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By: Lisa Poisso
Date Posted: 2/4/2008
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Childhood Obesity: It’s Gaining On Us
American kids are fat.
American kids are fat. Not “bigger than kids in the past,” not “heavy,” but outright, verifiably fat. Nearly one in five school-age children in the United States is overweight, notes the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the problem seems to be getting worse. For children 2 to 5 years old, the prevalence of being overweight increased from 5 percent in 1976-1980 to 13.9 percent in 2003-2004; for those 6-11 years old, from 6.5 percent to 18.8 percent; and for children 12 to 19 years old, from 5 percent to 17.4 percent. Experts are finally taking off the gloves and calling obesity out as the medical problem it is. But what about parents? Just weeks after the federal government launched a childhood obesity prevention initiative this fall, a poll from the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital reported that many parents of obese youngsters seem unaware of their kids’ weight problems. Among parents of obese 6- to 11-year-olds, only 13 percent of parents rated their children as “very overweight.” But being a chunky kid can be lethal. A new study conducted at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital found that the earlier in young childhood that kids reach their lowest Body Mass Index (BMI) and then begin to gain, the greater their odds of developing known cardiovascular risk factors. The deadly effects can show up as early as age 7. Dr. Arthur Agatston, a Miami cardiologist widely known as the author of the South Beach diet, spoke recently in Dallas with his first major address on childhood obesity. He says the foods we are feeding children today are the root of the problem. “Children today are not only overweight and underfed, they are undernourished and unhealthy because of all the junk food they eat,” he stresses. “We need to bring back the good foods – the fruits, the vegetables, the healthy fats. The weight will ta
ke care of itself.” What’s “good food?” The human body still processes food much like our hunter-gatherer ancestors, explains Agatston — a concept some scientists are beginning to refer to as the “Paleolithic Diet.” Agatston claims our bodies are designed to eat a varied diet, including a small proportion of lean meat high in healthy Omega-3 acids (unlike today’s grain-fed meat that is higher in unhealthy Omega-6s), along with plenty of fruits and vegetables, fish and nuts. “Children need lots of things in moderation,” agrees Dr. Deepa Sekhar, a clinical instructor in pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He connects the dots with another aspect of our predecessors’ lifestyle: physical activity. “Hunter-gatherers were on the move,” he says. “A big part of this healthy diet is activity. It’s a normal part of this process.” While Agatston calls the principles of his South Beach diet “absolutely appropriate” for children (outside of the introductory induction phase), he disagrees that diets and special exercise programs are the right approach for most children — even obese ones. “I can tell you, none of the initiatives will work,” he says of most political initiatives and diet or exercise programs. Agatston reveals the secret to the success of his work with elementary schoolchildren in Florida: “It’s getting them to like healthy food. One of the things we know from the school study (is that) the kids will accept the healthy foods and get excited about it. It can be done!” Read more from DallasChild’s exclusive interview with Dr. Agatston plus healthy eating advice from local experts and more information on "bridging" here.
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