Home > Keeping Kids Healthy > Show Topics > Overcoming Obesity

Overcoming Obesity

Does your child have a weight problem?  More than one third of today's kids are overweight - a number that has quadrupled since the 70s.  The frightening reality of the childhood obesity epidemic is that the long-term consequences of this trend are deadly.  Some experts say that 200,000 people die each year as a result of obesity.  Kids are eating more processed and prepackaged foods high is sugar, fat and calories - and in much larger portions than ever before.  And with the advance of technology (video games, computers, cars, etc.) physical activity trends show people getting less exercise.  A child with unhealthy eating habits and little or no physical activity will result in an obese child.  The medical results of obesity on children can include Type 2 diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, etc.   But the great news is that the threat to your kids is preventable, because there are ways to help your child fight this disease, and to prevent it from developing in the first place.  Join Dr. Winnie King as we hear from kids who are overcoming their weight problems and leading happier, healthier lives as well as from pediatric obesity specialists, who will teach you how to help your kids avoid the serious problems of obesity.

GUESTS (on set and in video segments):

Cristina Garcia - Age 15, Teen working on weight loss
Terry Henry - Age 16, Teen working on weight loss
Michele Calderoni, D.O. - Pediatric Obesity Specialist; Associate Director of the Bronx Nutrition and Fitness Initiative, The Children's Hospital at Montefiore; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Rachel Siegel, LMSW -  Obesity Social Worker, The Children's Hospital at Montefiore Obesity Center
Cathy Nonas, MS -  Clinical Nutritionist, North General Hospital;
Administrative Director, New York Affiliate of the Joslin Center for Diabetes; author, Managing Obesity: A Clinical Guide

TIPS:

Health Risks of Being Obese

  • Type 2 Diabetes
  • Asthma
  • Psychosocial effects 
  • Hypertension
  • Orthopedic Complications
  • Sleep Apnea
  • Cardiovascular problems

What Can Your Child Do:

  • Keep a food diary
  • Reduce portion size
  • Use a pedometer

How Parents Can Help 

  • Don't be a food dictator
  • Create choices 
  • Involve the whole family
  • Don't use food as a reward
  • Consider a support group
  • Be realistic - set small goals


RESOURCES:

American Obesity Association
http://www.obesity.org/
202-776-7711

American Council for Fitness and Nutrition
http://www.acfn.org/
800-953-1700

Academy of the Sierras
http://www.academyofthesierras.com/