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By the
millions, kids keep gaining pounds Families must step in to stop
it, experts say
By Nanci Hellmich
USA TODAY Obesity researchers are alarmed by new government data
that show 15% of kids and adolescents, or about 9 million children,
are overweight. And overall, 20% to 30% of children in the USA are
either overweight or at risk of becoming so.
Children who weigh too much are at a greater risk of becoming heavy
adults, are more likely to have low self-esteem and have a greater
chance of developing health problems such as diabetes, experts in
weight control say. ''This is not a red flag; this is the fireworks
going off,'' says Keith Ayoob, a pediatric nutritionist at Albert
Einstein College of Medicine in New York and spokesman for the American
Dietetic Association. He says families have to help their children
get a handle on the problem before it gets worse.
George
Blackburn, an obesity researcher at Harvard Medical School, says,
''We only have effective therapy to stop weight gain or get modest
weight loss, so we can't let these kids keep gaining.'' For the
1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, researchers
measured the height and weight of 4,722 children from birth to age
19. Children who are overweight are at or above the 95th percentile
based on body mass index charts for their age group. Those who are
at risk of being overweight are at or above the 85th percentile.
Among the findings, reported in today's Journal of the American
Medical Association:
-
About 15% of 12- to 19-year-olds are overweight now, up from 5%
in the late '70s.
-
15% of children ages 6 to 11 are overweight now, up from 7% in
the late '70s.
-
10% of 2- to 5-year-olds are overweight now, up from 5% in the
late '70s.
Some groups are particularly vulnerable to weight gain. For example,
27% of Mexican-American boys ages 6 to 19 are overweight, and 27%
of African-Americans girls ages 12 to 19 are overweight. Experts
say chubby children pay a huge price for extra pounds. ''Overweight
robs kids of their childhood, because it prevents them from doing
the same kinds of activities that leaner kids do,'' Ayoob says.
''This leaves them feeling left out and isolated. They may hibernate
inside, watching TV and playing video games, which creates a vicious
cycle of inactivity.''
Overweight kids are often teased by their peers. ''And it's not
just skinny kids doing the teasing. It may be heavy kids teasing
the very heavy kids,'' he says.
He says parents who want to change kids' eating habits might have
to revamp their own eating and buying habits, and family meals have
to be a priority. For many children, ''snacking has become a leisure
activity,'' Ayoob says. ''They are eating because it's there. Snacking,
per se, is fine.'' However, the foods many kids eat aren't delivering
much nutritional punch, although they are packing a big punch when
it comes to calories, he says. Families' kitchens are often laden
with cakes, pies, cookies and a couple of rotten bananas. He recommends
reversing that, putting fruit on the counter and having only a few
sweet treats around. But weight problems aren't solved by diet alone.
Kids also have to cut back on TV time and become more active, experts
say.
Melinda Sothern, an exercise physiologist and director of childhood
obesity research at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, believes
families should spend at least half a day each weekend doing some
physical activity together, such as skating or biking. She encourages
parents to have their children play and run around for 30 minutes
when they come home from school to let off steam. When kids are
reading or doing homework, she suggests that they take a three-
or four-minute break every half-hour to dance to some music, jump
rope or run around.
Ayoob says physical activity not only burns calories, but it also
helps kids focus on other pleasurable activities besides eating.
''Food should be one of life's pleasures,'' he says, ''but not the
only one.''
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Obesity in Youth: Facts & Figures
- One in five
children are overweight and the number is growing. (South Dakota
Dept. of Health, www.state.sd.us)
- Approximately
13% of children ages 6-11 and 14% of adolescents ages 12-19 are
obese. (American Obesity Association, www.obesity.org)
- Typically,
children who are about 25 pounds above their ideal body weight
are considered overweight, and those 40 to 50 pounds above their
ideal body weight are considered obese. ("Weighty Problem", Strauss
& Miller)
- Overweight
adolescents have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese
adults. This increases to 80% if one or more parent is overweight
or obese. (Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease
Overweight & Obesity, www.surgeongeneral.gov)
- Overweight
in adolescence has been shown to predict a wide range of adverse
health effects in adulthood that are independent of adult weight.
