Tackling childhood obesity

Over the last three decades, childhood obesity has doubled for preschool children . . .

Childhood obesity is a major problem in the United States. In fact, Michelle Obama recently kicked off a campaign to fight childhood obesity — an initiative aptly titled “Let’s Move.”

Americans spend $150 billion every year to treat obesity-related conditions, and that number is growing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that 16% of children ages 6-19 are overweight or obese and 15% are at risk of becoming overweight.

Over the last three decades, the rate of childhood obesity has more than doubled for preschool children (2-5 years), adolescents (12-19 years) and tripled for children in between those two categories (6-11 years). A child who is overweight as an adolescent has a 70% chance of becoming an overweight or obese adult. This number increases to 80% if one or more parents are overweight or obese.

Diagnosis and risk factors

Assessing obesity in children can be difficult because children can grow in unpredictable spurts. Most often children become overweight from lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns or a combination of both. There are a few rare genetic diseases and hormonal disorders which may predispose a child to obesity. Your child’s pediatrician will be instrumental in diagnosing and assessing your child.

Robert Siegel, MD, medical director of the Center for Better Health and Nutrition at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center points out several risk factors:

Diet: High-calorie foods are a main culprit. Regular consumption of fast foods, baked goods, soft drinks, candy and desserts often lead to weight gain.

Inactivity: Sedentary kids are more likely to gain weight.

Family: A family’s diet and lifestyle choices are key factors in whether or not a child will be overweight.

Socioeconomic factors: There is a higher rate of obesity in low-income families.

Complications and treatment

Overweight children often are at risk for type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep disorders, early puberty and skin infections to name just a few. The social and emotional complications of being an overweight child can be enormous. An overweight child is often the target of bullying, which can lead to low self-esteem and depression.

There are several recommendations to combat this epidemic, and Siegel says the message is getting out. In recent years, families have been more receptive to discussing their child’s weight problems with their pediatricians.

In rare cases medication would be prescribed for an obese child or weight-loss surgery would even be considered. In most cases the whole family is involved in developing healthy eating habits and increasing physical activity. Parents must lead by example by living a healthy lifestyle. Their children benefit by watching the parents make good food choices and pursue a more active way of life.

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center is one of 10 children’s hospitals in the country to make the honor roll in the U.S. News and World Report 2009-10 America’s Best Children’s Hospitals survey. It is one of the three largest children’s hospitals in the U.S. and second in pediatric research grant funding received from the National Institutes of Health. Cincinnati Children’s is affiliated with the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

Susan Locke, MD, is Healthnetwork’s medical director.

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