Child Obesity — A Growing Trend

Three decades ago, childhood obesity was a phrase that rarely — if ever — escaped the mouths of physicians. Now, obesity has become an epidemic among children and teens. In fact, this is the first generation of children that may not outlive their parents. What’s happened?

Shine recently spoke with Nancy Krebs, MD, MS, Professor of Pediatrics and Medical Director of the Clinical Nutrition Department and the GoodLIFE Clinic at The Children’s Hospital, about this troubling trend.

Shine: What are some of the biggest factors that contribute to childhood obesity?
Dr. Krebs: Some of the major factors include the high frequency of eating meals away from home, large portion sizes, consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and lack of physical activity.

Shine: What are some practical ways parents can fight obesity?
Dr. Krebs: Eating meals in the home is one of the best ways to promote healthy eating habits and appropriate portion sizes. Restaurants often serve very large portions, and it is hard to stop eating when there are tasty foods left on the plate. However, if you do eat outside the home, consider splitting portions. It is also important to limit intake of sodas and other drinks that contain added sugar. Keeping healthy snacks on hand and encouraging kids to drink water to stay hydrated also can help.

Shine: The American Academy of Pediatrics says that children and teens should watch no more than two hours of television daily. What else can parents do?
Dr. Krebs: Remove televisions and computers from children’s bedrooms, and encourage them to spend a set amount of time outside every day. Limiting the amount of “screen time” kids can have will help create more time for children to play outdoors and get the exercise they need to stay healthy.

If you have a question about your child’s health that you would like answered, e-mail us at mychildshealth@thechildrenshospital.org.