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Childhood obesity is increasing

Health Matters

Our kids are becoming more overweight and obese, and that’s not a good thing. As parents and caregivers, it is important that we strive to help our kids be fitter and healthier.

An obese or overweight child faces some grown-up health problems. They are likely to face hypertension (high blood pressure), sleep apnea, fatty liver and joint pain. Obese kids tend to become obese adults who face higher risk of diabetes, heart disease and other chronic illnesses. Not a very good story so far.

How did we get to this point? Many people like to define weight problems as the result of too many calories coming in and too little physical activity to process them. That certainly is simple, but it’s not that easy.

Our problems with obesity and unhealthy weights come from many complex factors including the marketing of food and beverages high in fat, sugar and sodium to children. Portion sizes have continuously increased, leading to overeating. Did you know that the average can of pop contains 10 teaspoons of sugar? Would you feed your child that much sugar? Unfortunately, you are, if they’re knocking back a can of pop. Thirdly, we have come to love our screen time, and so have our kids. How much time is spent in front of the television, computer, tablet, cell phone or game console?

Physical activity has suffered as screen time has increased, making people more sedentary. All children need at least an hour of moderate activity every day, but most kids get far less. Combining this with unhealthy food choices means more children are overweight and obese than ever before. But there are things we can do with our kids to limit the problem

Helping your child starts by realizing there is a problem. Are you a part of the problem? Do you set the right example? As the parent, you are the one controlling what food is in the house, so that’s a good place to start. After all, if you don’t buy that bag of chips or oversized donuts, they can’t be eaten. Whenever possible, instead of grabbing food on the run, strive to increase choices that are healthier like fresh or frozen vegetables and fruits. Taking the easy route to highly processed foods just adds calories but little nutrition. Instead of a glass of fruit juice (lots of calories, but little nutrition) go for the actual fruit.

You can also help your child by learning about how they spend their days. Are there too many screen-time hours and no physical play? Think about joining your child in the backyard or at the park. Fly a kite. Go for a walk or a hike. Set up an obstacle course. Rake leaves together. There are lots of ideas for being active.

An obese or overweight child will probably grow into an obese adult, but that need not be his or her future. Find out more about this subject, and get some great tips to help your kids, from the Childhood Obesity Foundation at childhoodobesityfoundation.ca