Preventing Childhood Obesity

Amy Hamilton, RN, BSN

Table of Contents Introduction Statistics More Statistics Percentage of Overweight Children Diseases Being Overweight may also… Screening BMI Girls BMI chart Boys BMI chart Prevention is Key! How can we help Involvement Prevention Education Improved Food Choices Increase Physical Activity Decrease Screen Time The End!

Introduction Obesity is a National Health care

crisis! Obesity has more than doubed among

youth and adolescents since 1980. Obesity affects 9 million children in

the United States alone. Cost to society for obesity is estimated

at nearly $100 billion per year.

Statistics Children in the United States are eating more

high-fat and high-sugar foods.

Children are becoming more and more physically inactive. According to APA, kids are watching 3 hours of TV per day, with a total of 5 1/2 hours total on media.

In the last two decades, the prevalence of overweight children doubled for children ages 6-11, and tripled for teenagers.

More Statistics Many U.S. schools’ have poor nutrition policies.

The media pushes the sale of high fat and high sugar foods.

CDC reports that 1/3 of US children are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight.

Obesity most commonly begins in childhood

between ages 5 and 6, and during adolescents.

Percentage of Overweight Children and Teens

Diseases: Obesity causes many weight-related diseases.

Obesity causes many weight-related diseases: High Cholesterol Diabetes Coronary Heart Disease Stroke Cancer Sleep Apnea Respiratory Problems

Being overweight may also cause:

Low self esteem

Poor body image

Teasing

Discrimination

Screening for Obesity

American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 2 categories to screen for obesity for children 2 years or older.

Children whose BMI-for-age is at or above the 95th percentile are considered overweight.

Children whose BMI-for-age falls between the 85th and 95th percentile are at risk for becoming overweight.

BMI is defined as weight in kilograms divided by square of height in meters.

In children and adolescents, obesity is defined in relation to others of same age and gender (see next 2 slides).

BMI: Body Mass Index

Girls, BMI graph

Boys, BMI graph

Prevention is KEY! One of the most important

ways to prevent obesity is by raising awareness about the problems associated with being overweight.

Education of parents and caregivers about ways to deal with childhood obesity is paramount.

How can we help Prevent childhood obesity in our area?

Educate parents and caregivers about the prevalence of obesity.

Provide parents and caregivers with resources to improve nutrition, increase physical activity, and decrease screen time for children.

Educate parents and caregivers about the prevalence of obesity.

Provide parents and caregivers with resources to improve nutrition, increase physical activity, and decrease screen time for children.

Local and StateHealth

Departments

Community-basedOrganizations

Worksites

Hospitals and HealthcareSystems

School SystemAnd

Universities

Park andRecreation Department

Prevention

Involvement occurs at many levels

Education focuses on 3 areas:

1. Improved Food Choices

2. Increased Physical Activity

3. Decreased Screen Time

Improved Food Choices

Parents and caregivers CAN make a difference in their child's eating habits.

Choose foods that are low in fat and calories.

Eat out no more than one time a week. Monitor portion size. Useful Resource:

Increased Physical Activity

The HHS/USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that children and teens be physically active for at least 60 minutes on most, if not all, days.

Limit Screen Time

For most Americans one of the biggest challenges to become more physically active is the amount of time spent in front of a screen- TV screen, Computer screen, or Video Game screen.

Health care professionals recommend 2 hours or less screen time per day that is not work or homework related.

The End!