Home » 52, the Magic Number to Stop Childhood Obesity

52, the Magic Number to Stop Childhood Obesity

Posted: Sunday, March 01, 2009

by Steve Kovacs
The Kovacs Perspective

I recently conducted an interview with an expert on childhood obesity. While talking to this career education professional, former wellness coordinator for the world famous Cleveland Clinic hospital, and an exceptionally successful soccer coach, I was made aware of some very interesting facts. I learned that in the United States , childhood obesity is at epidemic proportions. Wow! Certainly a problem, certainly a bad thing, but an epidemic? Yes, its true, The Surgeon General of the United States has declared childhood obesity a National epidemic.

What happened? How did childhood obesity get so out of hand? Well, it seems it crept up on us, slowly, yet steadily during the last 20 years. I learned a sobering statistic that 1 in 5 children are obese; a number which has doubled since the 1970s. That's about 20% of our children having a serious weight problem!

Obesity puts children at a disadvantage at a number of levels such as:

The possibility of developing Type II diabetes. Some obese children as young as seven years old are on the verge of developing this form of diabetes which until recently has almost exclusively been seen only in adults and which basically stems from obesity, diet and a sedentary lifestyle (not to be confused with the different form of diabetes sometimes called Juvenile or Type 1 diabetes brought on by a metabolic disorder).
Cardiovascular disease-some children have been found to have arteries of 45 year olds.
70% of children who are overweight become overweight as adults.
Increased bullying in school.
A decreased positive self-image.

While listening to this positive, knowledgeable expert I also learned some of the causes of childhood weight problems:

Unhealthy eating; eating at fast food restaurants too often.
Eating out at restaurants in general, too often. Restaurant portion control has just about doubled in the last 20 years.
Sedentary lifestyles-kids not physically playing like they used to-too much screen time. TV screen-video game screen-telephone screen.
Soda drinks used way too much as a beverage. 50% of many children's daily calories come from soft drinks.

So, what can adults do to stop the epidemic and also impart to kids that the good choices they make today, will affect them positively later?

Set a good example-by caretakers and parents being physically active, eating healthy, limiting fast food and restaurant dining; don't underestimate yourself as a good role model...walk the walk, not just talk the talk. One of the single best ways to teach behaviors to anyone is by setting a consistent example.
Too often parents are organizing their children's time-set time aside for moderate physical activity-go the park, walk the dog together etc. Encourage kids to go out to play 60 minutes a day.
Cut out one soda a day for a year and children can lose 10-15 pounds of fat.
Sleeping is important for weight management; on average, 6-12 year olds need between 10-12 hours of sleep; being up longer also leads for the tendency to eat more.
Don't forget portion control. Generally an average portion size should be the size of the palm of your hand or a deck of cards. As an example, a correct portion of steak is about 4 ounces, which is about the size of the palm of your hand.
When eating at home, don't watch TV, we lose connection with our body's signal that tells us we've had enough.
A good way to make positive changes is to bring them forth in moderation. For example, start cooking 2 days a week instead of eating out 5 days a week. A great way to impart moderation is to make a change a week, every week-52 different changes that your children will become acquainted with. By slowly exposing them to positive steps that you determine for them (or you determine together), they can be easier for children to accept and if done with enthusiasm and fun can become a habit which can stay with them for a lifetime.

Steve is the author of Protect Yourself: The Simple Keys Women Need to be Safe and Secure. He is the host of the Internet Radio Talk Show, The Kovacs Perspective http://www.thekovacsperspective.com/ where he interviews experts in various fields, geared to help and inform. Steve also does on-line current events & political audio commentary.

Steve's background is in law enforcement, security, investigations, teaching and he is also the president of a small specialty investigation company: http://www.allsourcesecurity.com/investigations.htm. Contact Steve any time at:info@thekovacsperspective.com

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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)

» left by Linda DeWitt
3 years 62 days ago.
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Interesting article. I am always amazed when I see at how many children have weight problems. Thank you for sharing. Linda D

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» left by Steve Kovacs 3 years 61 days ago.
94 fans. Follow Steve Kovacs on twitter!

Thanks Linda--it is amazing...hopefully people start taking the issue seriously and start make positive changes.

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