Overcoming childhood obesity

Between 16 and 33 percent of children and adolescents are obese. Dr. Tyrone Bristol, a pediatrician at Albany Medical Center, said overcoming childhood obesity is especially difficult in a society in which food is readily available in large quantities.

Between 16 and 33 percent of children and adolescents are obese. Dr. Tyrone Bristol, a pediatrician at Albany Medical Center, said overcoming childhood obesity is especially difficult in a society in which food is readily available in large quantities. “When you look at the general calories, amount of calories consumed, it’s a lot bigger, larger portion sizes. We’re eating a lot more fast food,” he said.Our society has also become more sedentary. With the onset of computer and video games, children are simply not getting enough exercise. As a result, doctors are seeing children with sleep apnea and Type-2 diabetes, a condition previously seen only in adults.”Having a disease at 12 for example, Type- 2 diabetes, now impacts on your entire life. And that has completely to do with calories and your weight,” Bristol said. All that extra weight can also lead to orthopedic problems. In fact doctors are seeing an increase in broken bones, not only as a result of obesity, but because children are overweight and undernourished.”Issues with the hips — when you see types of fractures in the hips and usually you have to have orthopedic surgery and you have to have a pin placed in your hip, but then you have a higher chance of arthritis when you are older,” Bristol said.Not only does obesity cause physical problems for children, the emotional impact it has can be just as devastating.”A lot of children and adolescents get depressed because they’re trying to manage their weight and they get teased,” Bristol said.Bristol said parents too often ignore childhood obesity because they believe it is something their child will simply grow out of. “A 10-year-old has about a 50-percent chance of being overweight or obese as a 25-year-old. So half of the kids may outgrow it and the others may not,” he said.Bristol said conquering obesity in children should be done one step at a time. Provide your children with more fruits and vegetables and less candy and soda. Also, encourage your children to log off the computer and get on a bike.(Source: Health Team 9 (US), June 2004)