Posts Tagged ‘Child Health’

Research Shows a Cold Virus Could Contribute to Childhood Obesity

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

We only have a few more days left in this series of posts about childhood obesity to honor National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

Before you dismiss this as a glorified excuse for overweight kids, look at this research. Some of the problem could be traced to a certain strain of the virus that causes the common cold.

It’s called adenovirus 36, and it causes the common cold. New research showed a surprising result. Children with this particular strain of virus were an average of 50 pounds heavier than children who hadn’t! Yes, 50 pounds! That is a lot of weight – especially for a child.

The researchers hope by learning about this unlikely cause, people will be less likely to blame children and focus more on the ways to combat childhood obesity. It also helps people see that obesity is not a simple issue with simple answers.

Even if the virus does cause extra weight gain it’s still important to eat healthy  and exercise. “There’s no question that eating healthfully and having regular, fun physical activity is good for you. The reason we care about these behaviors is improving health.”

The study was not large — it included 124 children between the ages of 8 and 18. 62% of the children were Hispanic, 27% were white and 11% were black. 56% were male. More than half of the children — 67 — were considered obese for their age and gender.

15% of the children had antibodies to adenovirus 36 (AD36). So they had been previously infected with this virus. Almost one in four (22%) obese children tested positive for AD36. Just 7% of the non-obese children showed exposure. On average, children who were positive for a previous adenovirus 36 infection were about 50 pounds heavier than those who tested negative.

“Even within the entire group of obese children, those who were AD36-positive weighed about 35 pounds more than obese children who hadn’t been infected with AD36.”

The study appeared in the Sept. 20 online issue of Pediatrics.

If this study holds true then hopefully there will be a vaccine to prevent AD36 at some point. But of course it could be that already obese children are more susceptible to this virus. While the weight differences are dramatic the number of children in the study is small.

Tips to help children avoid obesity:

  • eat breakfast every day
  • be sure kids get adequate sleep
  • limit sweet beverages (soda and juice) and fast food
  • make physical activity a daily habit and getting a dog may help
  • families need to eat meals together
  • parents need to limit time watching TV, computer time and time spent playing video games.
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September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

September starts the nations’s first  National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. The month-long focus on childhood obesity was passed by Congress earlier this year. The focus is on ways to prevent and educate about this serious health risk.

A new website www.HealthierKidsBrighterFutures.org has resources including a toolkit with fact sheets, sample letters to the editor, and  scripts for public service announcements.

A study released about the issue asserts that as much as 21% of children who are obese have not been categorized that way. That’s because parents tend to underestimate their kid’s weight.

When we have an obesity rate of over 30% for our children it is alarming! However, as I’ve pointed out before, reversing it would take a huge cultural shift. We would have to approach food differently. Restaurants serve food with loads of hidden fat and calories – more than we need in an entire day. Our schools are full of pop and candy machines that help pay for education. Stressed out parents grab dinner from a fast food drive through.

I like the focus on the issue but until we change policy and make cultural changes I’m afraid this problem will be like our bellies — growing larger by the year.

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Whole Foods to Donate Salad Bars to Schools

Monday, August 16th, 2010

It’s almost back to school time and that means school lunch. One of the issues with childhood obesity is the unhealthy school lunch that contributes to  poor eating habits. Whole Foods – a natural grocery store is stepping in to help (smart PR move) with the Salad Bar Project.

How you Can Help Fight Childhood Obesity? One way is to work locally and nationally to improve school lunch. The idea is “to help bring fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and healthy proteins to school lunch programs.”

Their goal is to provide a salad bar in a local school in each of the communities they serve.  The salad bars will be donated to local schools through a simple online grant process. Whole Foods Market is partnering with Cooper’s nonprofit, F3: Food Family Farming Foundation for the process. Any public elementary, middle or high school within 50 miles of a Whole Foods Market is eligible to apply with the support of the school principal, nutrition service director and the superintendent of the district.

The school must apply with an application and grant applications will be accepted between Sept. 1 and Nov. 1. Applicants will be chosen based on the grant criteria and the level of the school’s commitment to sustaining the salad bar, and will be announced in early January 2011.

The funding comes from donations at stores. Last year, Whole Foods Market and shoppers donated more than $700,000 for the project. They have a web site –  thelunchbox.org with tips for healthy lunches.

What kind of lunch are our kids eating at school? “On average, only 90 cents per lunch is spent on food and many children are eating mostly frozen, highly processed, packaged foods. With no national standardized limit on sugar or other ingredients like artificial colors, flavors or preservatives, it is common to find hamburgers, chicken nuggets, French fries, chocolate milk and corn dogs offered as a typical school lunch.”

Congress is now reviewing the Child Nutrition Act. It was passed in the U.S. Senate last week. The House of Representatives now needs to pass its version of the bill in time for President Obama to sign the legislation before Sept. 30, when the current Act expires. Failing to do so puts the new funding and other policy changes in jeopardy.

We hope to see a child nutrition bill that helps standardize healthier options for healthier eating in schools.

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How you Can Help Fight Childhood Obesity?

Monday, June 21st, 2010

I’ve been writing about Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” initiative to fight childhood obesity. Rubberecycle supports these efforts and encourages parents to take their kids to the park this summer. There are parks for children of all ages — including a video game park — which I’ll write about in a future post. The idea is to help your children be more active. They’ll sleep better, be happier and more fit.

Here are some ideas to help families make healthy food choices and choose ways to encourage physical activity:

  • Launch a city website with information for parents on healthy living.
  • Create a healthy food promotional campaign, and offer a “healthy eating” designation to restaurants who offer healthier food and beverages and reasonably-sized portions.
  • Form a community coalition tasked with identifying local barriers to healthy living.
  • Promote local community organizations that provide access to healthy activities.
  • Through public service announcements and community events:
  • Serve as a role model in your own community by adopting a healthy lifestyle.
  • Encourage parents to become healthy role models for their children.
  • Encourage parents to help children get off to a good start by promoting breastfeeding.

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