Childhood obesity remains a challenge

By Mike Ford, The Delphos Herald
Published:  Monday, July 14, 2008 (1 year, 8 months ago)
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Medical practitioners agree unhealthy foods such as fast food and soda pop are primary contributors to obesity, especially for children. The Mayo Clinic indicates children need extra nutrients and calories for physical growth but those who eat more calories than needed gain weight.DELPHOS — Following Nintendo’s success with its first video game system in the 1980s, the company launched the Super Nintendo in the United States in 1991. Childhood obesity rates since then reflect the amount of time children have spent being physically inactive.
The Center for Disease Control’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey shows little rise in the number of overweight children prior to 1988. Since then, the rate has increased to 18.8 percent for children ages 12-19, according to the CDC’s more recent statistics.
The center also points to environmental and economic factors in the issue’s social background. These include increasing numbers of dual-income homes and single-parent homes that play a role in diet and exercise-related decisions.
Dr. Celeste Lopez of Wishing Well Pediatrics says parents should take control over what food options are available to children but let tomorrow’s adults make some decisions concerning the amount they eat. She says planning meals is the best way to deal with time constraints.
“I think there is a lot more processed food these days. Parents don’t have the time to cook, so they grab a burger on the way home or order a pizza. We have to shift our priorities. We have to plan meals and snacks so they’re healthy and it doesn’t take two hours to cook a healthy meal,” she said.
Dr. Lopez says one good way to get kids outside is for parents to plan their schedule so they can go outside with children who may otherwise stay indoors where there is supervision.
“Kids have to be active. They would love to go to the park and run around all day but parents don’t have the time to watch them outside or take them to the park. Get jump ropes, Frisbees or water balloons. Most of the children I see would love to go outside for a water balloon fight; we have to make exercise fun. It’s the same way for parents — we don’t want to just sit around all day,” she said.
Dr. Lopez recommends parents teach children why they should eat healthy by teaching them the specific benefits of fruit and vegetables. She says this can help children not feel left out in the school lunch room, where students often trade packed treats. She also says the most important thing parents should do when minimizing children’s’ intake of soft drinks and unhealthy foods is to remain optimistic.
“I think we get so many negative messages and it tears people down. The goal is not to be a size 2; the goal is to be healthy and feel good about ourselves,” she said.
Local schools contribute to keeping children healthy with a wellness policy created by School Nurse Stacy Ricker.
“The wellness policy has cut a lot of the sweets in our cafeterias. We also set guidelines for what we expect from parties; we don’t want a lot of sweets. We took pop out at St. John’s but this isn’t all coming from me. There are things I recommend and I developed the original policy and the principals revised it,” she said.
Ricker discourage students from drinking potentially teeth-rotting beverages.
Dr. Lopez recommends fruit for energy because it stays in the body longer and she recommends water and skim milk but not more than three cups per day for children. She says juices are just as bad as soda pop, which plays a large role in obesity.
“If you look at kids who are overweight, most of them are drinking too many sugared drinks and they’re piling on the calories,” she said.
St. John’s Elementary School is one place where healthy eating habits are part of education. The Mileage Club uses recess time to get students walking and running laps around the church cemetery. Parents grant permission and also supervise. Ricker says the program could not go on without volunteers.
“It takes the coordination of many volunteers and staff members to keep the program going. At St. John’s, we have volunteers come in and help. We don’t have that at the other schools, so we can’t do it at every school,” she said.
Local schools continue to fund physical education within the curriculum in addition to the Mileage Club at St. John’s. Ricker goes in to classrooms to encourage participation and teach students the importance of healthy habits.
She also says parents should limit television and video games to two hours per day. She recommends at least an hour per day of physical activity for children and at least 30 minutes each day for adults.
The Mayo Clinic indicates that like adults, children need to consume calories in proportion to daily activities and metabolism. The difference is children need more to support physical growth but beyond that, pounds are added.

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