Childhood Obesity

Montana State University NUTR 351

[childhoodobesity351]

Dealing with childhood obesity as a parent

I kind of had a moment today when reading articles about childhood obesity. I was reading about how to deal with childhood obesity in your home or how to discuss with a pediatrician. It hit me how hard it must be to be a parent in this situation. I read an article today that 25% of parents of obese children do not see their children as obese. These parents may know of the issue... they may not. Let's assume they know. They want to do something about it, after all 70 to 80 percent of obese kids remain obese throughout life. So if a parent decides to approach the issue, how do they approach it? I read a study about a dutch researcher that successful lower and sustained lowered weights in children by making drastic diet changes. What if a parent takes this approach.... I think they put their child at risk for lifetime of poor eating habits due to such intense restriction. Putting a child on any diet would be so difficult for parents.

 My personal advise for a parent looking to help their overweight child is to get that child into a physical activity that they love. This is a life skill. I would also get them into meal prep and start changing the family's diet to more whole foods. Explain why this is good for them. 

This is huge issue in our country but when you take a more personal approach to it, it's hard to fix! It is worth fixing and the way to approach it is with small changes that are sustainable.

[kylieedwards1]

Video: Experts Saying Parents Are Underestimating the Weight of Their Children

Many obese and overweight children do not see themselves that way, which can then make achieving a healthy lifestyle almost impossible. If a child doesn’t know they are obese or overweight, how will their parents know? A recent study was conducted and 25% of parents underestimated their child’s weight; while 27% of children underestimated their own weight. Parents stated that they notice their child seems “bigger” but they believe that their child has a glandular problem or they will outgrow their obesity. Majority of the time, that is highly unlikely to occur. Addresses a child’s weight that is dealing with being either obese or overweight is more affective when done at a younger age. Interventions for appropriate weight loss should target children directly because one of the major driving forces to lose weight comes from the child’s perception of their weight. Another effort to prevent childhood obesity should incorporate education for both the child and their parent regarding the proper identification and interpretation of actual body weight. I strongly encourage children and their parents to seek out education on obesity and overweight values for their child, given their age and weight. Without proper education and knowledge, there is going to be a continuation of obese and overweight children in the United States. Already there is a 30% increase of obese and overweight children in the United States and that statistic is continuing to grow.

[childhoodobesity351]

that's really interesting and I could see how this would happen. Parents love and care about their kids but I also feel like they would be likely to dismiss overweightednesss as 'baby fat'

[stephydyer92-deactivated2015010]

Instead telling all about the negative food additives, I thought I would share some of the health benefits of spices that can be added to your everyday foods.

Cardamon - anti tumor and remove toxins, use it coffee or chai drinks

Cayenne- weight loss and improved circulation, use it in tacos,...

[childhoodobesity351]

and the best part is that they add so much flavor while doing the body so much good!!

[environmentandfood]

Organic vs Conventional agriculture is not only a popular topic these days, but also encompasses a huge field of research. There are a number of different ways to approach this topic, and one could spend a number of days discussing it. I would like to focus on the bare basics of the two, and the...

[childhoodobesity351]

The dirty dozen really provides a great guideline for those who cant afford/don't want to go all out organic. 

[itstaishabell-blog]

When considering all of my opinions towards fast food I think a lot about my childhood and the foods I was served. I was not raised eating unhealthy by any means but I did consume fast food frequently. Today I do not crave fast food much, but I do have a sweet tooth and I wonder sometimes if that...

[childhoodobesity351]

Its tough to consider. I always say I would raise messed up kids because thy would go to a friends birthday party and see cake and ask what it is. I think that when us, nutrition focused folks, think of teaching a kid how to eat, we think in extremes. I think that kids are better off with the occasional indulgence and generally good eating habits. You lose your influence over them when they are teens so it is good to teach them how to eat early.  

[childhoodobesity351]

Environmental factors and childhood obesity

So the main focus of my blog thus far has been mostly behavioral and some built environment/genetics and their effects on childhood obesity. I am going to focus on environmental effects and how they impact obesity. I saw an article about vehicle exhast and second hand smoke and how these environmental carcinogens impact childhood obesity. As my focus thus far has been mainly on how kids eat, school lunches, maternal factors and such, I was intrigued. 

As a future dietitian, I think of the childhood obesity crisis and I directly correlate the cause to food. I think of how poorly some Americans and kids eat. I never even stopped to consider that environmental pollutants could be contributing to obesity. 

The study I read about looked at 300 children and their proximity to roadways (including volume and air direction), the amount the mother smoked during pregnancy and their current exposure to second hand smoke. They found that children who had exposure to multiple factors were at a much higher risk for obesity than those who were exposed to just one factor. 

