OVERWEIGHT CHILD

Many of today's children are overweight. For children, weight maintenance or at least slowing of weight gain is recommended over weight loss. By promoting weight maintenance, time is given to allow the child to "grow into" his or her weight. Healthcare professionals strongly advise against putting children on diets. However, childhood obesity can be a severe problem despite the popular belief that the child will "outgrow" the condition. The longer a child is overweight, the greater the likelihood that obesity will continue into adulthood.

Obesity in children occurs primarily due to intake of a diet high in calories combined with underactivity. Because of changes in family lifestyle, many children are responsible for preparing their own meals and snacks. Peer pressure and chaotic eating schedules may lead to an increased consumption of fast foods and high-calorie/high-fat snacks such as chips and cookies.

Inactivity, whether it results from watching too much television, playing video games or limited physical activity due to other reasons, also plays a major role in the development of childhood obesity. Recent studies showed that children who watched more than four hours of television daily burned fewer calories than those who watched TV less.

In addition to overnutrition and underactivity, childhood obesity may be due to heredity. If the parents or other relatives are overweight, this may predispose the child to gaining weight easily.

Parent involvement and support are key to successful weight management. Parents and older siblings are significant role models for children. Parent food attitudes strongly influence food likes and dislikes of children. Children also lack the knowledge of how to choose healthy foods and tend to imitate the choices of family members. Therefore, parents are responsible for offering healthy choices as well as for modeling healthy eating habits.

Long-term successful weight management is more likely if a program includes behavior modification, exercise, and nutrition counseling. Children should not be encouraged to "clean their plates" or be rewarded with food. Not keeping high calorie foods in the house also helps decrease the temptation to eat. Encouraging physical activity through family involvement highlights the importance of activity.

For further information regarding weight management for children, contact a registered dietitian or your healthcare provider.

Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

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