Up to 1/3 of the childhood population has a BMI greater than 85% for age and more than half of these children have a BMI greater than 95%. Obesity is a serious health concern for children and adolescents. According to the CDC, the percent over overweight children from ages 6-19 rose to over 11% from 1963 to 2002.
In a recent NHANES survey, it was found that obesity prevalence among children and adolescents showed no significant changes between 2003-4 and 2005-6. Based on that study, 16.3% of children and adolescents from 2-19 were obese, at or above the 95th percentile of the 2000 BMI for age growth charts. A normal BMI is 18.5-24.9, overweight is 25.29.9 and obese is over 30. Data from the NHANES surveys (’76-80 and ’03-06) show that the prevalence of obesity has increased: for children aged 2-5 years, prevalence increased from 5% to 12.4%; for those aged 6-11, prevalence increased from 6.5% to 17%; and those aged 12-19 years, prevalence increased from 5% to 17.6%. In the past two years, however, it has not significantly increased.
One of the national health objectives for 2010 was to reduce the prevalence of overweight from the NHANES III baseline of 11%. However, the NHANES 1999-2002 overweight estimates suggest that since 1994, overweight youths has not leveled off or decreased, and is increasing. NHANES has shown that adolescent non-Hispanic black boys experienced the largest increase in the prevalence of obesity (12.2%) compared to the increase among Mexican American (7%) and non-Hispanic white boys (4.4%). Mexican-American children ages 6-11 were more likely to be overweight (22%) than non-Hispanic black children (20%) and non-Hispanic white children (14%). In addition to the 16% of children and teens ages 6-19 who were overweight in 1999-2002, another 15% were considered at risk of becoming overweight (a BMI for age between 85th and 95th percentiles.
Minority populations in 2003-04 were at greater risk of being obese or overweight than non-minorities. Mexican and African American children aged 2-10 who had BMI values greater than 85% made up 37% and 35.1% of these populations of children compared to non-Hispanic white children of the same age and range, who made up 33.5% of these populations.
Expert panel recommendation includes the following:
1) Structure of the home environment to make healthy food choices easily available and remove accessibility to tempting energy dense foods – don’t bring it in the house and you won’t eat it. Or buy smaller portion size treats.
2) Parents, family and caregivers should be good examples and consume healthy foods themselves, to avoid ‘do as I say, not as I do” mentality.
3) Caregivers should be consistent in the practice of these healthful feeding styles.
4) Avoid food as a reward (especially for good behavior). Use time spent together playing outside or completing an activity together as a reward instead.
5) Establish daily meal and snack times.
6) As a caregiver, decide which foods will be provided to the child and when. It’s up to the child to decide how much to eat.
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