One may ask how these factors would contribute to obesity. A different study found that tobacco smoke inhibits cells mitochondria and limits its response to insulin. This leads to type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Other articles discuss obesegens, which are endocrine disruptors that cause an imbalance in weight regulation. Not much is currently know but it is accepted that obesegens are found in foods and in many other places such as pesticides and water bottles (BPA). Because there is so much that is unknown, the government has funded the EPA with $20 mil to study them. It will be interesting to see what they find out.

[phammsu]

Yes, I eliminated small size popcorn since (almost) no one orders small size of popcorn at the movie theater anymore. Why is that?

First, you usually go to watch a movie with your friends or family, so bigger size of popcorn is for sharing. Understandable enough.

Second, let’s take a peak at the...

[childhoodobesity351]

Wow that infographic is disturbing. I prefer to watch movies at home and haven't been to a theatre in ages... I think its also interesting to take a step back and look at the bigger picture, almost all restaurants that offer sizes of anything... the price difference between the smaller and the larger acts as an incentive for us to purchase the larger. Its a common trap to fall into. The restaurant gives you more food for a fraction more and incentives you to go larger. In this case, popcorn is close to free. It is seriously so marked up. They make a profit no matter what so why not give you more incentive to get the largest size? 

[veganlife13]

A gluten-free vegan diet has been shown to decrease symptoms and signs of rheumatoid arthritis. This sounds like a strict diet but maybe it is worth the wonderful benefits! Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that causes inflammation and deterioration of joints in the hands and feet; this...

[childhoodobesity351]

Interesting! I have a very good friend who has RA and is only 21 years old. I will have to pass this on

[childhoodobesity351]

Childhood obesity & puberty

Puberty is occurring earlier in the last few decades than it has previously. Greater BMIs are often associated with early onset of puberty. So what does this mean and is it a bad thing?

Girls are showing much more correlation than boys between obesity and puberty. The development of secondary sex organs occurs around age 9 in normal weight female and age 8 in overweight or obese females. This is thought to be caused by the hormone leptin. Leptin is produced by fat cells and it is thought that women must have a certain amount of leptin to begin menstrual cycles. When girls have too much leptin, they may begin menstruating much earlier.

Early menarche in women is associated with higher estrogen levels which is associated with higher incidence of breast cancer. Studies have shown that there is a 5% increase in the prevalence of breast cancer for each year younger a girl experiences menarche. Breast cancer prevalence is considered to correlate with a high lifetime exposure of estrogen. The early a female starts menstrual cycles, the more her estrogen exposure will be. 

Social concerns are present as well. With an early maturity in young females, social maturity is assumed. This can lead to the development of unhealthy behaviors such as drinking, smoking and sex with the potential of teenage pregnancy. These girls that are early developers tend to have low self esteem and experience depression more commonly. They see themselves as matured and though they are physically, they may not be there emotionally quite yet.

Because obesity correlates to early puberty, we can expect the risk factors that accompany obesity to be experienced with children who develop early. Although it is generally recognized as just one of the factors in early puberty, obesity may play a larger role than we thought in the development of breast cancer and other social issues of young girls.

[schoolmealsandobesity]

It does not come as any surprise that school provided meals are under a lot of scrutiny because of their nutritional impacts on children. Pizzas, hamburgers, french fries, and a collection of different sweets frequented those school meal calendars that were sent home with students at the...

[childhoodobesity351]

I personally am studying childhood obesity and it makes me sad how much school make the epidemic worse. These kids are hungry and need something to eat. We are teaching them lifelong habits; turning obese kids into obese adults. I feel like schools have such a large opportunity to impact kids. Whether it be through nutrition education, better meals or just moving the kids more so that they are not inactive. I read today that inactivity is a huge cause of childhood obesity. This makes me sad because schools could change this but they aren't...yet

[mayormchealthy]

In this cross-sectional study the researchers show that the general population guess the amount of calories that they are eating at a fast food chain and their guesses are grossly underestimated.

In a study including 4 large cities on the east coast observes 1877 adults and 330 young school aged...

[childhoodobesity351]

I find it very interesting that the grade-schoolers were better at guessing than high schoolers. I was under the impression that most high schoolers had to take a health class that involved nutrition. Maybe these classes could be more involved or perhaps a special semester long class on nutrition and exercise wellness. I think that schools would be reluctant to devote a whole semester to this but with the state of health in this country, education could make a difference

[bromnutrition-blog]

Nutritional factors that may surprise you!

http://www.diapedia.org/type-1-diabetes-mellitus/environmental-factors

Type one diabetes is becoming more and more prominent in people that are not genetically predisposed to it. There have been many studies done looking at many nutritional factors including vitamin D, gluten and most commonly cow’s milk. Too early introduction of cow’s milk into a child’s diet has been correlated with the formation of islet autoantibodies.

