According to the Center for Disease Control, 17.
1% of children and teens, aged 2-19 years (over 12 and a half million young people) were obese in 2004.
It is estimated that one in three children under the age of 12 are overweight and one in six children are obese, more than four times the rate of 40 years ago.
How concerned should parents be about childhood obesity? Parents should be concerned about childhood obesity.
Nearly 90% of overweight adolescents become overweight adults.
Adulthood brings more serious medical complications such as stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.
In fact obesity has been correlated with almost every major disease category.
For teens, the impact is physical (diabetes, shortness of breath, sleep apnea, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, etc) as well as social and emotional.
Teens that typically come to Wellspring, the leading provider of effective, scientifically based treatment for obese and overweight adolescents and young adults, are more concerned with the social and emotional impact of obesity because the physical impact is years away while the psychosocial impact is immediate.
Are parents to blame for childhood obesity? Parents certainly bear part of the blame for the obesity crisis.
As a parent of two young children, ages six and four, I typically chose which foods my kids eat and which activities they participate in after school.
Therefore, if my kids are not getting well balanced meals and enough physical activity, I am largely responsible.
Culture also plays a role, of which parents are part.
According to data from the Bureau of Labor, families are also spending more time commuting.
As a consequence meals are often consumed en route making home-cooked, well balanced meals a less frequent occurrence for families.
Additionally, more time commuting means less opportunity for physical activity.
Lack of structured activities for children and decreased physical education in schools also share part of the blame.
Research shows that our genetic inheritance has a huge influence on our metabolic power and tendency to develop excess fat.
Research also shows that children born to obese parents are four times more likely to become obese than children born to lean parents.
Some of us are simply born with bodies primed to gain weight easily from day one while others may resist weight gain.
What should parents do to avoid obesity other than cooking healthy? (after school activities, education) As a parent you can help your child by staying positive and empathizing with the challenge of changing behaviors around weight loss.
Your total support and modeling of healthy behaviors are among the most important factors of your child's success.
Here are some important factors in your child successfully losing weight: Nurture the desire to change oHave an open conversation at an agreed time with your child about how they are feeling about their weight right now.
oReally listen.
If your child says they hate talking about weight ask, "What do you hate about talking about this?" for example.
Empathize with their response.
oTalk openly; let them know what you have learned about biology of weight loss and consider with them the downsides of excess weight and benefits of weight loss.
Jot some of the thoughts and feelings down.
Discuss the life changing benefits of weight loss oResearch shows people can experience major improvements in weight even by losing 5to 10lbs.
oKids, who have attended Wellspring programs, say the feel better about their appearance, enjoy going shopping; enjoy being physically active and feel more open to making friends.
oParents can help their teens by asking them in as much detail as possible to imagine what it would feel like to be thinner such as what could they do as a thinner person that they would not now? Create a decision balance sheet to motivate oStart by finding out where losing weight is prioritized in life.
(Both parent and child can do this) oUse the decision balance sheet we provide to help analyze the possible advantages and disadvantages of losing weight.
This involves 1) Selecting a specific goal of weight loss for the next year that is difficult but achievable 2) Writing out the pros and cons 3) Reviewing and rating each Pro and Con on a ten point scale 4) Balancing the ratings with an average.
In most cases the good things outweigh the challenges.
Keep it positive oExpectations are beliefs about what will happen.
If you expect to succeed, you realty might.
If you expect to fail, you probably won't succeed.
oAppreciate the challenges of weight control with every opportunity and "catch them being good".
This will go a long way towards keeping motivated.
Cue instead of nag oCues are words that stimulate or suggest appropriate actions without insisting on those actions.
oA child cannot be nagged into successful weight control.
oCuing involves empathy, allowing responsibility to lie with the child and being available to discuss and feelings that they may be facing.
So rather than "I don't get why you are eating those chips right after dinner," it can be more helpful to try, "I'm noticing the bowl of chips and I'm assuming you have just eaten dinner.
I know this is your program but I wanted to let you know I am here if you want to talk about anything.
" oRemember tone tends to communicate more than words.
Minimize negative comments, including teasing oAgreeing to limit teasing or little jokes can help weight controllers feel more positive.
oEncourage enforcing the ban on teasing oBe equipped with retorts when teasing takes place.
"That's not funny at all to me.
" This lets the teaser know comments are hurtful not humorous.
Encourage positive self support oCarrying an image such as a picture of being slimmer or heavier can help the weight controller remember their goal.
Finally, consider residential treatment if you child is significantly overweight.
Wellspring Camps and Academies offers the most effective, scientifically based treatment for obese and overweight adolescents and young adults.
