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| Advice on Childhood Obesity |
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| Professor Jane Wardle, an expert on childhood obesity, gives her advice on helping children lose weight. |
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| Why do young kids become obese? |
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The causes are not yet fully understood. Both genes and the environment play a role.
The recent increase in obesity seems to be linked to environmental factors:
People are much less active nowadays
Fatty and sugary foods are more accessible
The average portion sizes have become larger
The calories per mouthful have increased
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| Should kids ever be made to finish what's on their plate? |
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| Don't force children to eat more when they say they are full - otherwise they could lose
their ability to naturally regulate what they eat. Before serving up a second portion, wait a few minutes.
It takes some time for the messages that tell us we have had enough to eat to reach the brain. |
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| Should I tell my child off for being fat? |
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| Your child may already feel upset about their weight. Telling them off will
only make them feel worse and may add to the problem if they then turn to food for comfort. Don't single out your
child as the one with the problem. The whole family can make healthy changes to their lifestyle. |
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| Is it worth forbidding fattening foods? |
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| Forbidding certain foods can make them seem more attractive. Teach your child about the health value of foods,
particularly those that are rich in vitamins and nutrients. Make your home a healthy food zone. Fill up the fruit bowl instead of buying
biscuits and crisps. Your child is likely to model themselves on your behaviour, so choose healthy food options whenever possible. |
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| Should I offer my child a choice of food? |
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| Research has shown that when there is more choice available we tend to eat more. Even the sight or smell of
tempting food can override the body's natural mechanism of regulation, so we eat when we're not hungry. You might want to offer your
child a choice, but keep the options to a minimum. |
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| Are 'weight management camps' a good way to treat obesity? |
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| They can be. One of the problems is keeping that weight off. If the child comes home and none of the family
members have altered their eating habits, improvements may be difficult to sustain. |
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| When would you recommend surgery to tackle obesity? |
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| If a child has massive obesity and his or her health is being put at serious risk, then all options have to be considered.
Surgical treatments have shown good results in adults, but there are serious risks. Performing surgery on children would raise some difficult issues. |
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| At what age should kids be treated for obesity? |
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| Parents of even young children can make sure the family changes to a healthy lifestyle rather than targeting weight loss specifically.
Children grow at different rates and many overweight children will 'grow out of it' as they grow taller. Few treatments are targeted at children under the age of seven years.
From age eight to 10, a child who is obese should have a medical evaluation to assess the severity of the problem. The older your child is, the less likely they are to grow out of it.
A 15-year-old who is overweight is likely to remain so in adulthood. |
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| Source: www.bbc.co.uk and Professor Jane Wardle is the Director of the Health Behaviour Unit at University College, London. |
