Childhood Obesity
Dr. Tedd Mitchell
medical director of the Wellness Program at Dallas' Cooper Clinic
from the USA Weekend Jan. 15, 2006

    Growing up in Texas, I would get home from school, eat a quick snack, finish my homework and head outdoors. That was the routine of most kids growing up a generation ago, but times have changed. Today, kids come home, have a snack, do some homework and plop down in front of the TV. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, one-quarter of U.S. children spend four or more hours watching TV every day. This is problematic because sedentary children tend to become sedentary adults.

    As a result of this dramatic shift in our youths' activity, the number of overweight children and teens has doubled in the past 20 years.

    Why are we losing so much ground? Well, in addition to becoming more sedentary at home, less than one in 10 middle, junior and senior high schools requires daily physical activity for students. The National Association for Sport and Physical Education recommends that younger children should not be sedentary for more than two hours at a time, except when they're sleeping.

    If you're concerned that your child is gaining weight, first visit your doctor. Odds are, it's a lifestyle issue, but genetics play a role, and medical conditions need to be excluded. Once that's complete, it's time to develop a program for a healthy lifestyle. Try this:

                    Eat slowly. Appropriate eating habits include having meals together as a family. Do not eat meals or snacks while watching TV. I know this is easy to say and hard to do, but a family dinner should be a pleasant time for discussing daily activities, not a time for settling differences or scarfing down food before heading to the next event. This setting encourages everyone to eat more slowly. By doing so, you reduce overeating because you sense when you are full better than when you rush through a meal. For times when you need to be on the go, have nutritious, quick food handy. When the kids come home from school, have cut-up apples and fruit, low-fat cheese sticks or yogurt to provide energy in a nutritious manner.

                    Move more quickly. By this I don't just mean exercising, but being physically active throughout the day. Buy your family members step counters--simple tools you can purchase at most athletic stores for around $20. Put them on in the morning, and you may be shocked by how few steps you take all day. The goal is to achieve a total of 10,000 steps per day, which sounds like a lot, but it's doable with a little bit of effort. The benefits of a consistently elevated activity level include not only better weight control, but also improved blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and lower risk for heart disease and even cancer over the long term.

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