size snacks as in 1977, but they ate snacks several times throughout the day and ingested more calories, thus contributing to weight gain (Jahns, L. et al. 2001).
Of course what children and teens choose to eat as snacks impacts their weight as well. The Institute of Medicine's Dietary reference intake demonstrated that at least 30% of the calories in an average child’s diet come from sweets, soft drinks, salty snacks and fast food. The overabundance of convenient, cheap, prepackaged junk food has helped influence what parents and children pick for school and after-school snacks. Clever packaging often makes a junk food appear healthy and the process of picking a healthy snack can be a daunting task.
Obesity Solutions
Reversing the trend of childhood obesity will require a multifaceted approach. Communities, schools, families, and government all have a role in curbing the unhealthy behaviors of children. Communities need to prioritize safe and easily accessible play space for children in the form of playgrounds but also recreational paths all family members can use. Access to healthy food via community gardens, healthy food stores and restaurants that offer healthier options are also important. Schools need to offer a nutrition education curriculum as well as develop regulations for bake sales, classroom celebrations, and breakfast and lunch menus. These interventions go hand-in-hand; teachers cannot discuss the importance of eating at least five servings of fruits and veggies only to have sweets and other junk foods as the only options for fund raising activities and celebrations.
School initiatives are important, but parents can also take an active role to help their children achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Here are a few actions that you can take to help children and adults maintain or achieve a healthy weight:
- Encourage at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day (a serving is the size of a small apple, a cup of cooked vegetable, etc.)
- Promote a routine of three meals and two to three snacks per day. Snacks are an important part of children’s daily intake and should be nourishing. Remember that multiple snacks should never replace meals. Encourage healthy snacks such as yogurt with fruit and granola, veggies and low-fat dip; trail mix, healthy cereal bars, cheese and whole grain crackers, etc.
- Wean your family from highly processed foods and beverages such as chips, sweets and soft drinks – they only provide “empty calories,” calories without nutritional benefit. Consider these foods “sometimes foods” and not part of the everyday fare.
- Encourage water to quench thirst and milk with meals.
- Re-introduce family supper - make it a priority to have all family members eat together at least three times per week or more if possible. Research shows that families who eat together tend to have a better quality diet (Gillman, M.W. et al. 2000).
- Limit television and video games to one hour per day and instead encourage outdoor play, which more than likely will turn into active play.
- Children and teens should strive for one hour of physical activity per day (it doesn’t have to be continuous). Adults should try to participate in at least 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity most days. Walk, bike, hike, kayak, hit the tennis court, ski, snow show whatever you choose to do is fine as long as you keep moving. Make physical activity a family priority!
- Remember to be a good role model. Your children are watching the choices you make. Set the example by choosing to snack on fruits, vegetables, whole-grains and low-fat dairy products.
All components of the community can work together to reverse the childhood obesity trend. No part can sit idling on the sideline; actions are needed now to prevent American children from growing up overweight or obese with the complications that usually accompany these conditions. Actions at all levels of government, together with changes in American families’ food choices and exercise habits can only produce positive results.
References:
Gillman, M.W., et al. Arch. Fam. Med. "Family dinner and diet quality among older children and adolescents. 2000.
Institute of Medicine. Dietary reference intakes for energy, carbohydrates, fiber, fat, fatty acids, cholesterol, protein, and amino acids. National Academy Press. Washington, D.C. 2005.
Jahns, L., Siega-Riz, A.M., and Popkin, B.M. J. Pediatr. "The increasing prevalence of snacking among US children form 1977 to 1996." 2001.
Ludwig, D.S., Peterson, K.E., and Gortmaker, S.L. Lancet. "Relation between consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and childhood obesity." 2001.
Trust for America's Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America." 2009.
Brigitte Harton - Brigitte Harton is a certified, registered dietitian with over 15 years experience in the field of nutrition and dietetics. In her current ...
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