Between 5-25% of children and teenagers in the United States are
obese (Dietz, 1983). As with adults, the prevalence of obesity in
the young varies by ethnic group. It is estimated that 5-7% of
White and Black children are obese, while 12% of Hispanic boys
and 19% of Hispanic girls are obese (Office of Maternal and Child
Health, 1989).
Obesity is a growing problem in the United States and most of the
time it begins in childhood. The way a child is taught to eat at
an early age will effect how he/she eats as an adult. Children
who eat a lot of junk food such as soda pop, candies, potato
chips, and pastries will grow up with the craving to continue
eating these foods. Junk food is high in fats, oils, and calories
which, over time, will lead to obesity.
Children usually do not gain weight as rapidly as adults. This is
because they tend to be more active. However, when children get
older, their active lifestyles decrease. Sometimes, a child who
was skinny as a child will become obese as an adult. This is
mainly because the child ate a lot of junk food but was very
active. Then when adulthood started, the active lifestyle ceased
and the weight gain began.
Obesity treatment programs for children and adolescents rarely
have weight loss as a goal. Rather, their aim is to slow or halt
weight gain so the child will grow into his or her body weight
over a period of months to years. Dietz (1983) estimates that for
every 20% excess of ideal body weight, the child will need one
and one-half years of weight maintenance to attain his or her
ideal body weight.
Early and appropriate intervention is particularly valuable.
Childhood eating and exercise habits are more easily modified
than adult habits (Wolf, Cohen, & Rosenfeld, 1985). Three forms
of intervention include:
1. Physical Activity
Adopting a formal exercise program or simply becoming more active
is a valuable way to burn fat, increase energy expenditure, and
maintain lost weight. Most studies of children have not shown
exercise to be a successful strategy for weight loss unless it is
coupled with another intervention such as nutrition education or
behavior modification (Wolf et al., 1985).
However, exercise has additional health benefits. Even when
children's body weights and fat percentages did not change
following 50 minutes of aerobic exercise three times per week,
their blood lipid profiles and blood pressure did improve
(Becque, Katch, Rocchini, Marks, & Moorehead, 1988).
2. Diet Management
Fasting or extreme caloric restriction is not advisable for
children. Not only is this approach psychologically stressful,
but it may adversely affect growth and the child's perception of
"normal" eating. Balanced diets with moderate caloric
restriction, especially those diets with reduced fat, have been
used successfully in treating obesity (Dietz, 1983). Nutrition
education may be necessary. Diet management coupled with exercise
is an effective treatment for childhood obesity (Wolf et al.,
1985).
3. Behavior Modification
Many behavioral strategies used with adults have been
successfully applied to children and adolescents: self-monitoring
and recording food intake and physical activity, slowing the rate
of eating, limiting the time and place of eating, and using
rewards and incentives for desirable behaviors. Particularly
effective are behaviorally based treatments that include parents
(Epstein et al., 1987).
Graves, Meyers, and Clark (1988) used problem-solving exercises
in a parent-child behavioral program and found children in the
problem-solving group, but not those in the behavioral treatment-
only group, significantly reduced their percent overweight and
maintained their reduced weight for six months. Problem-solving
training involved identifying possible weight-control problems,
and as a group, discussing solutions.
If your child is obese, you may want to consider a new powerful
vitamin that helps to alleviate childhood obesity. It is
called Essentialean(tm). Essentialean(tm) is available on
http://www.bodestore.com and at www.Amazon.com. Now is the
time to start doing something to help your child overcome
obesity. Proper nutrition and exercise are the keys to avoiding
obesity. However, if obesity is already a problem, then
Essentialean(tm) may be your solution.
|