1% of children and teens, aged 2-19 years (over 12 and a half million young people) were obese in 2004.
It is estimated that one in three children under the age of 12 are overweight and one in six children are obese, more than four times the rate of 40 years ago.
How concerned should parents be about childhood obesity? Parents should be concerned about childhood obesity.
Nearly 90% of overweight adolescents become overweight adults.
Adulthood brings more serious medical complications such as stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.
In fact obesity has been correlated with almost every major disease category.
For teens, the impact is physical (diabetes, shortness of breath, sleep apnea, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, etc) as well as social and emotional.
Teens that typically come to Wellspring, the leading provider of effective, scientifically based treatment for obese and overweight adolescents and young adults, are more concerned with the social and emotional impact of obesity because the physical impact is years away while the psychosocial impact is immediate.
Are parents to blame for childhood obesity? Parents certainly bear part of the blame for the obesity crisis.
As a parent of two young children, ages six and four, I typically chose which foods my kids eat and which activities they participate in after school.
Therefore, if my kids are not getting well balanced meals and enough physical activity, I am largely responsible.
Culture also plays a role, of which parents are part.
According to data from the Bureau of Labor, families are also spending more time commuting.
As a consequence meals are often consumed en route making home-cooked, well balanced meals a less frequent occurrence for families.
Additionally, more time commuting means less opportunity for physical activity.
Lack of structured activities for children and decreased physical education in schools also share part of the blame.
Research shows that our genetic inheritance has a huge influence on our metabolic power and tendency to develop excess fat.
Research also shows that children born to obese parents are four times more likely to become obese than children born to lean parents.
Some of us are simply born with bodies primed to gain weight easily from day one while others may resist weight gain.
What should parents do to avoid obesity other than cooking healthy? (after school activities, education) As a parent you can help your child by staying positive and empathizing with the challenge of changing behaviors around weight loss.
Your total support and modeling of healthy behaviors are among the most important factors of your child's success.
Here are some important factors in your child successfully losing weight: Nurture the desire to change oHave an open conversation at an agreed time with your child about how they are feeling about their weight right now.
oReally listen.
If your child says they hate talking about weight ask, "What do you hate about talking about this?" for example.
Empathize with their response.
oTalk openly; let them know what you have learned about biology of weight loss and consider with them the downsides of excess weight and benefits of weight loss.
Jot some of the thoughts and feelings down.
Discuss the life changing benefits of weight loss oResearch shows people can experience major improvements in weight even by losing 5to 10lbs.
oKids, who have attended Wellspring programs, say the feel better about their appearance, enjoy going shopping; enjoy being physically active and feel more open to making friends.
oParents can help their teens by asking them in as much detail as possible to imagine what it would feel like to be thinner such as what could they do as a thinner person that they would not now? Create a decision balance sheet to motivate oStart by finding out where losing weight is prioritized in life.
(Both parent and child can do this) oUse the decision balance sheet we provide to help analyze the possible advantages and disadvantages of losing weight.
This involves 1) Selecting a specific goal of weight loss for the next year that is difficult but achievable 2) Writing out the pros and cons 3) Reviewing and rating each Pro and Con on a ten point scale 4) Balancing the ratings with an average.
In most cases the good things outweigh the challenges.
Keep it positive oExpectations are beliefs about what will happen.
If you expect to succeed, you realty might.
If you expect to fail, you probably won't succeed.
oAppreciate the challenges of weight control with every opportunity and "catch them being good".
This will go a long way towards keeping motivated.
Cue instead of nag oCues are words that stimulate or suggest appropriate actions without insisting on those actions.
oA child cannot be nagged into successful weight control.
oCuing involves empathy, allowing responsibility to lie with the child and being available to discuss and feelings that they may be facing.
So rather than "I don't get why you are eating those chips right after dinner," it can be more helpful to try, "I'm noticing the bowl of chips and I'm assuming you have just eaten dinner.
I know this is your program but I wanted to let you know I am here if you want to talk about anything.
" oRemember tone tends to communicate more than words.
Minimize negative comments, including teasing oAgreeing to limit teasing or little jokes can help weight controllers feel more positive.
oEncourage enforcing the ban on teasing oBe equipped with retorts when teasing takes place.
"That's not funny at all to me.
" This lets the teaser know comments are hurtful not humorous.
Encourage positive self support oCarrying an image such as a picture of being slimmer or heavier can help the weight controller remember their goal.
Finally, consider residential treatment if you child is significantly overweight.
Wellspring Camps and Academies offers the most effective, scientifically based treatment for obese and overweight adolescents and young adults.