What Kids Think About Childhood Obesity
Nowadays, adults are getting worried with the rising numbers of overweight kids. Kids know it also. In a KidsPoll, 1,168 boys and girls were asked on the issue and it was found out that 52% of them agreed that there are too many overweight kids.
“This is important because knowing there is a problem is the first step to getting answers to solve the problem,” says Dr. Sandra Hassink. Dr. Hassink is a doctor in Delaware who has been helping kids resolve their weight problems. So, read on to find out more about the issue on childhood weight problems.
Obese Kids Prone to Bullying?
Bullies have been around for a very long time. Different kids, regardless of the difference, have always faced problems with bullies, and being overweight falls under the “different” category.
According to one study published in the “Pediatrics” journal, obese children in grades 3 through 6 are more likely to be bullied than children who aren’t overweight regardless of academics, social skills, race, or gender. The study showed that 45% of children in these grades were bullied with obese children being 63% more likely to be bullied.
A Price to Pay for Nationwide Obesity Crisis
Obesity has become an epidemic and it’s putting both health and wallet at risk – particularly for women. Doctors have been asserting that obese people incur higher medical bills but there is more to this than meets the eye. A recently released study proved that obese women have higher costs as compared to men.
Researchers from the George Washington University have looked into costs of being overweight. In this study, they have also included different factors such as employee sick days, lost productivity, and the need for extra gasoline as well. From the study, they’ve found that a woman’s annual cost of being obese is $4,879 while an obese man costs $2,646.
Minorities Face Childhood Obesity and Must Not Fall Behind with Healthy Initiatives
Ethnic and racial discrepancies in childhood obesity have been growing. Thus, physicians have to do more. A new study says that physicians need to strive harder in minimizing those discrepancies as well as in alleviating obesity.
Furthermore, the study’s lead author has been giving recommendations to help alleviate obesity. In every checkup, pediatricians and family physicians need to assess children’s and adolescents’ body mass index (BMI) and concerns regarding nutrition and weight should be thoroughly discussed with parents as well. Additionally, doctors should also promote local, state and national policies that are geared towards obesity reduction among children and adolescents.
Junk Foods in School Vending Machines Causing Childhood Obesity
As schools are removing unhealthy foods out of the popular vending machines, studies have been conducted in order to find out what vended foods and beverages can do towards the human body. Among these studies is from the University of Michigan. Based on this study, the researchers found out that vended foods and beverages may be linked to obesity, diabetes and coronary artery disease.
UM Medical School’s research study further stated that school children who are consuming foods that they purchased from junk food vending machines will likely develop a poor diet quality. Consequently, these children will become overweight or obese. Plus, they are at greater risks for chronic health problems like diabetes and coronary artery disease.
Winning the Battle against Childhood Obesity
Calories here and calories there, Americans have been used to all those calorie-containing menus. At the same time, we have also primed ourselves on laws concerning obesity. Policies geared towards alleviating obesity are growing slowly yet municipalities across the country are already proposing them.
Obesity is indeed keeping our healthcare system at risk. In response to this, many restrictions are already considered and undertaken. One of these is New York City’s restriction on the amount of salt that restaurants should put on their menus. If provisions like these will really be observed, there will be radical changes in the way foods are packaged and sold.
New Program Tackles Childhood Obesity in Tween Boys
One of the most at-risk groups for childhood obesity and early onset diabetes is “tween” boys between the ages of roughly 9-13. The problem can be quantified by analyzing the habits of boys in this range: they have passed the ages where imagination and outside play peaks and oftentimes their metabolisms have not yet started climbing towards their teen year peaks. On top of that, they seem to have an affinity for video games or television and high-calorie foods like sodas and sweets. This tremendously increases their chances of struggling with early onset obesity.
However, there is hope for tween boys in managing the increased risks of these “awkward years” and making sure that they remain healthy and happy into their teens. Meet Dr. Eileen Kennedy, a pediatric psychologist who works with a new program called Fit Youth which is based at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital. Since 2005, Kennedy has directly helped 211 families with kids ages 7 to 16 who were struggling with childhood obesity. The Fit Youth program only accepts children with BMIs for age in the 95th percentile and above, meaning that out of a group of 100 kids they would only accept the 5 children who were heaviest for their height.
Drinking Water a Great Healthy Drink Option
Have you been dying to lose weight? Have you been switching from one diet pill to another just so you can lose weight? Nah, you don’t have to do that!
Just drink water before each meal and you’ll surely lose weight. You might find it hard to believe but a new study is proving its effectiveness. According to Brenda Davy, PhD, an associate professor of nutrition at Virginia Tech and senior author of this new study, drinking just two 8-ounce glasses of water before meals helps people melt pounds away.
Funded by the Institute for Public Health and Water Research (a nonprofit, independent science and education organization), the study was presented at the 2010 National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston. They presented how effective water can be for people who want to lose weight. Through this study, they are hoping to encourage people to take in more water than the usual sugar-sweated beverages that people have always loved.
Weight Loss Franchises Say Exercise May not Help
5-foot-2-inch tall, Tiffany Holtz from Greenville, is a workaholic real estate agent. But she also works hard with meals. In short, she grabs too many meals on the go between clients.
But she has good news though for herself, family and friends. From being a size 20 weighing 240 pounds, she dropped down to becoming a size 4. “That (lifestyle) was really what led me to this point,” Holtz said. “I just let life spiral out of control on me.”
Obesity in America Needs to be Addressed
In America, obesity has already become an epidemic that puts the health of numerous American children at risk. Many of these children won’t live longer due to obesity-related diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, circulatory disease, sleep apnea, arthritis and so many more. Family income as well as the government’s funds will be spent on obesity-related problems and even dreams will be shut out.
Just as childhood obesity begins at home, so does its prevention or reduction – it must start and be carried on within the four walls of the home. Even if the baby is still inside the mother’s womb, expectant mothers should diligently monitor their weight as this will likely affect the baby’s weight as well. In fact, recent studies have already implied that excessive, prenatal weight gain significantly raises the possibilities that the child in the mother’s womb will be struggling with obesity.
In the August issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a study focused on assessing the dietary patterns of early childhood. Based on the study, children, ages three to four who take in less greasy foods and more of the dark green and deep yellow vegetables were less likely to be overweight at age eight. All the more, this type of diet paved the way for the children’s healthier and stronger bones at age eight.