3 Guidelines For Childhood Obesity Prevention

In the US, 17% or over 9 million children over the age of 6 are considered to be overweight. They are prone to debilitating diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Even worse, they have a greater chance of turning into obese adults and ending up with a lifelong problem. They may also suffer from the psychological trauma of being teased or excluded from peer activities because of their weight.

How can you prevent your child from becoming another part of our nationwide obesity problem? Here are three guidelines to help you help your child. The first, of course, is controlling the family’s diet and eating habits at home. The second is making sure you child participates in physical activity. The third is getting involved with your child’s school by joining the Healthy Schools Program.

Sometimes it is very difficult to monitor exactly what your child is eating. While you can’t be with him every minute of the day, there are steps you can take to improve his diet. First of all, set a good example. Keep healthy snack foods in your home and encourage your child to eat fruits instead of fried or sugary snacks. Try to eat dinner together as a family as many nights per week as possible and make those dinners a positive experience. Don’t use food, especially restaurant fast food, as a reward or punishment.

If you sit and watch TV or play video games all evening, then your child will, too. As with eating habits, your example is very important. Find physical activities that the entire family can enjoy. For example, you might form kickball teams with the neighborhood kids and have a tournament. Even a walk in your local park can be an inexpensive and easy way for everyone in the family to participate. If the weather is bad, find an indoor activity like yoga or see which family member can jog in place the longest. Make it fun and give a reward to the winner.

The Alliance for Healthy Children has free resources and tools for parents who want to have a healthier school and neighborhood. The Healthy Schools Program offers toolkits, an e-newsletter, and phone conferences on numerous health topics. Get involved. Encourage your school to schedule recess, if they don’t already have it. Organize safe walking and bike riding areas. Install vending machines that dispense fruits, non-fat milk, and healthy snack bars. You not only will be helping your child, but your entire community and your neighborhood school could even receive a national recognition award because of your efforts.

Preventing childhood obesity is not hard but as a parent you have to play an active role. Set an example of good eating habits and monitor what your child is eating. Encourage healthy eating. Exercise regularly as a family and make it a priority in your home. Find activities that are appropriate for all members. Get involved in improving not only your family’s health, but also your community’s health, by increasing physical activities before, during, and after school, and making sure that school children have access to healthy snacks. You can do it!

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