Childhood obesity rates have more than tripled since the 1970s. Recent data show that nearly 1 in 5 children and young adults in the United States, ages 6 to19, are obese. This problem has plagued American children for quite some time, but even with increased awareness, it doesn’t seem to be getting much better. Experts from Public Health England say children in the U.K. are struggling just the same. According to a recent study, 38.1% of 11-year-olds in the U.K. will be obese within the next five years, and 4 in 10 children will leave primary school overweight.
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September is Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, so it seems like a good time to send out a reminder of just how widespread and serious this problem is. The modern-day food system has become exceedingly reliant on high-fructose corn syrup, refined grains, processed foods and artificial sweeteners, all of which are part of a recipe for big-time weight gain. A poor diet full of sugar and ultraprocessed ingredients, combined with a sedentary lifestyle of watching television and playing video games, is a recipe for disaster.
Childhood obesity drastically raises the risk for many other serious health problems, including impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance and diabetes, cardiovascular disease, breathing problems such as asthma and sleep apnea, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, joint problems, fatty liver disease and more. On top of physical health, childhood obesity can also seriously affect a child’s mental and emotional health.
If your child is struggling, try these tips to help education them about a healthy lifestyle and get their body back on track to health:
- Replace sugary juices and soft drinks with water
- Offer plenty of health and nutritious whole foods at meal times
- Decrease or eliminate TV and screen time and remove the TV from your child’s bedroom
- Increase your child’s physical activity
- Help your child address emotional eating
- Lead by example and seek to maintain a healthy body weight
- Encourage your child to make healthy food choices and praise them when they do
- Cook healthy meals for your family and let your child be involved in making dinner
- Have healthy snacks available but do not use food as a reward or punishment
- Never make jokes about your child’s weight or compare his or her weight to siblings or others