American society has become characterized by environments that promote increased food intake, non-healthful foods, and physical inactivity. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 32 percent of children 6-19 years old are overweight or obese. In my practice, over the last several years, I noticed a startling pattern of bigger children at younger ages and parents that didn't know what to do or sometimes recognize the problem. This was perplexing to me because I consider my patient population to be very well educated, in a higher than average income level and extremely compliant; all of the socioeconomic characteristics that seem immune to obesity. The question I ask myself amid this growing epidemic is 'when and where did the basics go wrong for us? Why do we substitute simplicity for complicity? And most importantly, when did fast food become normal food?'
A quick search of the internet will provide a startling number of weight loss programs for kids but very few of these programs indicate the cause of the excessive weight. Through my own experiences as a pediatrician with my own weight management program, I notice that the parents of today are the children of yesteryear who enjoyed fast food as the sporadic treat. So as we most often do, we want for our kids those things that we didn't have, or didn't have enough of. This is true for outdoor activity.
Growing up, access to the outdoors was not only limitless but often times a 'punishment' from an overworked, stressed out mother whose reached the limit of her patience. Today, it can be agreed, that sending the kids outside at a whim's notice is met with certain fear of the inherent danger of strangers, speeding cars, or questionable bug bites. Less outdoor time and more readily available junk food combines to create a reality for our children destined for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, an entire gamut of orthopedic issues, not to mention the array of social stigmas and issues. In fact, above all other risk factors, this element is the common thread that unites all of the families that participate in my program and I would suspect it is inherent in most weight loss programs for kids.
The solution to this paradox is to simply turn the clock backwards. I challenge my parents to recreate the childhood of their youth for their own children and in doing so introduce them to a soccer ball and the limitless possibilities of a community park. Unintended benefits include more closely knit family ties, open lines of communication between the family members and the blessings of getting to know your children in a new, more colorful way. Our children are the future currency of our existence and desperately need for us to refocus our attention on their health. By starting with what happens at the house between parents and children with respect to food and activity, we can redirect the course of the future for this and subsequent generations.
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Julie Tomberlin MD PA
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