Children's Health
Childhood obesity: A growing problem
Obesity has emerged as the No. 1 health problem facing children in the United States, according to a report from the National Institute of Health.
Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the last 30 years. The percentage of obese children ages 6 to 11 increased from 6.5 percent in 1980 to 19.6 percent in 2008, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
These alarming rates have pushed national organizations such as the Elk Grove Village-based American Academy of Pediatrics to team up with first lady Michelle Obama and the White House last month in launching “Let’s Move,” an initiative to reduce the nation’s population of overweight and obese children by encouraging healthier eating and increased physical activity.
Obesity inches down in young Chicago children, but rates still much higher than nationally
There’s a glimmer of hope in new data on obesity in Chicago kids.
The percentage of Chicago youngsters aged 3 to 7 who are obese fell to 22 percent in 2008, from 24 percent in 2003.
That’s according to the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children. The consortium’s Dr. Adam Becker says the 2 percent drop represents about 700 fewer obese children.
Childhood obesity gains, losses
Fewer Chicago kids entering kindergarten and first grade were obese in 2008 vs. five years earlier. But children in Chicago are still more likely to be fatter than kids nationwide and, by sixth grade, more than one in four kids here is obese.
Those are the key findings of a new study by the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children that suggests that efforts to fight childhood obesity in Chicago might be starting to have an effect but also reflects how daunting the problem is.
Efforts here to attack early childhood obesity “seem to be making a difference,” said Adam Becker, executive director of the Chicago consortium, based at Children’s Memorial Hospital. “But we still have a lot of work to do.”
Sleep apnea as common as asthma in German kids
A new German study suggests that about 3 percent of school-age children may have the nighttime breathing disorder sleep apnea—similar to the country’s rate of childhood asthma.
The findings suggest that there needs to be greater awareness of sleep apnea as a problem among children, researchers report in the European Respiratory Journal.
Obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, occurs when the soft tissues at the back of the throat temporarily collapse during sleep, causing repeated breathing interruptions. The major symptoms include loud snoring and daytime sleepiness owing to a lack of deep sleep at night.
Play a role in helping to end childhood obesity
First Lady Michelle Obama recently launched a new campaign, Let’s Move, designed to eliminate childhood obesity in a generation.
“It’s an ambitious goal, but we don’t have time to wait,” said Mrs. Obama.
Combating childhood obesity will be quite an undertaking, considering that the number of obese children in the U.S. has quadrupled since 1960. Most obese adolescents become obese adults, setting the stage for dangerous health conditions, such as heart disease, stroke and some forms of cancer. Currently, some 32 percent of America’s children are overweight or obese.
Striking number of obesity risks hit minority kids
The odds of obesity appear stacked against black and Hispanic children starting even before birth, provocative new research suggests.
The findings help explain disproportionately high obesity rates in minority children. Family income is often a factor, but so are cultural customs and beliefs, the study authors said.
They examined more than a dozen circumstances that can increase chances of obesity, and almost every one was more common in black and Hispanic children than in whites. Factors included eating and sleeping habits in infancy and early childhood and mothers smoking during pregnancy
Startling obesity risks hit minority kids and troubling inflammation seen in obese 3-year-olds
The odds of obesity appear stacked against black and Hispanic children starting even before birth, provocative new research suggests.
The findings help explain disproportionately high obesity rates in minority children. Family income is often a factor, but so are cultural customs and beliefs, the study authors said.
They examined more than a dozen circumstances that can increase chances of obesity, and almost every one was more common in black and Hispanic children than in whites. Factors included eating and sleeping habits in infancy and early childhood and mothers smoking during pregnancy.
Takeaway ban near schools to help fight child obesity
Councils pledge to limit growth of fast-food outlets as nutritionists bid to make meals healthier – without customers noticing.
Councils across England are banning new takeaways from opening within 400 yards of any school, youth club or park, in an attempt to tackle the growing toll of obesity, strokes and heart disease.
Waltham Forest in east London was the first to begin turning down applications from people who want to set up takeaways near schools or young people’s facilities and now at least 15 other local authorities either have, or plan to, follow the example.
ChildCare Education Institute Supports the First Lady’s Efforts to Reduce Childhood Obesity
ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI) gives child care professionals the opportunity to aid the campaign against childhood obesity. Child care staff can enroll in HLTH100: Early Childhood Obesity, at no cost, and learn strategies for combating childhood obesity.
Child care providers are responsible for ensuring the health of the children in their care, including providing healthy food choices. HLTH100: Early Childhood Obesity provides child care staff with practical strategies to address childhood obesity in the early care setting. Students will learn to define obesity, identify the causes of obesity and determine risk factors. Students completing the course will be awarded 0.1 IACET CEU and receive a certificate of completion.
