Inspire your kids to love running with these tips

 

1 in 7 Low-Income Preschoolers Is Obese

CDC stats do show the epidemic might be slowing down among poor families

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

One in seven preschoolers from low-income families in the United States are considered obese, a new government report shows.

However, the same report finds that the news is not all bad: The childhood obesity epidemic does seem to be leveling off among children in this group.

Among 2- to 4-year-olds from low-income families, the prevalence of obesity increased from 12.4 percent in 1998 to 14.5 percent in 2003. However, it went up only to 14.6 percent in 2008, according to the July 24 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a publication of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Among lower-income, preschool-aged children, we are actually seeing a stabilization of obesity rates," said report co-author Laurence M. Grummer-Strawn, chief of CDC's Maternal Child Nutrition Branch in the Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity.

"For a number of years, we were seeing continuous rises in this obesity epidemic and it looks like over the last five years we have actually seen that rate stabilize," he said. "Of course, we are not where we want to be. We want to see much more improvement, but it's at least good news that things are not continuing to get worse."

Why obesity in this age group is stabilizing is not completely clear, Grummer-Strawn said. "There has been more emphasis on pediatric obesity among low-income populations," he said. "There have been initiatives to promote breast-feeding, initiatives to use low-fat or skim milk, initiatives to reduce television watching and shaping behaviors toward better nutrition and physical activity," he noted.

But there remains a large racial and ethnic disparity in the obesity epidemic among preschoolers, Grummer-Strawn added.

Even though the prevalence of obesity has stayed steady in many parts of the country, it is still increasing among American Indian and Alaska Native children. Among these children, the prevalence of obesity has gone up about a half-percentage point each year from 2003 to 2008, according to the report.

As a matter of fact, American Indian or Alaska Native children had the highest obesity rates in 2008, at 21.2 percent, followed by Hispanic children at 18.5 percent.

The lowest obesity rates were among white children, at 12.6 percent, Asian or Pacific Islander children, at 12.3 percent, and black children, at 11.8 percent, the report found.

Only in Colorado and Hawaii were the obesity rates 10 percent or less among poor preschoolers, and only among Indian Tribal Organizations were the obesity rates over 20 percent.

"We need to be thinking about how to change our communities to be much healthier for our children," Grummer-Strawn said.

There need to be better parks and playgrounds "so that children can get outside and play," he said. "We also need to improve access to healthier foods."

More information

For more on obesity, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SOURCES: Laurence M. Grummer-Strawn, Ph.D., Chief, Maternal Child Nutrition Branch Division, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; July 24, 2009, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

6 Ways to Teach Your Child to be Active for Life

These days, kids are spending more hours sitting at a computer then being active outside. Inactivity can have a dramatic impact on your child's health. Teach your kids the importance of staying active and healthy with these six tips.

Encourage physically strenuous activity. Young children should accumulate at least one hour of daily physical activity–running, jumping, climbing, lifting, pedaling vigorously, etc. Motivate your kids by your own example and play games or do chores with them.

Help your child increase their endurance and stamina. Stamina comes with effort and increased exertion over time. Some children will naturally go and go, using every ounce of effort they have. Others need to be encouraged to exert themselves and stretch their capabilities.

When your child plays with others, encourage games that will get all of the kids physically involved. Some group games involve a high level of activity, others are mostly waiting for turns and watching. Think of ways to adapt play to increase activity. For example, divide a large group into smaller groups so children can have more frequent turns.

You can be active indoors too. Try to turn learning activities into active opportunities. For example, when asking your child what he/she learned or read in school, ask them to act out the answer instead of just discussing it.

Engage your child's senses. Young children are sensory learners. They need to engage all of their senses to truly process information. Consider activities that reach beyond seeing and hearing to involve your child in touching and tasting.

Explore new physical skills with your child. Children like to challenge themselves and try new things. As parents, we sometimes overprotect our children from this and hinder their exploration and development. Instead, encourage your children to practice challenging tasks.

It's easy to keep your child active, and it will help them become active and healthy adults. Chances are, it will be fun quality time spent together!

 

Children’s Health