[childhoodobesity351]

I think this is ridiculously interesting. I have read a bit about it in the China Study but I think that with the fight on type 1 diabetes, anything we can learn about cause is super important. I know that recommendations for the introduction of cows milk have been pushed back in the past few decades or so. Perhaps pushing them farther back would be even more beneficial? I'm not sure. As someone who does not consume dairy due to an intolerance, I would like to think that there are good alternatives if a child is considered higher risk but from what I have heard about this issue, many children develop diabetes who are not considered high risk

[m-nutr51]

Can low sodium diets be doing more harm than good? There is currently no evidence that low sodium diets cause adverse effects in normotensive individuals, but according to some recently acquired data, sodium restriction may actually worsen outcomes for those with congestive heart failure as...

[childhoodobesity351]

With such conflicting research, I generally side with the 'do your best' side. I think that so many of our food system issues (obesity, CVD, insecurity) can be helped by preparing your meals from scratch and staying away from any type of prepared food. Use canned foods in moderation and try to stick with the least processed. When this is not an option, canned will do over pre-prepared foods. Just keep in mind that when you buy food already made, they aren't trying to make it healthy, they want it to taste good. If you make it in your kitchen, you will naturally be much more aware of the sodium in it. 

[senutritionrisk]

There are many contributing factors to malnutrition in seniors. Social isolation can be a big contributing factor because in our society, mealtimes are as much a opportunity for social interaction as they are a necessity for nourishment. When the social cues of living with other people or meeting...

[childhoodobesity351]

My gosh what a sad thing to really think about... I feel like there are so many programs available through the national government but also through communities (Ex: befrienders). This makes me want to get involved and help these seniors. Although there are many programs that can help, if they have poor vision, hearing and are not particularly savvy with technology, how can they find help? This is really an eye opener and possibly a motivator to work more with older citizens and nutrition in our community. 

[childhoodobesity351]

Breakfast and Childhood Obesity

Growing up, we all heard the importance of a well balanced breakfast each and everyday. I mean it is the most important meal of the day! Right? Personally, I am a huge fan of breakfast but I have recently read quite a few articles that contradict what we were told all of these years. They are stating that those who feel full when waking up, find that breakfast gives them nausea, or for any other reason besides a weight loss interest find breakfast unappealing when they wake up, should not force themselves to eat it. I find this to be an intriguing topic and decided to research breakfast in relation to childhood obesity.

The breakfast campaign that played into our health education as kids and is still very commonly known, breakfast is the most important meal of the day; don't miss it. I have to question this. When I think of children and breakfast, I think of pop-tarts, toaster strudels, chocolate chip eggo waffles covered in syrup, fruit juices, cereals that feature sugar as the main ingredient and chocolate milk. It's almost more of a desert for kids. Almost all of my favorite breakfast foods from childhood terrify the more nutritionally literate me. So I guess my question is: Is a sugar filled, empty calorie breakfast really better than none? What impact can poor breakfast quality have on kids?

I found that 

- breakfast consumers tend to eat more but also have a lesser prevalence of obesity.

- without regard to quality of meal, breakfast eating children tended to have better nutrition profiles than their peers who chose to skip.

- breakfast consumption is declining in the US. It has declined by 5% in children aged 8 to 10 and 7% in adolescents 

- breakfast skipping is most common in girls, older children and adolescents, and lower socioeconomic backgrounds. boys tended to consume more energy, carbs, fat and protein in their breakfasts. 

- Some studies displayed higher sugar intake in breakfast eaters and some did not support this. 

- breakfast skipping is associated with detrimental effects on health such as smoking, dieting, and lack of exercise. This is particularly interesting because one of the main reasons for skipping breakfast was to lose weight. 

-general definitions of breakfast and surveying techniques can be a struggle in this type of study because children can be very inconsistent in their diets

In general, I would say that breakfast is highly supported. The evidence I found supports any breakfast over no breakfast, which I find interesting and would like to know more about. I think that as community nutritionists, we can use our knowledge to encourage balanced, nutritious breakfasts over sugary cereals that kids seem to prefer.

[bromnutrition-blog]

A person with type one diabetes will on average accrue $13,700 a year in healthcare costs $7,900 of that for diabetes care and supply costs.

Diabetes is increasing at an exponential rate, some credited to genetics some not but the cost of the disease is increasing right along with it. Insurance...

[childhoodobesity351]

That's such a crazy amount of money... to think of what you could b with that and how many americans are uninsured. Also the equipment is not there to make your life more comfortable or easier, you NEED to have it to live....

[phammsu]

For most cases, people seem to pick a bigger one if they are asked to choose between two items. Same with food portion sizes. So why do people usually order a larger size of food than small. One reason for it is the price of the bigger size is not a lot more expensive than the smaller one;...

[childhoodobesity351]

Very interesting. I think we have all had this experience at one time or another were we order or eat more for reasons beyond satisfying a hunger. I have become aware of this I have purchased smaller plates to serve food on at home and I find it to help me portion meals without overeating. That graphic is interesting and helpful