2. A child is obese if their weight is more than 20%
higher than the ideal weight for a boy or girl of their
age and height
Between 2003 and 2004, 17.1% of children and teens,
aged 2-19 years (over 12 and a half million young
people) were overweight
32.2% of adults (over 66 million) were obese
Almost 5% of adults were extremely obese
3. Obesity is common enough among children that we
can consider it an epidemic
Studies have shown a dramatic rise in the number of
obese children in the last few decades in this country
Between 1980 and 2000, obesity rates doubled among
children and tripled among teens
If current trends do not level off or decrease,
adolescent obesity rates will only increase leading to
higher costs in healthcare and a even greater epidemic
7. Heredity
Obese children are likely to have at least one obese
parent and obesity is greater in identical than in
fraternal twins
Socioeconomic status
Obesity is more common in low SES families
Early growth pattern
Infants who gain weight rapidly are at a greater risk for
obesity
Parents promote unhealthy eating habits
8. Family eating habits
When parents purchase high calorie foods, use them to
reward their children
Responsiveness to food cues
Obese children often decide when to eat on the basis of
external cues such as taste, smell, sight, time of day, and food
related words
Physical activity
TV viewing/ video games
Increase in technology
More reasons for children not to become active
Early malnutrition
Results in growth stunting
9. Many studies have shown that there is not a big
difference in the amount of food eaten and physical
activity between obese and non-obese kids
Probably small differences in eating and activity over
time really add up and lead to weight gain
Obese children do tend to eat larger portions or higher
calorie foods, like high-fat foods
10. Physical activity and inactivity are very important
factors
Many studies have shown that kids who spend more
time watching television and playing video games are
at higher risk of becoming overweight
One in three high school youth do not engage in
vigorous physical activity
Less than 30% attend daily gym class
Sprawling development that discourages physical
activity and makes walking and biking difficult or
dangerous is also a factor
11. Promotes inactivity
Instead of physical play with peers, video games allow
child to sit and control what they do
Used as virtual “babysitter”
Parents tend to use video games as a means to occupy
child so they can finish daily tasks
Consumption of high calorie foods
We tend to snack on high calorie foods during TV time
to satisfy hunger during long durations of gaming
Limits peer interactions
Peer relationships in middle childhood are essential to
social growth in later life
12. The recent introduction of interactive games such as Wii have been
marketed to engage children in physical activity
Classic video games such as PlayStation and Nintendo only promote
the player to sit and become physical inactive and anti-social, even with
multi-players
Limited research has been done on the effectiveness of interactive
games on physical health but few studies have found that these games
do not provide any significant level of calorie burning compared to
classic video games
The physical movement in interactive video games still only applies to
arm and hand motions which burn a minimal amount of calories
Notice:
These studies only focused on in-home gaming systems only
Such games as Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) were not taken into
consideration
13. Obesity develops over time and cannot be solved
overnight
Do not expect dramatic change. That is
unrealistic to you and your child
The best way to have a healthy weight is prevention
Be sure your family has healthy habits from the
beginning, and prevent yourself and your children
from becoming overweight
It is much easier to maintain a healthy weight than it is
to lose weight
14. Think about all the media your child uses: television,
computer, video games, hand-held computer games
These are all activities that replace physical activity in your
child's daily routine
Placing time limits on them will free up time for a more active
lifestyle
Watching TV can use less energy than simply sitting and
resting
Teach your child to be media savvy
The media bombards us with images of thin people having
fun while eating and drinking high calorie foods
Kids don't necessarily have the cognitive abilities to process
this paradox
15. Promote family time over TV time
Obesity is not just your child’s problem. It is a problem
that the whole family must be involved in solving
As a family, try to think of problems that you have solved
successfully. This will help you stay positive, and look for
other areas that are opportunities for change.
Mealtimes should be family times
Eat together as a family, and don’t watch TV during meals
Families that do not eat together tend to consume more
fried foods and soda and less fruits and veggies than
families that share meals.
16. Encourage physical activity
As kids move into adolescence, their levels of activity tend
to drop too low. Do active things together as a family, like
bike riding, hiking, walking and swimming
Build activity into your family's daily life with household
chores, walking to school, parking farther from buildings
and taking the stairs
Make sure your kid gets outside during daylight hour
Make it a policy in your family that unless the weather is
bad, your children play outdoors after school.
This encourages physical activity, and rules out the inactive
pursuits of TV and other media such as video games
17.
18. University of Michigan Health Systems
http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/obesity.htm
Berk, L. (2008) Infants, Children, and Adolescents:
Physical Development in Middle Childhood, 6 (11), 416-
422
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html#State
