HEALTHY HABITS IN CHILDREN

7.  Live a smoke-free life.
8.  Monitor kids’ activities—different media (Internet, television, etc.) and friends are serious influences in their lives.
9.  Teach children healthy habits—the behaviors parents model are the building blocks for their children’s behaviors.
10. Provide love and support.
All of these tips are important to children’s health. But, right now, one of the biggest barriers to children’s health is being overweight or obese (the CDC reports that obesity is “having excess body fat”). The CDC also notes that, in 2012, one-third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese in the U.S. Children who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of developing serious medical issues. These include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, joint problems, mental illness, obesity in adulthood and certain cancers.
Dana L. Rofey, PhD, is an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh and psychologist in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. She says, “Excess weight is a concern for children. For years, we thought it was an education issue—people not getting the correct information. The more I work with patients on a daily basis, the more I see that many of us have the information. People just need more tools to feel motivated to enact the information that they have.”
Some populations face a bigger battle, too. “Obesity exists in disproportionately high rates in Hispanic and non-Hispanic African American youths than in non-Hispanic white youths,” says Dr. Rofey. “It’s also more common in low-income populations. Some families have barriers to having a healthy weight. Health care providers can give people lists of healthy foods and physical activity recommendations. But the likelihood of those happening and the family being successful is not optimal. We need to have a patient-centered approach to best understand how we, as providers, can be helpful to our patients.”
So, what can parents and children do? Dr. Rofey recommends that providers allow their patients to be the experts in their own lives. She suggests setting individualized, manageable goals and that families use the well-known “5-2-1-0” rule:
• 5 or more fruits and vegetables a day
• 2 hours or less of recreational screen time (no televisions in rooms and no television viewing for children younger than 2)
• 1 hour or more of physical activity a day
• 0 sugary drinks (but more water and low-fat milk)
There are many ways for kids to be physically active. They can do things as basic as playing outside or walking. Parents can help them get involved in local YMCA youth programs, after-school fitness programs, Girls on the Run (training for 5K races and life lessons—https://gotrmagee.org/) or Fit United (www.uwacfitunited.org/), among others.
As always, talk with a health care provider about any individual questions. With the proper help, most children who are overweight or obese can improve their health outcomes.