Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Childhood Obesity, what does that mean?


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 “Walks to and from school have been replaced by car and bus rides.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.

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