 Childhood Obesity Leads to Weighty Health Issues
BCHS offers tips for a healthy Halloween
In the past 20 years, the number of our nation's children who are overweight has doubled according to records kept by the National Institutes of Health. That is hardly surprising given that adolescents spend more time in front of computer monitors, televisions, and video screens than ever before.
While overweight children often face teasing, the emotional toll can be accompanied by physical illness such as sleep apnea, asthma, liver disease and orthopaedic problems.
"In addition to health issues they experience as children, extra weight can also lead to conditions they will need to manage for the rest of their life," says Dr. Forrest Robart, medical director for the Battle Creek Health System Wound Healing Center and Hyperbaric Medicine. "Many obese children have high cholesterol and blood pressure levels. There has even been an alarming increase of children with type 2 diabetes which is usually classified as adult on-set diabetes."
In a call to action to prevent childhood obesity, the Office of the Surgeon General noted that overweight adolescents have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight or obese adults.
The report suggested parents concerned with their children's weight should consult their doctors and other healthcare professionals who can help rule out rare medical problems which might cause unhealthy weight and assess if a child's weight is unhealthy.
When helping children lose pounds, most experts agree that parents should concentrate on small changes that can gradually become lifetime habits.
Halloween can be a particularly scary time for parents who want to help children lose weight. The staff at the BCHS Wound Healing Center offers these tips:
- Be sure children eat dinner before trick or treating to minimize late night snacking.
- Break up the candy they receive into smaller amounts to be enjoyed over a period of time.
- Mix candy corn and M&M's into a healthy trail mix that offers more nutrition and less candy per serving.
- Search the Internet and family magazines for healthy treats. Deviled eggs can easily become monster eyes and Halloween cookie cutters turn sandwiches and cheese slices into frighteningly fun food.
- Give out stickers, sugar free gum, pretzels or low calorie snack packs, party favors or other treats so you don't risk having left over candy in the house.
- Shift the focus away from food by carving a pumpkin, making costumes or taking in a local autumn fair.
- Physical activity is an important part of weight loss. Take a walk with your children to find fall leaves, go horseback riding, or take a bike ride through the neighborhood to choose the house you would want to haunt if you were a ghost.
- It is important not to use food as a reward or punishment so let children enjoy Halloween but help them make healthy choices that will not haunt them for years to come.
Partnered with National Healing, the Battle Creek Health System Wound Healing Center specializes in the treatment of chronic wounds and non-responsive conditions and offers hospital-based outpatient wound care and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
For more information on treating wounds, call the Battle Creek Health System Wound Healing Center at (269) 966-8560.
Battle Creek Health System, sponsored by two parent organizations--Trinity Health (the fourth largest Catholic health system in the U.S. with 12 hospitals, 9 nursing homes, 19 senior house facilities, 8 home health care agencies, and 4 hospices in Michigan alone) and BCHS Community Partners, is accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Battle Creek Health System as a recipient of the 2008 HealthGrades Orthopaedic Surgery Excellence Award(tm). HealthGrades is a leading health care information company that provides objective 'report card' ratings nationwide. BCHS provides excellent health care for the community and promotes wellness for the whole person with access and compassion for all. For the latest medical information, visit the BCHS web site at www.bchealth.com or call the BCHS Marketing Department at (269) 966-8132.
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