Childhood Obesity Education
According to the Centers for Disease Control, childhood obesity has increased tremendously in the past 30 years. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry states that some of the reasons for this problem include family history, lack of exercise and overeating. Children who are obese face many challenges in their adult lives. It's time to educate our children on the causes and risks of childhood obesity. It might be a difficult change at the beginning, but a healthy future is well worth it in the end.
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Causes
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Childhood obesity can be linked to genetic and hormonal factors, but the main cause is consuming too many calories and not getting enough exercise. There are two specific diseases that can contribute to a child being obese. One is known as Prader-Willi syndrome, and the other is Cushing syndrome. These diseases are quite rare and only affect a small percentage of children.
Risk Factors
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There are many risk factors that could lead your child to becoming obese. It's a good idea to review them so you can become aware of any changes you and your family can make together to create a more healthy lifestyle.
Family history is the first factor. If there are overweight adults in the family, chances are your children might become overweight as well. Remember, they watch your behaviors and follow your eating habits. If there are already bad eating habits in place and minimal exercise, your child is more likely to gain weight.
Another factor is exercise. Look at how active your family is. Children and adults who choose sitting on the couch over playing active games outside are more prone to gaining weight. You need to get your body moving in order to burn off the calories you eat during the day.
Diet plays a significant role. If your family is consuming large amounts of fast foods, sodas and sugary desserts, this can contribute to unnecessary weight gain.
Psychological factors might be at the root of the problem. Notice if your child could be overeating because of stress or emotional issues. Sometimes people overeat because they are bored and there is nothing else to do.
Socioeconomic factors can contribute to obesity. It can be more expensive to prepare healthy meals, therefore kids from low-income families are at a higher risk of becoming overweight.
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Prevention
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The first priority in preventing obesity is to educate parents. It is more difficult to treat obesity, so prevention is key. Parents need to be informed of how to care for their infant from day one. Doctors and hospitals need to promote the health benefits of breastfeeding.
Parents need to know how to recognize the signs their baby is full and wait to introduce solid foods until about the age of 6 months. As children continue to grow, parent education should consist of proper nutrition, examples of low-fat snacks, beneficial exercise routines and reducing the time in front of the TV.
Obesity Education Programs
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There are several programs that have been created to help prevent childhood obesity. One is called We Can! It stands for Ways to Enhance Children's Activity and Nutrition. Their goal is to provide parents, caregivers and communities strategies to help children 8 to 13 maintain a healthy weight.
Another program is School Nurse Childhood Obesity Prevention Education (SCOPE). This program is a complete, continuing education program created by the National Association of School Nurses to provide methods for school nurses to help students, parents and their community deal with the challenges of childhood obesity.
Be a Role Model
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Remember, you are your child's first teacher. He looks up to you for everything and observes the choices you make each day. Once you decide to make healthy choices yourself, your child will soon follow your lead and make healthier choices for himself.
One way to be a good role model is to eat healthy foods; not buying junk food is a good start. Watch your portion size as you make your plate and don't watch TV while eating. This can cause mindless eating, and before you know it, the bag of potato chips is gone.
Spend time with your kids by doing something physically active each day. Another good idea is to plan healthy snacks ahead of time, so you won't be tempted to grab the nearest high-calorie snack.
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References
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