Childhood Obesity-Three Small Changes Make a Big Difference

Childhood obesity has been put front and centre by Michelle Obama. An ambitious objective to get rid of childhood obesity in a generation has been produced. Whilst this is ambitious, there is an old quote attributed to Michelangelo that it is far better to aim too high and miss than to aim too low and hit.

There is no particular reason why this goal can not be achieved. The “Let’s Move” campaign really is focusing on a range of initiatives. It is getting government agencies coordinated and working in collaboration with enterprise and the media. Sports stars have volunteered to aid spread the message.

Success will of course come down to individuals and families creating adjustments and accepting responsibility for what they do. However it has been shown that basic things like repainting crosswalks helps encourage youngsters to walk to school hence offering some exercise. Giving parents useful details about foods and dispelling myths about junk food being cheaper will also support. The support of three main suppliers of school lunches to reduce fat and sugar in their items will support too. A positive approach rather than the usual handwringing will make it far a lot more likely that there will be success.

Wellness habits commence in the property. A new study has demonstrated that small things make a large difference. A study of over 8000 preschool age children showed a 40% lower rate of obesity in families where 3 basic issues had been done,

1) The families ate dinner together at least five times a week
2) The youngsters got at least 10.5 hours sleep each night
3) The youngsters watched less than two hours television each and every day

These 3 issues combined nearly halved the rate of obesity. None are hard and none are expensive. We also know that getting it right in preschool age sets the basis for the school years so this is truly the finest time to act.

Meanwhile at the other end of the spectrum a study was released supporting gastric band surgery for teenagers. The study compared weight loss in 25 teenagers on a weight loss regime compared to 25 who had surgery right after two years. The faults with this study are many including the tiny numbers and the short length of time. Seven of the teenagers needed further surgery. The greatest issue is that a firm, which makes the bands, funded the study and worse still two of the authors are on business advisory boards so are not independent.

It is already emerging that there will be lengthy-term complications from gastric banding surgery including kidney stones and brittle bones. Interfering with the bodies absorption of food has key ramifications, most of which have not been thought about since they do not happen straight away. With teenagers who are still creating, the lengthy-term issues are totally unknown.

The finest quote on this came from (Australian) AMA Vice President Steve Hambleton who said, “We need to not be outsourcing self control to a surgical procedure. It means we are not performing anything about the difficulty, just treating the symptoms.”

I could not have put it greater. Nobody is born obese. It comes from actions taken following birth. Hence the individual can change those actions. Support such as that outlined by the First Lady will assist.

Putting the proper fuels into your body in the proper amounts is a key part of Do It Your self Wellness. It is within the power of everyone to do this.