Friday, 25 July 2008

• Are Your Kids Too Fat?

  by Nurse Jenna

  Earlier this week I talked about how it has recently been recognized that continuous breastfeeding until a baby is 9 months old helps prevent childhood and later adult obesity. This is one step towards helping a larger problem that we, as a society, face today.

  Childhood obesity is a problem in the United States and it is only grower bigger, as are our children. Diseases that were once reserved for adulthood, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease, are now being diagnosed more and more in kids as a result severe childhood obesity. “Obese” is defined as having a BMI (body mass index) over the 95^th percentile and this affects 13.9 % of children 2-5 years of age, 18.8 % of kids 6-11 years old, and 17.4 % of teenagers 12-19 yrs old. These numbers are staggering and only getting larger.

  Take the following quiz and see how your kids are doing regarding healthy lifestyle habits and then look to see what the American Medical Association guidelines are for parents to help prevent childhood obesity. 

  “The Big Five” - Scoring Worksheet

  Some habits contribute more than others to excess weight. Complete this brief scoring sheet on behalf of your child. Keep in mind that all children should have good nutrition and physical activity habits, regardless of whether they are overweight.

  1. Sweetened beverages

  Sweetened beverages include fruit juices (whole juice or from concentrate), fruit drinks and punches, regular-calorie soft drinks, sports drinks (e.g., Gatorade), energy drinks, regular sweetened iced tea, and chocolate or other flavored milk. One serving of a sweetened beverage is 12 oz.

  How many servings of sweetened beverage does your child consume in a typical day? (Round up any half servings to the next whole number of servings.)

  A. One or no servings = 0
  B. Two servings = 5
  C. Three servings = 10
  D. Four servings = 15
  E. Five or more servings= 20

  2. Fast Food (excluding sweetened beverages)

  Traditional fast food (e.g., burgers [with any type of meat], hot dogs, French fries, chicken nuggets, onion rings)

  In a typical week, how often does your child eat traditional fast food?

  A. One time or less = 0
  B. Two times = 5
  C. Three times = 10
  D. Four times = 15
  E. Five or more times = 20

  3. Family Meals

  Eating Dinner while being supervised by at least one parent is protective against obesity.

  How often does your child eat dinner with at least one parent during a typical week?

  A. One time or less= 20
  B. Two or three times = 10
  C. Four or five times = 5
  D. Six or seven time = 0

  4. Media Time

  Media time is defined as the amount of time your child spends watching television, using a computer (apart from homework), playing video games, or listening to a music device while sitting or lying still. In a typical day, how much total media time does your child have?

  A. Less than one hour = 0
  B. One to two hours = 5
  C. Two to three hours = 10
  D. Three to four hours = 15
  E. More than four hours = 20

  5. Habitual physical activity

  Regular physical activity is protective against obesity.This can include most sports as long as your child is out of breath once while playing (softball and bowling do not usually count.)It can also include walking, riding a bike, skateboarding, etc. regardless of whether or not your child is out of breath.Gym class does not count.

  In a typical week, on how many days does your child participate in physical activity (sports to the point of being out of breath) or walking, riding a bike, etc., for at least 30 minutes total per day?

  A. Zero to One day = 20
  B. Two to three days = 10
  C. Four to five days = 5
  D. Six to seven days = 0

  
  Total Score: ______

  To calculate your child's total score, add up the score above, and then subtract that number from 100.For example, if the sum of the scores above is 60, your child's score would be: 100 - 60 = 40

  Scoring Guide:

  • 80-100 points: Excellent. Although there is always room for improvement, it's obvious that your child is practicing habits that will help him or her achieve or maintain a healthy weight.
  • 60-80 points: Good. Your child has many good habits but there is still significant room for improvement.
  • 40-60 points: Fair. To achieve or maintain a healthy weight, there are many health behaviors your child needs to adopt.
  • Less than 40 points: Poor. Your child is at high risk of becoming obese or remaining obese.You should speak to your doctor about helping your child achieve a healthy weight.

  Recommendations for Parents to Prevent Childhood Obesity:

  • Limit consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages
  • Encourage consumption of recommended quantities of fruits and vegetables
  • Limit television and other screen time to one to two hours a day in children five years and older
  • Remove television and computer from child’s bedroom
  • Eat breakfast daily
  • Limit eating out, especially at fast-food restaurants
  • Ensure that parents and children eat meals together
  • Limit portions to appropriate serving sizes

  *Taken from American Family Physician, July 1 2008 edition

  How did you score? What type of things are you seeing in our culture that are leading to this gradual, yet ultimately deadly pattern leading to childhood obesity?

  • 10:00 AM
  • 2357 Views
  • 42 eProps
  • 26 Comments