30
Jul
School-based health programs can lower childhood obesity
Results from a recent National Institutes of Health study showed that thousands of sixth graders who took part in a school-based health program were less obese by eighth grade than a group of similar children who did not.
The results, which were published in a recent edition of The New England Journal of Medicine, concluded that overall obesity rates and excessive weight was actually dropped in both groups, according to a New York Times report
Dr. Gary D. Foster, chairman of the study and director of the obesity center at Temple University, in Philadelphia, said that this was the first finding of its kind in a study that followed a large group of children over time. He also said this could be a sign that childhood obesity may be declining.
“That’s the perplexing but happy part of this,” Foster told the New York Times.
More than 4,500 students were followed by the researchers. Approximately 30 percent of the students were considered obese at the outset of the study. Half of the students were introduced to a program that introduced healthier food and snacks, emphasized education and stepped up physical activity.
According to the study results, the number of obese children in the study dropped to 24.6 percent in the participation group and 26.6 percent in the control group by the time the test students reached eighth grade. In both groups, 45 percent of the students were either overweight or obese at the end of the study, down from about half before the study started.
Dr. William Wittert, MD, selected as a Chicago Top Doctor by TopTierMD as a top rated pediatrician in Chicago and an expert childhood obesity said that the results of the study, in which he did not participate, are still a confirmation of what he has known for some time.
“I think people are really starting to finally wake up,” Dr. Wittert said. “I think there’s been a very conscious effort to recognize that childhood obesity is a very serious problem that needs to be addressed. And, now that it is starting to be addressed by education, nutrition and the introduction of activity, we’re starting to see some of the benefits.”
Dr. Wittert said that education still remains key to combat childhood obesity. Many people, he said, still do not realize the serious illnesses that can arise later in life due to childhood obesity, including diabetes, heart disease and obstructive sleep apnea.
“There’s always the big misconception with height and weight where parents merely think the child will simply grow out of it,” Dr Wittert said. “This couldn’t be farther from the truth. In order for childhood obesity rates to continue to drop, doctors and nutritionists will have to continue to educate parents.”
Dr. Wittert said part of the key to managing childhood obesity is to correct bad eating habits and to make small adjustments over time.
“One of the biggest things parents can do for their children who are overweight is to eliminate liquids with sugar,” Dr. Wittert said. “As a people, we consume an enormous amount of calories in liquids. These are particularly bad because the calories really don’t register and people tend to eat the same amount of food.”
This includes juices too, which Dr. Wittert said are full of sugars.
In addition, obese children should begin to engage in physical activity, even keeping activity journals to chart their progress.
“We’ve even found that once children hit puberty, a careful and supervised program of weight training can also be very helpful,” Dr. Wittert said.
Dr. William Wittert, MD, was selected by TopTierMD as a Chicago Top Doctor and is considered Best in Pediatrics in Chicago. He specializes in pediatric obesity, pediatric nutrition and pediatric behavioral disorders.
