I stumbled upon this article yesterday: “Obese Third Grader Taken From Mom, Placed in Foster Care.”
The boy was a third grader who weighted more than 200 lbs which is obviously
not good. The state took him away and put him foster care. This is not the only
incident but it brought up a very interesting topic.
Childhood Obesity has become very prominent over the past
few years. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in the
past 30 years childhood obesity has more than tripled. This is very alarming
and bring obese is a precursor for
several diseases including cancer, diabetes and many problems.
I do empathize with the parents who are in this situation.
Yet the best way for a parent and family to help the child is to change their
lifestyle to help encourage change in their children’s lifestyle. This refers
to activities in the family, eating habits, hobbies and much more.
So what happened in the past 30 years to make childhood obesity so prominent today? Well lifestyle in general has changed. ‘Let’s Move” is a
program throughout the United States that is supported by First Lady, Michelle
Obama. The program encourages keeping our youth physically active. They state
children today experience a different lifestyle. “Walks to and from school have
been replaced by car and bus rides. Gym class and after-school sports have been
cut; afternoons are now spent with TV, video games, and the Internet. Parents
are busier than ever and families eat fewer home-cooked meals. Snacking between
meals is now commonplace.”
So what can parents do? According to KidsHealth, the best
way to prevent child obesity is to changing the way your family interacts with
one another through eating, exercises, how you spend time together. “Helping
kids lead healthy lifestyles begins with parents who lead by example.”
The best practice to raising a healthy child is to lead by
example. In January 2012, Dr. Hugh Wegwerth at Bandana Chiropractic and
Wellness Center will be hosting a workshop, the “Extreme Makeover”. The
Makeover offers an historical view of how our eating habits have changed for
the worse as well as simple, easy to implement, baby steps to making healthy
living part of your lifestyle. It is free and open to the public, call
651-354-8343 to register today.