Is Your Child Overweight?

Dear Dr. LeCrone:

Summer is an excellent time for parents to attack the problem of childhood obesity. Can you give us some tips on this problem?

-A concerned parent in Ohio

Dear Parent:

Obese children are at significant risk for hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, hip and knee problems, gallstones, asthma and heart disease.

Moreover, obese children and adolescents are also at greater risk of becoming obese adults and this can lead to more serious health consequences like stroke, heart disease, poor female reproductive health and certain types of cancer.

Obesity can also cause serious psychological consequences in children and adolescents, such as poor self-esteem, anxiety, and depression.

Fast food, soft drinks, and high-fat snacks, along with a decrease in physical activity, can cause weight problems.

There are also psychological components to consider. Just as many adults use food to cope with stress, anger, depression, loss or worry, children and adolescents are increasingly using food in the same manner.

Consider trying these approaches to help fight obesity.

• Consult your family doctor or pediatrician to establish a balanced and healthy diet appropriate for your children. Children should be given an opportunity to express their likes and dislikes, but parents must set boundaries and be leaders in their children’s dietary habits.

• Encourage your children to eat a variety of high-fiber foods, fresh vegetables, lean meats, and fruits. Start this education at a very early age. Learning about healthy nutrition can be made fun and interesting.

• Encourage your child to engage in active sports or games in addition to physical education classes.

• Look for and help your children change any unhealthy dietary patterns produced by stress. The very fact that he or she is overweight can produce problems from peer rejection.

• Parents need to model a healthy lifestyle that includes good nutritional habits and physical activity in the form of exercise and active leisure activities. Don’t tell your children to get outside and play when you are lying on the couch eating a bowl of ice cream.

Let’s give our children the chance for a happy, healthy childhood, adolescence and adult life by making childhood obesity a target for change.