“This is an outstanding opportunity for child care staff to learn new skills and aid in the campaign to reduce childhood obesity. The knowledge gained from completing HLTH100: Early Childhood Obesity has the potential to affect over 14 million children currently in early child care settings. If every child care provider completed the course and implemented the strategies in their classroom, it would make a huge impact on the campaign against childhood obesity,” said Maria C. Taylor, President and CEO of CCEI.
Obesity Related Strokes on the Rise in America’s Youth
Strokes have always been associated with the elderly population but that is changing according to a new study. The study revealed some startling information about the dramatic increase of strokes in people under the age of 45.
The group that saw the biggest increase were young whites between 20 and 45 years old. The statistics show that 25 out of 100,000 individuals are likely to have a stroke. This number is up from just 12 in 100,000. The average age of a stroke victim in 1993 was 71, today it is 68.
Dr. Brett Kissela led the study after treating a high level of stroke patients under the age of 50. Kissela based his results on patient information collected between 1993 and 2005 from five counties in Ohio and Kentucky. Kentucky has one of the highest childhood obesity rates in the country with 38 percent of the youth considered to be obese.
Jamba Juice Jumps onto Child Obesity Bandwagon
Jamba Juice announced today a new school lunch program to help schools offer their students a better-for-you beverage alternative in the school cafeteria. The Jamba Juice School Lunch Program provides schools with the ability to purchase and sell Jamba Juice’s All Fruit(TM) smoothie line at fixed and reduced prices. Healthy, refreshing All Fruit(TM) smoothies are made with real whole fruit, juice, and ice.
Part of Jamba’s overall commitment to promoting health, wellness and physical activity among the nation’s students, the new program follows the Company’s record breaking “Jamba Jump Day(TM)” event earlier this month. Hosted by Jamba Juice in partnership with the California Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (CAHPERD), the event activated more than 88,000 California children and adults to break the Guinness Book of World Records’ record for “the most people jumping or skipping rope at the same time.” Today’s announcement builds upon the momentum of Jamba Jump Day(TM) with the goal of helping parents, teachers and students successfully address the problem of childhood obesity through nutrition education and healthier choices in school cafeterias.
“Jamba is proud of these innovative programs that provide a unique ability to bring health-oriented choices to our schools and students,” said James D. White, President and CEO, Jamba Juice Company. “These programs also highlight our passion to promote greater physical fitness activities in schools and communities throughout the United States.”
Childhood Obesity
It was the launch event of ‘Lets Beat It Together’ at the Moreton Community Centre in Maryland Lane today, and was officially opened by the Deputy Mayor. I was invited to attend so went with Cllr Chris Blakeley.
The aim of the event, organised by Slimming World, was to raise awareness of childhood obesity and the outcome if we do not make changes to our lifestyles. There were about 50 people present, with displays from Slimming World, the British Heart Foundation, NHS Wirral, showing ideas how to produce healthy meals on a budget; highlighting changes to a youngsters lunch box to include more healthy snacks and with the help of local leisure centres – how to encourage more activity in our lives. There was a salsa class, yoga exercises and face painting.
Obesity ‘tipping point before age 2
The “tipping point” in obesity often occurs before age 2 and sometimes as early as 3 months, U.S. researchers found.
Principal investigator Dr. John Harrington, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters and of Eastern Virginia Medical School, and colleagues examined records from a pediatric practice of 111 children whose body mass index exceeded 85 percent of that of the general population.
Researchers determined that these children had started gaining weight in infancy at an average rate of .08 excess body mass index units per month. On average, the progression began when the children were 3 months old.
If children won’t go to school
Children and adolescents who refuse to attend school should not be given doctors’ sick notes. In the current issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2010; 107[4]), child and adolescent psychiatrist Martin Knollmann and colleagues explain the causes of school avoidance and describe measures to tackle the problem.
Truancy assumes psychiatric relevance only if it occurs frequently and is accompanied by psychiatric symptoms. Children typically play truant for the first time at the age of about 11 years, whereas anxiety related school avoidance occurs in children as young as 6 years. School avoiders seem to be exposed to more stressful life events, but physical disorders such as asthma or obesity may also play a part.
In contrast to truancy, of which parents are usually unaware, children displaying school avoiding behavior often stay at home. They often express fears and anxieties, especially in the morning, and complain of diffuse physical symptoms.
Three Routines to Help Cut Obesity Risk in Kids
Experts say one out of every eight kids under the age of five is overweight or obese in this country.
For the first time, a study in the journal Pediatrics outlines three household routines that can dramatically reduce the risk of obesity in your kids.
The first routine is sitting down to dinner every night as a family.
