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To Your Health:
To Your Health:
The Problem Just Keeps Getting Heavier
August, 2002
By Nancy DiMarco, Ph.D.
Five Texas cities recently received the “weighty”
honor of being named among the FATTEST cities in the nation.
The fourth annual report by Men's Fitness magazine hit
the stands in January and gave Houston the dubious distinction of
being America's fattest city, again. The other Texas cities on
the list include Dallas at No. 5 (up from 16th last
year), San Antonio (7th), Fort Worth (8th,
up from 11th last year) and El Paso (15th,
down from 14th last year).
More frightening than Texans' expanding girths is the rising
number of overweight children. According to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 25 percent of children and
adolescents are overweight or are at risk of becoming obese.
Overweight adolescents have a 70 percent chance of becoming
overweight or obese adults. That risk increases to 80 percent if
one or both parents are overweight or obese.
Among children ages 5 to 11 who are overweight, 61 percent
have one or more cardiovascular disease risk factors such as
elevated cholesterol levels or high blood pressure. The obesity
epidemic also has resulted in an increase in Type 2 diabetes
among adolescents.
THE REASONS WHY
American kids are simply not getting enough exercise.
The use of the car discourages walking and bicycling. Fewer
than 20 percent of students living within a one-mile radius of
their school actually walk to school. Poor community planning has
resulted in neighborhoods that have inadequate parks and
recreation facilities. Parents' concern about children's safety
has curbed both the amount of time and places children are
allowed to play outdoors. And computers, video games and
television viewing hold greater appeal for children than games
that require physical activity. Children ages 12-17 watch
television an average of four hours a day, according to a
National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (1996), which
studied 17,766 middle and high school students.
The lack of physical activity is not made up in school either.
According to the same National Longitudinal Study of
Adolescent Health, only 21 percent of middle and high school
students participate in physical education classes at least once
a week. The CDC says that almost 50 percent of young people
between the ages of 12 and 21 and more than a third of high
school students get no vigorous exercise on a regular basis.
Girls, and particularly minority girls, are especially
vulnerable to less activity. On average, girls are less active
than boys and once they reach middle school, girls' participation
in PE drops off dramatically.
On the upside, a bill passed by the Texas Legislature and
signed by the governor in the last session requires daily
physical activity for students through the sixth grade, although
the details are still being worked out.
Nutritionally, children are eating too much fat, too many
sweets and only half the recommended five servings of fruits and
vegetables. Children are also consuming more than three daily
servings of “junk” food or nutrient-poor choices such
as soft drinks, fast food, candy and salty snacks.
ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM
For children who are already overweight, aggressive medical
intervention and treatment are recommended, beginning with a
thorough physical examination to rule out any serious health
problems. A registered dietitian (R.D.) may also need to be
consulted. After that, weight gain should be carefully monitored.
In addition, the child needs to participate in regular
physical activity. And strong parental support is a must.
Parents must set the standard, both by avoiding overeating and
by encouraging physical activity for themselves and their
children. By playing with their children — tossing a ball,
running, walking, skipping, jumping rope or pick-up games of
basketball or volleyball — parents can lead by example and
teach their children that physical activity is fun and makes them
feel great.
Schools also can play an important role in helping children
maintain healthy lifestyles. One of the most important ways is to
change the way PE classes are structured.
Making fitness fun and leaving no one on the bench is the
paradigm shift that must happen to make physical education
relevant in students' lives. The "new" PE class being
advocated by the National Institutes of Health means doing away
with competitive team sports that marginalize students as well as
the dreaded fitness tests that have humiliated many.
Adding a variety of games and activities, especially for
smaller groups, allows everyone to participate and find something
they enjoy and will do long after the class is over. For those
who are athletically inclined, team sports are great but for
those who are out of shape, overweight or self-conscious, the new
PE class may be a real lifesaver.
By taking an aggressive approach to solving childhood obesity,
we — as parents, educators, friends and relatives — can
show our children the benefits of healthy eating and physical
activity so that their generation can be known as the fittest,
not the fattest.
Dr. Nancy DiMarco is a research professor in the Department
of Nutrition and Food Sciences, the nutrition coordinator for the
Institute for Women's Health and coordinator of the master's
program in Exercise and Sports Nutrition at Texas Woman's
University. She can be reached at ndimarco@twu.edu.
Tips To Encourage Good Nutrition And Fun Fitness With Your
Children
- Limit the amount of time spent watching TV or computer
use to no more than one hour per day.
- Encourage children to walk or ride bicycles by doing
those activities with them.
- Demand more school breakfast and lunch options that are
low in fat and calories and fewer vending machines that
sell junk foods.
- Model good nutrition behaviors at home by keeping the
house stocked with fruits, vegetables and milk. Save soft
drinks and snacks for occasional treats.
- Pack lunches together to show children the adults are as
committed to healthy choices, too.
- Build regular physical activity into the day. Adults need
30 minutes of moderate activity most days and children
need 60.
- Take advantage of community parks and recreation
activities
For Further Information Contact:
Roy Kron
Director of News and Information
Tel: (940) 898-3456
e-mail: rkron@twu.edu
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