by Haven Logan PH.D

        
“Hi, Mom, what smells so good? I’m really hungry,” Tommy breathlessly exclaimed as he dropped his lunchbox on the kitchen counter.
“It’s a roast,” his mother replied. “Here’s an apple and have some milk.”
Gulping down the milk and putting the apple in his coat pocket,
Tommy headed out the back door. “I’m riding my bike down to Brian’s.”
Smiling his mother reminded him, “Just be home by 5:30 for dinner.”
                                           - Tommy, age 12, 1958

Jason fumbled in his crammed backpack for the keys. Carefully opening the door lock and then the security lock, he let himself into the house, silent except for the steady hum of the air conditioner. Walking into the kitchen he saw the blinking light on his mailbox of the family’s answering machine. Jason pressed the button and heard his mother’s familiar voice. “Hi, honey. I hope you had a good day at school. I have a late meeting so I won’t be home until 7. Your Dad’s working late too. If you’re hungry, microwave a burrito. We’ll go out and grab something later. Make sure you finish your homework before you turn on the TV or computer. If you need me call my cell. Love you.”
                                           - Jason, age 12, 2008

Born 50 years apart, Tommy and Jason have lives that reflect appreciably different eras. Their stories illustrate the lifestyle changes that have contributed to our epidemic of childhood obesity. Most significant is the decrease in children’s activity levels. While Tommy was allowed to ride his bike to a friend’s house for unsupervised play, Jason came home to an empty house and sedentary activities. Whether Jason’s mother works or not, she has many other activities that pull her from the home, and she is uncomfortable with her son’s playing outside unsupervised. The second most important lifestyle change we see is the movement to a high-fat, low-fiber diet. Tommy was given basic unprocessed foods while Jason’s eating habits reflect our present day reliance on processed, convenience foods and restaurant fare.

As a nation, we are just waking up to the impact these changes in childhood lifestyle are having on our children’s health. From 1976 to 2004 studies show the prevalence of overweight significantly increasing: for children aged 2 to 5 years prevalence increased from 5% to 13.0%, for those age 6 to 11 years prevalence increased from 6.5% to 18.8% and for those aged 12 to 19 years prevalence increased from 5% to 17.4% (Center for Disease Control and Prevention/Childhood Overweight).

Estimates are that 33 percent of the children born today will develop diabetes. That is a 50 percent increase in the past ten years. Other health risks associated with childhood obesity include: hypertension, high cholesterol, orthopedic problems and sleep apnea. It is imperative that we, as parents, address this urgent issue. If we simply go along with the prevailing national lifestyle, we may doom our children to a lifetime of health and emotional problems and a shortened life expectancy.

If you are feeling overwhelmed at having one more thing to worry about, the good news  is that experts are coming to an agreement on the major causes of the obesity epidemic and are beginning to put together strategies for combating it. This consensus makes our role as parents clearer. While we all have a multitude of priorities competing for our time, energy and financial resources, commitment to our own and our children’s health must be at the top of our list. We can’t turn the clock back to 1958, but we can learn from certain dietary and physical activity patterns of that lifestyle.

Problem # 1 - Decreased Physical Activity

Our bodies are made to move, and until recently, movement was a natural part of human life. We walked to get places. We supported our families with activities that required our physical strength. Our children spent their hours outside of school helping with physical chores or playing physical games. Today children have some physical education at school, but it's not enough to make up for their hours of sedentary activities. This concern about the decrease in childhood activity level is shared by Marvin Trotter, M.D., a county public health officer and an emergency room physician.  Dr.Trotter attributes physical inactivity to the hours children now spend in front to the television and computer. He also cites the increase of parental fear about letting their children run around outside unsupervised. Instead, well-meaning parents enroll their children in organized sports. Many children do not respond well to these team sports and the number of participants plummets by age 12 as the teams become increasingly competitive.

Dr. Trotter feels that, “Until you can do some physical activity on a regular basis, any diet will fail. It might be successful for six months or 12 months but the weight will come back.  Activity, activity, activity---in a recreational way---not competing for a gold ribbon at age 7, but regular activity. Not all kids are athletic so it's the bike rides, the evening walks, the swimming.” 

Solution - Get Your Family Moving

• Make physical activity a priority in your life.
• Sit down with your family at the beginning of each season and look at how each member will be getting physical activity for the next few months. This will vary as your interests, circumstances and ages change.
• Make plans for regular family activities such as walks, bike rides and active games.
• It is recommended that children and teens participate in at least 60 minutes of moderate intensity activity most days of the week, preferably daily. They don’t need to get all of their exercise at one time. Several 10 to 15 minute bouts are equally effective in burning calories and improving fitness levels.
•  Encourage your children to participate in active, unstructured play.
• Be a role model for your children. Make the choice to walk rather than watch television when you get home from work.
• Set limits on television and computer time. In August 2003 the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement recommending limitation of television and computer time to a maximum of two hours a day. Meet with your family and decide how you will set limits.
•  For a variety of ideas on how to keep your family active check out the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s physical activity campaign VERB web site at: http://www.verbnow.com.

 

The beginning of each season is a great time to make some changes in your family’s physical activity habits.  Next look at Part 2 of this column titled “Family Lifestyle and Children’s Weight: Dietary Considerations” where we’ll look at the other main cause of our childhood obesity epidemic─our high fat/low fiber diet.