![]() ![]() Parents are often seen as the key motivator of change for younger school-age children, whereas adolescents can, and should, have the chance to make goals and changes separately from (but with the support of) their parents. Weight management: Why the whole family needs to be involved If you are unsure you can seek advice from a healthcare professional, e.g. When considering making a dietary change you should consider whether your child will be able to incorporate this change into their regular meal pattern for the rest of their life. NO DIETS! Diets often encourage unhealthy and, at times, unsafe eating behaviours.Be careful not to make negative comments about your own weight/body shape as children/adolescents pick up on these and can potentially relate the comments to themselves.Try not to label food/activities as 'good' and 'bad', uses words like 'healthy', 'healthier option/choice', 'sometimes/occasional food'.maintaining a healthy weight/lifestyle now will help prevent getting sick as an adult Explain to your child why you/the doctor are concerned, e.g.Get the whole family involved in the conversation – what is good for one child is good for the entire family.Don't compare your child to other children and don't allow them to do the same.Instead of using negative words like 'fat', 'heavy' or 'obese', use phrases like 'above his/her healthiest weight'.Focus on behaviour and dietary change related to healthy lifestyle rather than losing weight.However, the focus of the conversation should be related back to healthy lifestyle behaviours and good health rather than overweight or obesity itself. Talking to families and children about their weight: a guide for parents and carersĭiscussing a weight problem is as important as discussing any other health concern. The doctor will assess your child's weight, height, family background, dietary intake and activity levels and may request specific tests to assess for weight-related problems. If you have concerns regarding your child's weight, these should be discussed with your local doctor. The majority of children and adolescents who are overweight are physically healthy. Behaviour-related medications (such as antidepressants.Problems with the production of growth hormone.Part of the healthcare professional's assessment in an overweight child will be to look for and rule out these rare medical conditions Causes of obesity in children Environmental It is important to recognise, however, that there are also some rare medical problems that can cause children to gain weight excessively. This is well above the current recommendations. Australian children watch, on average 2½ hours of television per day, in addition to other screen based activities (computer, electronic games). In addition, it has become much easier to access higher energy snack-foods and sugary drinks (juice, soft drink, flavoured milk) which provide your child with unnecessary additional calories contributing to excess weight gain.Ĭhildren are spending a lot more time watching television and playing computer games than participating in sports and active play. Family eating habits have changed considerably with greater consumption of take-away, lower consumption of homemade meals and larger portion sizes. The most common reason is a chronic imbalance between energy intake (food and drink) and energy use (physical activity). How much physical activity do children need? Reviewed April 7, 2022.Children become overweight due to a combination of different factors. Seven steps to teaching children body autonomy.Ĭenters for Disease Control and Prevention. Preventing obesity and eating disorders in adolescents. Golden NH, Schneider M, Wood C COMMITTEE ON NUTRITION COMMITTEE ON ADOLESCENCE SECTION ON OBESITY. Growth and puberty in obese children and implications of body composition. BMI is a poor predictor of adiposity in young overweight and obese children. Vanderwall C, Randall Clark R, Eickhoff J, Carrel AL. In BMI we trust: Reframing the Body Mass Index as a measure of health. Narrative review of culinary interventions with children in schools to promote healthy eating: directions for future research and practice. Screening for Obesity in Children and Adolescents: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. ![]()
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