Curbing Childhood Obesity

While eating dinner at a friend’s house the other night, they showed me a picture of their child’s 4th grade class. I was struck by how many of the children looked overweight. When I returned home that evening, I pulled out my old school pictures and immediately noticed that none of the children in my class appeared overweight. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control has shown that obesity in children has tripled over the last 30 years. And recent statistics show that 1/3 of all children — and 25% of preschool children — are overweight or obese.

Parents and physicians are concerned about the rise of obesity in children because it may lead to health problems including heart disease, high cholesterol and blood pressure, stroke, diabetes and asthma. However, consequences can also be psychosocial. Obese children may be targets of early and systematic social discrimination. The psychological stress of social stigmatization can cause low self-esteem, which can hinder academic and social functioning, and persist into adulthood.

Obesity results when a child consumes more calories than they use. This imbalance between calories consumed and calories used is influenced by genetic, behavioral and environmental factors. It is the interactions among these factors – rather than any single factor – that is thought to cause obesity.

Dr. Doug’s 10 Tips To Help Prevent Childhood Obesity:

• Parents should be role models with healthy eating and physical activity
• Remember portion control.
• Choose healthy snacks whenever possible.
• Encourage children to drink water instead of sugar-based beverages.
• Get plenty of exercise. Children need at least 60 minutes of exercise daily.
• Make sleep a priority. Good sleeping habits help children get the rest they need for normal growth and development.
• Avoid calorie-rich temptations.
• Reduce sedentary time.
• Focus on family-centered activities — exercise and dine together.
• Include more healthy food in the diet. Good choices include fruits and vegetables, lean meats, low fat mild, and whole grains. Limit sugars and saturated fats.

The goal for overweight and obese children is to reduce the rate of weight gain while allowing normal growth and development. I encourage you to speak with your family physician to discuss a program that will work for your child today!

If you have questions or would like to make a suggestion for a future topic, please send an email to DrCampbell@learningcaregroup.com.

Dr. Doug

Dr. James Douglas Campbell, MD, FAAP, MHA, LLC, is a pediatric health professional who advises Tutor Time on the needs of our program as a whole, and provides consultation and technical assistance on child health issues. Dr. Campbell received his Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Florida and a Masters of Health Administration from the University of North Florida College of Health. He is Board Certified with the American Board of Pediatrics and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He has been taking care of children in Jacksonville, Florida since 1981.