("The Physical Activity, Fitness, and Health of Children", Boreham
& Riddoch)
- A study showed
that childhood obesity prevention efforts are unlikely to be successful
without a better understanding of how mothers perceive the problem
of overweight in their preschool children. The majority of mothers
in the study did not perceive their overweight children as overweight.
(Baughcum, et al., "Maternal Perceptions of Overweight Preschool
Children")
- In nearly
25 years, the prevalence of obesity tripled for boys and increased
more than two and a half times for girls ages 6-11. (American
Obesity Association, www.obesity.org)
- In nearly
25 years, obesity prevalence more than doubled among male adolescents
(age 12-17) and increased one and a half times for females. (American
Obesity Association, www.obesity.org)
- Obesity prevalence
for adolescents of different races include 30.9% for non-Hispanic
blacks, 30.4% for Hispanic Americans, 24.2% for non-Hispanic whites,
and 20.6% for Asian Americans. (American Obesity Association,
www.obesity.org)
- Type 2 diabetes
in children and adolescents has increased dramatically in a short
period. The increase of obesity in children and adolescents is
reported to be the most significant factor for this rise in diabetes.
(American Obesity Association, www.obesity.org)
- Before 1992,
type 2 diabetes accounted for 2-4% of all childhood diabetes,
and by 1994 this number had skyrocketed to 16%. (American Obesity
Association, www.obesity.org)
- Obese children
and adolescents are reported to be 12.6 times more likely than
non-obese to have high fasting blood insulin levels, which is
a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. (American Obesity Association,
www.obesity.org)
- Studies have
shown that there is a beneficial effect of physical activity on
parameters related to insulin metabolism. ("The Physical Activity,
Fitness, and Health of Children", Boreham & Riddoch)
- Persistently
elevated blood pressure levels have been found to occur about
9 times more frequently among obese children and adolescents than
in non-obese. (American Obesity Association, www.obesity.org)
- Obese children
and adolescents are reported to be 2.4 times more likely to have
high diastolic blood pressure and 4.5 times more likely to have
high systolic blood pressure than their non-obese peers. (American
Obesity Association, www.obesity.org)
- Bone and cartilage
in the process of developing in growing youth are not strong enough
to bear excess weight. As a result, a variety of orthopedic complications
occur in obese children and adolescents. (American Obesity Association,
www.obesity.org)
- Excess weight
can lead to bowing and overgrowth of leg bones in young children.
(American Obesity Association, www.obesity.org)
- Increased
weight on the growth plate of the hip can cause pain and limit
range of motion. Between 30% and 50% of children with this condition
are overweight. (American Obesity Association, www.obesity.org)
- Sleep apnea,
which is the absence of breathing during sleep, occurs in approximately
7% of children with obesity. Deficits in logical thinking are
common in children with obesity and sleep apnea. (American Obesity
Association, www.obesity.org)
- The most immediate
consequence of overweight as perceived by the children themselves
is social discrimination. This is associated with poor self-esteem
and depression. (Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and
Decrease Overweight & Obesity, www.surgeongeneral.gov)
- Overweight
in children and adolescents is generally caused by lack of physical
activity, unhealthy eating patterns, or a combination of the two,
with genetics and lifestyle both playing important roles in determining
a child’s weight. (Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent
and Decrease Overweight & Obesity, www.surgeongeneral.gov)
- 43% of adolescents
watch more than 2 hours of television every day. (Surgeon General’s
Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight & Obesity,
www.surgeongeneral.gov)
- Children,
especially girls, become less active as they move through adolescence.
(Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight
& Obesity, www.surgeongeneral.gov)
- A third of
meals are now eaten outside the home, and those tend to be high-fat
and big portions. Soda consumption increased by 174% from 1965
to 1994. ("Weighty Problem", Strauss & Miller)
- Overweight
and obese individuals are at increased risk for the following
physical ailments:
- High blood
pressure, hypertension
- High blood
cholesterol, dyslipidemia
- Type 2
(non-insulin dependent) diabetes
- Insulin
resistance, glucose intolerance
- Hyperinsulinemia
- Coronary
heart disease
- Angina
pectoris
- Congestive
heart failure
- Stroke
- Gallstones
- Cholescystitis
and choelithiasis
- Gout
- Osteoarthritis
- Obstructive
sleep apnea and respiratory problems
- Some types
of cancer (such as endometrial, breast, prostate, and colon)
- Complications
of pregnancy
- Poor female
reproductive health (such as menstrual irregularities, infertility,
irregular ovulation)
- Bladder
control problems (such as stress incontinence)
- Uric acid
nephrolithiasis
- Psychological
disorders (such as depression, eating disorders, distorted
body image, and low self-esteem).
(Center
for Disease Control, www.cdc.gov)
- Obesity and
physical inactivity account for approximately $100 billion in
health care expenditures each year. ("Weighty Problem", Strauss
& Miller)
- Researchers
suggest that a low-energy diet and strength training could help
tackle the growing problem of child obesity. (A Healthy Me web
site, www.ahealthyme.com)
- Studies indicate
that weight-bearing physical activity in childhood and adolescence
is an important predictor of bone mineral density. ("The Physical
Activity, Fitness, and Health of Children", Boreham & Riddoch)
- Formal (clubs
and teams) and informal (parks and playgrounds) forms of playing
provide a large volume of activity incorporating a wide variety
of movements and many muscle groups. This promotes cardiorespiratory
development, muscular strength, muscular endurance, speed, power,
and flexibility. ("The Physical Activity, Fitness, and Health
of Children", Boreham & Riddoch)
- A study showed
that aerobic training reduced both systolic and diastolic blood
pressure in hypertensive adolescents, which is a condition that
occurs more frequently in overweight and obese adolescents than
their peers. ("The Physical Activity, Fitness, and Health of Children",
Boreham & Riddoch)
- Studies show
that there are significant beneficial effects of physical activity
for obese adolescents. ("The Physical Activity, Fitness, and Health
of Children", Boreham & Riddoch)
- The American
Heart Association recommends that all children age 5 and older
should participate in at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity
activities every day, and at least 30 minutes of vigorous physical
activities at least 3-4 days each week to achieve and maintain
a good level of cardiorespiratory (heart and lung) fitness. (American
Heart Association web site, http://216.185.112.5/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4596)
Sources
A Healthy Me
web site. "Strength Training Could Cut Child Obesity: Study."
http://www.ahealthyme.co/article/reuters/102206529?_requestid=211613
American Heart
Association web site. "Exercise (Physical Activity) and Children."
http://216.185.112.5/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4596
American Obesity
Association web site. "AOA Fact Sheet: Obesity in Youth."
http://www.obesity.org/subs/fastfacts/obesity_youth.shtml
Baughcum, A.E.;
Chamberlin, L.A.; Deeks, C.M.; Powers, S.W.; & Whitaker, R.C.
"Maternal
Perceptions of Overweight Preschool Children." Pediatrics,
Dec. 2000, Vol. 106, Issue 6, p. 1380-1386.
Boreham, Colin,
and Riddoch, Chris. "The Physical Activity, Fitness, and Health
of
Children." Journal
of Sports Sciences, 2001, Vol. 19, p. 915-929.
Center for Disease
Control web site. "Obesity and Overweight: A Public Health
Epidemic." http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/epedimic.htm
South Dakota
Department of Health web site. "Overweight Children — A Rising
Epidemic." http://www.state.sd.us/doh/Famhlth/nobesity.htm
Strauss, Richard,
and Miller, Sue. "Weighty Problem." People, 2/19/01, Vol.
55, Issue 7,
p. 65-66.
Surgeon General’s
web site. "The Surgeon General’s Call To Action To Prevent and
Decrease Overweight
and Obesity: Overweight in Children and Adolescents."
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/obesity/default.htm
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