IS MY BABY OVERWEIGHT DOCTOR?

By: Sanjay Shah, M.D.

Many mothers ask that question during the first year of their child’s life due to the fact that weight and height are closely monitored during frequent visits to the pediatrician.  In fact only one out of ten overweight infants grow up to be overweight adults.  The weight questions becomes all too important as your child grows older.

Obesity is a growing epidemic in the United States.  Up to 1/3rd of American adults are overweight.  This is due, in part, to our increasingly sedentary lifestyle and commercialization of the fast food industry.

First we must begin to examine the complications of obesity.  We all know obesity leads to premature heart disease, but very few people are aware that the process starts in early childhood.  Growing numbers of children are being diagnosed with adult type diabetes.  Obesity in teenagers are associated with low self-esteem and depression.  Obesity also puts strain on your joints causing early arthritis.  Obesity has also been linked to higher risk for breast and prostate cancer.

You may be asking, who is at risk?  You can decide if your child is at risk by answering a few simple questions.  Children with parents who are overweight tend to be overweight (obesity is partly genetic).  A ten-year-old who is overweight is much more likely to be an overweight adult than a 2 year old who is overweight.  The older the child the higher the risk.  If your youngster spends much of his/her time in front of the TV, computer, or playing video games and eats his meals in front of the TV, he is at higher risk for adult obesity.  Children who drink an excessive amount of juice, sweetened drinks, or cola consume many empty calories.

The next question we should ask ourselves is, what do I do?  As with many things in medicine, prevention is the best cure.  Please read the following list for some helpful hints.

1.  Start early.  Develop good eating habits early in life.  Offer fruit and vegetables as snacks to youngsters.

2.  Delay or avoid introduction of juice, soft drinks or junk food.  Encourage drinking water to quench thirst.

3.  Set a meal time and eat meals at the kitchen or dining room table rather than in front of the TV.

4.  Encourage physical activity in your youngster.  This may mean going out walking, jogging or swimming with your child.  Encourage him/her to participate in sports at school.  Hiking and bicycling are also good activities.

5.  Avoid foods with a high calorie content like soda, juices, sports drinks, cookies, cakes, pizza, chips and french fries.

6.  Talk to your child’s doctor.  Both parents and physician are uncomfortable about bringing up the weight topic.

7.  Set reasonable goals.  An overweight twelve year old who is going to go through a growth spurt may be just fine if he/she maintains his/her current weight.

Keeping these strategies in mind you will be able to fight the weighty problem of obesity with a reasonable chance of success.