Saturday, September 25, 2010
The future of childhood obesity
This September, with the debut of National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, the spotlight is on the future health of America's youth and the commitment we must all make to ensure our children have a fair chance at healthy lives.Do you know that nearly 17 percent of American children and adolescents are obese. Today children as young as 10 are being diagnosed with high blood pressure and weight-related to type 2 diabetes?What is the future for our children if we don't get this under control now?
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The more I learn in dietetics, the more I begin to notice how much of a problem childhood obesity is. That was the field I initially wanted to work in, until I realized that it's the parents you have to change before you can change the kids. I see so many kids with this problem until I just shake my head in sympathy for them. Fortunately, there are great government sponsored programs out there to tackle this problem. It also helps that most daycares participate in the food and nutrition program. I actually bring that up when interviewing daycares for my son. There was one, I remember, that I was actually considering until the director told me that they do not particiate in the FNP, because the kids didn't like the food. So, I asked her what the menu concisted of, and she told me they feed them more of what they like. Because she couldn't or didn't want to give me specifics, I could only imagine all the french fries, corn dogs, and hamburgers my son would probably be eating, or even if they were being fed properly. That in itself was a big turn off for me.
ReplyDeleteI think childhood obesity is a very scary issue since the social security/medicare system is running out of money what are we going to do with these children as they age and don't have any medical benefits once they reach 65? I was a little overweight in high school and I remember the teasing I used to get from other kids and I can't imagine what these chidlren are going through. It's bad enough to be overweight but then to have children tease you about it only makes the situation worse. When I started studying Dietetics I wanted to help those with diabetes but now I have become so interested in childhood obesity that I feel that is where I want to focus my attention after I graduate.
ReplyDeleteBody Mass Index(BMI) for age percentile is recommended as the screening tool for assessment of pediatric over weight and obesity.A BMI for age percentile of greater than or equal to the 85th ,but less than or equal to the 94th is defined as over weight.The BMI for age percentile greater than or equal to the 95th is defined as obesity.
ReplyDeleteAccording to NHANES III data,children age 11 through 13 years of age have the highest rates of daily television viewing.