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Rise in number of overweight children has many factors and many solutions By Michelle Hall
The rising weight of children has snuck up on Americans, and the sooner we take action, the better. According to David Dzewaltowski, director of the Kansas State University Research and Extension Community Health Institute, the last 10-20 years have seen a rapid increase in overweight adolescents. "It's a huge problem that's come to the forefront recently," says Sandy Procter, a registered dietitian and coordinator of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program in the department of human nutrition at K-State. "But the rise in overweight children is not a simple problem. We can't point to one factor as the cause." Procter says although researchers haven't identified all of the issues linked to overweight children, this isn't a matter that can wait. "We don't have the luxury of time when it comes to children's health," she says. "There are a lot of things we can do now to combat the problem as research continues into other contributing factors." Procter lists many different causes in the rise in overweight children. First, she says, environmental factors have contributed greatly to the issue. For example, not many children walk to school anymore, and when children return from school, they are not necessarily encouraged to go outside and play, she says. Many kid forms of entertainment are static. "There are fewer physical activity options for kids and many more sedentary options, such as playing video games and watching TV," Dzewaltowski says. But Procter says the blame can't be placed completely on television and games. "Children just aren't as safe as they used to be," she says. "Safety is a big change." Procter says many parents can't let their kids run around the neighborhood like they used to. In addition, parks and other family activity sites aren't always available and aren't always safe. "There are few bike lanes and sidewalks around many communities," said Bronwyn Fees, an assistant professor in the School of Family Studies and Human Services. "Children need to be outside not only to engage in physical activity but also to develop a sense of community and to learn to be respectful of the outdoors." Another issue is the time constraints many families face. Parents are busy and families do not sit down at the table to eat dinner, Dzewaltowski says. As a result, they start to rely on fast food -- typically high in fat, low in fruits and vegetables and a precursor to poor behavior patterns. Procter says home meals tend to be healthier -- the children typically drink milk, not soda, and eat their veggies, not French fries.
Food choices at school are also a factor. More and more schools have soda machines open all day for children's use. For lunch, milk used to be the only choice. Now, soda and fruit drinks with questionable amounts of fruit juice have become the beverages of choice. "Kids have the power to be consumers more than ever and they might not make the healthy choices," Procter says. In addition, she says, many schools have had to cut funding to nutrition and physical education. Procter acknowledges genetics definitely play a part for overweight children, but, she says, genetics can't explain the rise in the problem in the last generation. "Surely some predisposition to be overweight may be genetic, but that doesn't change in a generation," she says. "There are so many intertwining aspects that have caused a real problem." And the problem is more significant than just weight -- overweight children develop health problems once thought only to bother adults. Increasing numbers of overweight children are showing a predisposition to heart disease and are developing Type II diabetes, which has been called "adult onset" diabetes in the past. "Weight plays a significant role in health," Procter says. "Childhood is a time when energy and activity should be very high. This is when children will learn to be healthy and active and to make healthy food choices."
Image courtesy U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Summer 2003 |
"It
takes a little time and planning to create a balanced meal," she
says. "Family meals need to be a priority."