Physicals for overweight and obese children are the most challenging visits for me. I find that often when I check the patient’s growth chart, the weight is steadily climbing. Rarely, after being advised on healthy eating and dieting, patients come back in a timely fashion for follow-up or to see the nutritionist.
At times, this happens either because the parent believes that this can be handled on their own or they feel they can’t make this a priority, or they have seen family members suffer from complications of obesity and think this is just the fate of their family.
At these visits, I try to create a comfortable environment and emphasize that a healthy lifestyle is important for people of all shapes and sizes. I also discuss that children form their ideas about a healthy lifestyle by watching their parents’ behavior. Successfully developing healthy habits is often a family effort.
Here are some lessons I impart to the families I work with, many of whom are now on their way to getting healthy together:
1. Treat everyone alike. In families, there’s often the one child who can eat ice cream every day and never gain weight, but that doesn’t mean it should be allowed. If another child in the household’s health depends on it, everyone should be adopting the same eating and exercise habits. Allowing one child to eat whatever he or she wants and putting restrictions on another might cause the child to feel bad or singled out. Healthy living is not only about losing weight; it’s about adopting a routine with lifelong benefits.
[See: 8 Weird Ways Obesity Makes You Sick.]
2. If it’s not healthy for the house, don’t buy it. I advise against things like juice, soda and unhealthy snacks when advising patients on obtaining a healthy weight. Many times I hear that these are readily available in the home. Other times, I hear that these types of food are rarely in the home, but when they’re bought, the children are consuming large amounts.
Removing unhealthy foods from the household puts more of the responsibility on the parent to also make good choices for their children. The same goes for children who get allowances for food; for example, school lunches. Children need proper guidance on how to make positive food choices in environments outside the home. I tell families to pack their own healthy lunch for school when possible and provide guidance when children are making independent food choices.
[See: 7 Ways Technology Can Torpedo Your Health.]
3. Eat as a family. Eating together as a family can be very beneficial. Not only does it allow families to bond, but it can also take children away from the distractions of the cell phones and tablets. Screen time can provide distractions during eating, when children should be focusing on a meal. It can interfere with children getting to bed in a timely fashion and promote snacking even later at night.
4. Exercise together. Exercise can be fun for the family. Many families think they need to go to the gym to lose weight, but this doesn’t have to be the case. I recommend one hour of vigorous exercise daily (something that makes you sweat). Sometimes this isn’t feasible, but even small attempts at exercise such as walking to school instead of taking transportation or riding your bike for a few minutes a day can be a step in the right direction.
[See: How to Make Healthful Dietary Changes Last a Lifetime.]
When parents and their children get the news that they may be overweight or obese, it’s the family’s responsibility to incorporate healthy lifestyle changes. This should include exercise and healthy eating for all. Family teamwork is the best path to success.
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Childhood Obesity: Not Just Your Child’s Problem originally appeared on usnews.com
