Nassau County Sports Commission - Healthy Sports For Healthy Kids

Childhood Obesity

What is Childhood Obesity?

Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that affects children and adolescents. It occurs when a child is well above the normal weight for his or her age and height. Childhood obesity is particularly troubling because the extra pounds often start kids on the path to health problems that were once confined to adults, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

One of the best strategies to combat excess weight in your child is to improve the diet and exercise levels of your entire family. This helps protect the health of your child now and in the future.

Tips on Childhood Obesity Prevention

1 Provide Healthy Eating Experiences

  • Provide healthy meals and snacks that meet the requirements of USDA's Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). For children 2 years and older, plan meals to follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Use plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
  • Limit high sugar and fat foods without being overly restrictive. Fat should not be restricted in the diets of children younger than 2 years of age. Children between 2 and 5 should consume gradually diminishing amounts of fat so that by the age of 5 their diet contains no more than 30 percent of calories from fat.
  • Make mealtimes a pleasant and sociable experience. Provide opportunities to help children develop positive attitudes about healthy foods and learn appropriate eating patterns, mealtime behavior, and communication skills. Allow children to decide how much to eat. Encourage children to eat slowly. Do not use food as punishment or reward.

2 Promote Physical Activity

Physical activity is an important part of good health and helps children to maintain appropriate healthy weights. Young children need at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily. Keep it fun and safe by providing age-appropriate equipment and activities.

  • Provide daily outdoor or alternative activities during bad weather. Maximize opportunities for large motor muscle activity, such as jumping, dancing, marching, kicking, running, riding a tricycle, or throwing a ball.
  • Encourage children to keep moving by including active games and play throughout the day, such as music, dance, and make-believe. Provide toys and equipment that encourage physical activity, such as balls, hula-hoops, bubbles, and cardboard boxes.

3 Teach Health Eating Habits

  • Provide daily nutrition activities, lessons, and learning experiences to promote positive attitudes about good nutrition and health. Teaching healthy eating practices early will help children approach eating with the right attitude - that food should be enjoyed and is necessary for growth, development, and energy.
  • Help families to understand and practice healthy eating habits. Provide parents with information on children's nutrition needs and healthy eating so they can encourage young children to develop healthy eating habits.
  • Provide child care staff with appropriate nutrition and foodservice training. Staff should know the basis principles of child nutrition and the strategies for creating a positive environment. This knowledge will help promote the development of good eating habits, the importance of role modeling healthful behaviors, and healthy culinary techniques.
  • Be a role model. Set a good example for children to follow by demonstrating healthy eating behaviors and an active lifestyle. Be mindful of modeling appropriate behaviors, such as enjoying a variety of foods, being willing to taste new foods, and enjoying physical activity. Do not eat or drink anything in front of the children they are not allowed to have, such as soda, candy, or coffee.

4 Promote a Healthy Body Image

  • Be supportive. Help children to accept and feel good about themselves by supporting, accepting, and encouraging them, regardless of their body size or shape.
  • Provide opportunities for children to master skills using their bodies. Build self-esteem by praising each child's strengths.

5 Helping Overweight Children

Weight loss is not a good approach for most young children, since their bodies are growing and developing. Overweight children should not be put on a diet unless a physician supervises one for medical reasons. A restrictive diet may not supply the energy and nutrients needed for normal growth and development. For most very young children, the focus should be to maintain current weight, while the child grows normally in height. The most important strategies for preventing obesity are healthy eating behaviors, regular physical activity, and reduced sedentary activity (such as watching television and videotapes, and playing computer games). These preventative strategies are part of a healthy lifestyle that should be developed during early childhood. They can be accomplished by following the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The Dietary Guidelines provide general diet and lifestyle recommendations for healthy Americans ages 2 years and over (not for younger children and infants). The most recent edition of the Dietary Guidelines can be found on www.mypyramid.gov. Following these guidelines can help promote health and reduce risk for chronic diseases.

6 Promote a Healthy Lifestyle

Parents and caregivers can help prevent childhood obesity by providing healthy meals and snacks, daily physical activity, and nutrition education. Healthy meals and snacks provide nutrition for growing bodies while modeling healthy eating behavior and attitudes. Increased physical activity reduces health risks and helps weight management. Nutrition education helps young children develop an awareness of good nutrition and healthy eating habits for a lifetime.

Children can be encouraged to adopt healthy eating behaviors and be physically active when parents:

  • Focus on good health, not a certain weight goal. Teach and model healthy and positive attitudes toward food and physical activity without emphasizing body weight.
  • Focus on the family. Do not set overweight children apart. Involve the whole family and work to gradually change the family's physical activity and eating habits.
  • Establish daily meal and snack times, and eating together as frequently as possible. Make a wide variety of healthful foods available based on the Food Guide Pyramid for Young Children. Determine what food is offered and when, and let the child decide whether and how much to eat.
  • Plan sensible portions. Use the Food Guide Pyramid for Young Children as a guide.
  • Discourage eating meals or snacks while watching TV. Eating in front of the TV may make it difficult to pay attention to feelings of fullness and may lead to overeating.
  • Buy fewer high-calorie, low-nutrient foods. Help children understand that sweets and high-fat treats (such as candy, cookies, or cake) are not everyday foods. Don't deprive children of occasional treats, however. This can make them more likely to overeat.
  • Avoid labeling foods as "good" or "bad." All foods in moderation can be part of a healthy diet.
  • Involve children in planning, shopping, and preparing meals. Use these activities to understand children's food preferences, teach children about nutrition, and encourage them to try a wide variety of foods.
  • Make the most of snacks. Continuous snacking may lead to overeating. Plan healthy snacks at specific times. Include two food groups, for example, apple wedges and whole grain crackers. Focus on maximum nutrition - fruits, vegetables, grains, low-sugar cereals, lowfat dairy products, and lean meats and meat alternatives. Avoid excessive amounts of fruit juices, which contains calories, but fewer nutrients than the fruits they come from. A reasonable amount of juice is 4-8 ounces per day.
  • Encourage physical activity. Participate in family physical activity time on a regular basis, such as walks, bike rides, hikes, and active games. Support your children's organized physical activities. Provide a safe, accessible place outside for play.
  • Limit the amount of time children watch television, play video games, and work on the computer to 1 to 2 hours per day. The average American child spends about 24 hours each week watching television. Reducing sedentary activities helps increase physical activity.

Taken from Mealtime Memo for child care. A fact sheet for the Child and Adult Care Food Program, from the National Food Service Management Institute, The University of Mississippi.

For more information on the prevention of childhood obesity, please visit these websites.