Parenting Pep Talk: Fighting Childhood Obesity
The prevalence of childhood and adolescent obesity has tripled since 1980, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Physical problems that historically affected only older, overweight adults are now affecting children.
Ailments such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, asthma, apnea, fatty liver disease, and type-2 diabetes are just a few. Excess weight also increases the risk for coronary artery disease and stroke, which are linked to changes in brain structure and impairments in learning and attention span.
There are also social and psychological repercussions, as obese children are more likely to be depressed, have low self-esteem, and to be bullied. Successful interventions do not focus solely on the child. Obesity has multiple causes, which means that multiple angles must be targeted.
“It all starts with the family,” says Leonard Epstein, Ph.D., chief of the Division of Behavioral Medicine at the University of Buffalo. “Obese kids live in families with obese parents, and kids model their parents’ behaviors.”
Many people intuitively know what over 30 years of research has shown: interventions that include diet, physical activity, and behavioral change are most successful at reducing weight. Less obvious, however, is what Epstein highlights in his research. He has found that children lose more weight when interventions focus more on what to eat, rather than on what not to eat. When the focus is on increasing fruits and vegetables rather than on avoiding high-calorie foods, children actually become healthier.
Despite this research, most obesity treatment plans focus on telling people what they shouldn’t eat.
Think of it like this: If I tell you not to picture a pink elephant, what it the first image that pops into your head? I’ll bet it is a pink elephant! If you constantly focus on what not to eat, children are more likely to obsess over those foods. They also tend to find and hide the snacks they want, especially when repeatedly told to avoid them.
Denise Wilfley, Ph.D, director of Weight Management and Eating Disorders Program at Washington University says that parents need to engineer healthy home environments. Remove TVs from bedrooms, limit computer time, and learn to prepare nutritious foods on a budget. “There’s a lot of room for making healthy fruits and vegetables a default choice”, she says, “but it takes a lot of conscious decision-making and going out of your way.”
The holiday season poses numerous challenges for healthy individuals as well as for overweight or obese individuals. Most of us have an exceptionally easy time gaining weight and find it excruciatingly difficult to shed the pounds. The culprit during the holidays isn’t just the food. During the holidays children tend to lead sedentary lifestyles. Snuggling in front of the TV with hot chocolate and cookies seems picture-perfect. While afternoons like that can be great, there are other ways to commemorate the holidays. Try incorporating football games, relay races, or snowman building into the mix. Ice-skating is a treat enjoyed mostly during this time of year but other indoor favorites like bowling are also available. Strive for consistency as much as possible to maintain health and wellness and prevent obesity throughout the year. We all consume more calories during the holidays, but consistent exercise can help to lessen the pitfalls of these celebratory times.
Dr. Jaime Black is a licensed psychologist practicing in Westchester and New York City. In addition to providing general mental health services, Jaime works with individuals of all ages on the autism spectrum, doing psychotherapy, conducting evaluations, and facilitating social skills groups. Visit www.spectrumservicesnyc.com, e-mail JaimeBlackPsyD@gmail.com or call (914)712-8208
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