Parents often do not recognize that their children are overweight or are not worried about these extra pounds, a new study shows.
The study, published in Pediatrics, included 223 children. Almost 40% of children were overweight or at risk of becoming overweight.Few parents of overweight children and risk of overweight recognized their child so overweight or were worried, "wrote Kathryn Eckstein, MD and colleagues, observing that past studies had similar results.
Eckstein team wants the standard to change, since the recognition of a weight matter is the first step for treatment. So they came with several ways in which parents can take control of the topic sensitive to the weight of children.
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Parents were more likely to recognize the problem of their child's weight and worry about this if a doctor had mentioned, the study shows.
"I think it was really important and kind of encouraging the discovery, that if the doctors indicated concerns, that this can increase the level of concern of the parents," Nancy Krebs, MD, MS, says WebMD.
Krebs co-preside the task force of the American Academy of Pediatrics in obesity. She is also a pediatric teacher of the University of the Medical School of Colorado.
Parents can ask doctors if their child's weight is accompanying growth. Waiting for a doctor approaching the topic is not necessary.In the study of Eckstein, most of the parents of overweight children or almost overweight said they did not remember a doctor mentioning the problem of their child's weight. These reports were not confirmed.
When it comes to discussing weights from children with parents, "so many documents do not want to go there," Krebs says. "They do not want to talk about it."
She sees several reasons for that reluctance. "One is that there is a perception that you can not do anything about it, and ... that parents do not want to change, they do not want to talk about it."
"is considered a sensitive topic," continues Krebs. It adds that some doctors can get frustrated when they bring the topic and then do not see changes in their patients.
"are huge problems. They are not easy," says Krebs, talking about behavioral changes - how to eat healthier and boost physical activity - which can take back to a normal weight.
Parents were more concerned about the extra pounds of their children if their children were less active or slower than their peers, the study shows.
Evaluate children's fitness could help signal the problem, notes Eckstein.
Ideally, parents would recognize weight problems before children started getting late, Krebs says. "At the moment they are at this point, it is already far away," she explains.
Will children get your baby fat? Some people think so, and "some children do," says Eckstein.But others are heavy in adulthood. "Unfortunately, in our current environment, I do not think it's probability as high as I used to overcome it," Krebs says.
Being overweight is associated with health problems, some of whom begin in childhood, says Krebs. But not all overweight people have health problems and finance does not guarantee health.
"This is a very broad issue," she says. "It involves schools; involves advertising; involves our communities and how they are configured ... it is very wide," she says. "It's not a matter of just what parents are offering food.
"But in the nucleus, parents need to be involved," he continues. "It's a problem of society, but there are things that the individual family can do."
She suggests well-known steps, such as healthy eating, not going on temporary diets, limiting the sofa potato time, eating breakfast, keeping TVs out of the children's rooms and leaving for physical activity.
The point is not to go to the sea or make the kids feel bad about their bodies, but promote healthy habits that last all their lives.
Comparing your child with other children may not be useful.
Much more children - and adults - are overweight than in the past. About 16% of US children with 6 to 19 years were overweight in 1999-2002, says CDC. This is an increase of 45% since the late 80's and early 90's.
"We got a distorted view than normal," says Krebs. "Because it is so common now to be overweight, children who are actually normal weight may seem fine."
She adds that it is often difficult to tell if a child is slightly overweight based on the appearance alone. Growth graphics and IMC graphics can show if a child is on the right track, Krebs says.
She offers this advice to parents:
- Start defining a good example in relation to food, physical activity and leisure activity.
- Play actively with your children and support opportunities for them to be physically active.
- Reduce opportunities for sedentary behavior, such as TV time.
- Celebrate your child's successes and encourage them on all avenues of your life, not just in relation to your weight.
