HEARTY  AND HAPPY-  TEACHING YOUR CHILD HEALTHY HABITS

“Kaylee is pre-diabetic, she needs to lose some of her body weight in order to reverse the condition. ” These were the words of my daughters pediatrician about three years ago.

I froze.

How could this be? But she is only 9 years old?

Is this my fault? How did I miss this? What can I do now ?

At first I didn’t know where to begin in order to get my daughter healthy. I was scared but I decided to do my research. I found out that overweight among children is a serious problem and may predispose them to other illnesses. I know Kaylee’s condition was due to her weight.

The Current Situation on Childhood Obesity

Several researches point to the fact that Obesity rates are increasing across the United States. Skinner et. al. in a study entitled, Prevalence of Obesity and Severe Obesity in US Children (2018) noted that despite significant interventions aimed at encouraging healthy practices among children and adults in America, the obesity rates among children continue to increase. Williams and Green (2018) concluded that the main contributory factors to the levels of obesity are: nutrition, level of physical activity, mental health, sleeping practices and the time spent on media. The results show that a high percentage of children in America are not eating healthy, are inactive, are not getting the proper amount of sleep and these factors affect their mental health and further leads to other medical complications. Lee Health (2018) in a video entitled, “The effects of childhood obesity also highlighted the fact that obesity can predispose children to non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and heart problems. Children may also have problems focusing at school.

Raising healthy children nowadays is truly challenging. Children are bombarded with unhealthy food choices that seem appealing. As parents, we lead busy lives with barely enough time to spend with our children. Children are playing and exercising less and so all of these factors can contribute to obesity. Special emphasis needs to be placed on helping our children to maintain a healthy weight to guard against them developing illnesses that are related.

Do you have a child that is over their normal weight?

Are you confused as to what to do to help your child to develop a healthy weight?

Like me, you might feel like blaming yourself

Don’t be too hard on yourself.

Research and make small changes daily.

Tips to help your child maintain a healthy weight

 Nutritional Wellbeing

• When shopping and planning meals for your children, think about Grow, Glow, Go Foods. Try and read the labels on food item. You can also teach your child how to read food labels.
• Keep healthy food such as fruits and vegetables readily available in your home so children can have the right amount of serving.
• Allow your child to assist in meal preparation
• Explore new fun recipes with them to keep them engaged and interested. Allow them to prepare age appropriate meals.
• Reduce portion size and try not to force your child to eat more than what he/she wants.
• Reward children with healthy alternatives
• Increase the intake of water
• If you have the space, try and start a backyard garden where you can grow your own fruits and vegetables. Allow your child to help the care the for the food items. They may feel excited to eat what they help to grow.

Keep Kids Active and rested

• Bring your kids to the park to play with their peers.
• Take walks in your community
• Limit television and social media activities and encourage more outdoor activities.
• Sign up kids in clubs that offer activities such as dance, gymnastics, soccer, swimming etc. These activities will not only keep them moving, but it will contribute to their interpersonal development.
• Ensure that your child gets at least eight hours of sleep.
• Include your child in the organization of a daily routine schedule. They can come up with new ideas.

As parents, we need to be vigilant and pay attention to the needs of our children, especially in the context of the current pandemic.

In the following video, posted by Click on Detroit, Local 4 DIV, Dr. Raquel Hernandez suggested that parents can use the 9-5-2-1 Almost None Formulae in managing children’s’ weight.

Children may be resistant to change and may sometimes consume unhealthy food without your knowledge,  but you have to maintain consistency and model the habits that you want your children to develop.

Join community group that encourage healthy lifestyle, where you can share your challenges and gain advice.

Include all family members and maintain good relationship with your child.

Gruber and Haldeman (2009) surmised that the family is very important in the fight against childhood obesity. The level of physical activities and eating habits within the family will affect weight management among children. Golan and Crow (2004) wrote that parents need to consistently encourage and model healthy practices within the home. Part of this is teaching children why it is important for them to maintain good health. It is important to have conversations with your children about their nutrition and physical activity, because you don’t want it to be a situation in which they feel forced to make changes in their habits.

Weight loss is a gradual process. It is counterproductive to get kids bombarded with complexed diets and strict exercise programs.

Continue to remind your child that they are beautiful at any size. Mental health is just as important as physical health.

My Kaylee is at a healthy weight now and is very active. It was a difficult tasks in changing her habits but with continued effort we continue to maintain healthy habits.

As parents we are the key to the fight against the obesity crisis that is happening in our country.

References:

1. Golan M & Crow S. (2004) Targeting parents exclusively in the treatment of childhood obesity: long-term results. Obes Res;12(2):357-61.
2. Gruber, K. J., & Haldeman, L. A. (2009). Using the family to combat childhood and adult obesity. Preventing chronic disease, 6(3), A106.
3. Skinner AC, Ravanbakht SN, Skelton JA, Perrin, E, Armstrong, S. (2018) Prevalence of Obesity and Severe Obesity in US Children, 1999–2016. Pediatrics. 141(3):e20173459.
4. Williams SE, Greene JL (2018) Childhood overweight and obesity: Affecting factors, education and intervention. J Child Obes Vol No 3 Iss No 2: 9.

Videos:

CBS New York (29 Feb 2020) How to Prevent and Deal With Childhood Obesity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndKdPUwtO24

Lee Health (August 20,2020) Preventing Childhood Obesity https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vzs4R3MDy18

Lee Health (11 Feb 2018) The Effects of Childhood Obesity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FCzTL5Zts4

Click on Detroit, Local 4 DIV (22 Jun 2020) Concern grows about childhood obesity potentially rising during pandemic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCGCXORUyhg