WEIGHT AND NUTRITION
COMPARE A TYPICAL SCHOOL
class photo from today with one
taken 30 years ago. Besides clothing
and hairstyles, what other difference
stands out?
More times than not, a current
photo will show far more young-
sters to be overweight, or even obese,
than kids three decades ago. In fact,
a third of all children and adoles-
cents in this country are currently
overweight or obese, according to
the American Heart Association.
“It’s an increasing problem,” said
Anne Francis, M.D., a member of the
American Academy of Pediatrics’
Obesity Leadership Workgroup.
“There are, unfortunately, a large
number of children who have trou-
ble with obesity.”
S I G N I F I C A N T R I S K S
Overweight and obese children and
adolescents are at risk for a number
of physical, social and emotional
problems.
Immediate physical problems may
include joint pain, asthma, sleep ap-
nea and skin infections.
Social and emotional problems
may include being teased and hav-
ing low self-esteem, depression and
a poor body image. Obesity also has
been linked to poor school perfor-
mance and risky behaviors, like
alcohol and tobacco use.
But as signifcant as these immedi-
ate problems can be, an overweight or
obese child is also likely to face some
serious health issues in the future.
For example, being overweight
raises risks associated with cardio-
vascular disease, such as high blood
pressure, unhealthy cholesterol lev-
els, glucose intolerance and type 2
diabetes. Today’s obese child is also
at long-term risk for stroke and can-
cers of the breast, colon and kidney.
How can you tell if your child is
overweight or obese?
According to the Centers for Dis-
ease Control and Prevention, the
most widely accepted measure is
body mass index (BMI), which is
based onweight in relation to height.
A child between the ages of 2 and
19 is considered overweight if his or
her BMI is at or above the 85th per-
centile compared to other children
of the same age and sex. Obesity is
defned as a BMI at or above the 95th
percentile.
Your child’s doctor can help de-
termine your child’s BMI and which
percentile it falls in.
H O W Y O U C A N H E L P
“The important thing is for the fam-
ily as a whole to try to make some
adjustments,” Dr. Francis said.
“Families who make a commit-
ment to learning about nutrition;
Helping children have a heal
There are a number of ways to help an overweight child. Perhaps the most important is to be a good role model. “The
whole family has to be on board,” said Anne Francis, M.D., a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Obesity
Leadership Workgroup. “Adults have to model the healthy lifestyle.”
She often recommends that families aim for the following Five-Two-One-Zero weight-control goals:
5
SERVINGS OF FRUITS OR VEGETABLES EACH DAY.
2
HOURS OR LESS OF SCREEN TIME EACH DAY,
which includes TV, computer and video game time.
1
HOUR OF MODERATE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY EACH DAY.
0
SUGARED DRINKS.
“It puts everything together in a nutshell,” she said. “Very small changes, incremental changes, even single changes
can make a big difference.”
What doesn’t work is for the overweight or obese child to be singled out at home, Dr. Francis added.
FIVE-TWO-ONE-ZERO
WEIGHT-CONTROL GOALS
16