Battling the bulge - trimming obesity in children

Childhood obesity has been increasing since the 1980s. According to the CDC, it now affects 13.7 million — nearly 20 percent — of American children. Obesity is defined as a body mass index above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex based on a 2000 CDC growth chart. That means nearly 20 percent of children today are as obese as the 5 percent most obese were 20 years ago.

Consequences of childhood obesity include a higher risk
for cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, joint problems, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and mental health problems. Obese children have a greater likelihood of becoming obese adults.

According to the Food Research and Action Center, excess caloric intake and decreased physical activity are major contributors to childhood obesity. These problems multiply when children are kept home for virtual education, as during the current pandemic.
 
The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, larger portion sizes, and high-caloric-density foods lead to ingesting excess calories. Families are consuming more processed food rather than preparing meals at home. Increased advertising targeted at children promotes unhealthy food consumption and value-sizing of less nutritious foods.

Inadequate physical activity is due in part to technological advances that increase screen time, such as the use of computers, televisions, smartphones, and video games. In some school districts, physical education classes and recess have been reduced – or cut altogether. Motorized transportation has increased, while walking has decreased. In many neighborhoods, there is limited access to walking paths and recreational facilities for families to exercise together safely.

Visits to a doctor’s office can only do so much to reduce childhood obesity. Effective intervention requires the collaboration of the health care sector, food and beverage industry, grocery stores, local farms, and fitness centers. We must address barriers to healthy nutrition and adequate physical activity, as noted above, that cannot be fully addressed by healthcare providers.

How can parents tame the rising tide of childhood obesity in America? Pick one change at a time for your family, to start an upward spiral of health:

• drink water instead of sugary beverages
• eat 3-5 daily servings of fruits or vegetables
• eat more whole-grain foods
• use low-fat or fat-free milk products
• reduce consumption of saturated fats, salt, and added sugars
• eat at the kitchen table and not in front of the TV
• participate in at least 60 minutes of aerobic exercise daily
• limit recreational screen time to less than two hours a day for school-aged children

Reducing the prevalence of childhood obesity will lessen chronic health problems in adulthood, increase quality of life, and diminish the financial burdens on our health care system.

KIM-DOAN KATRINA NGUYEN, M.D., is a board-certified pediatric gastroenterologist. She founded Faithful-2-Fitness, a nonprofit that aims to help reverse the childhood obesity epidemic in America. (https://faithful2fitness.org)

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