Fighting Childhood Obesity during the Season of Eating

Candy canes, chocolate dreidels and other food indulgences are all part of the holiday season. There is even a popular Christmas story about sugar plums dancing in the heads of children. While the food temptations are part of the giving season, they are also hazardous for a child fighting obesity.

“One of the few things that children can control is what they put in their mouth,” said Christina Arnold, dietitian for the Lake County Health Department/Community Health Center. Parents are the food gatekeepers of the home and are responsible for what is served to children, when they eat and where they eat, she said. “Children then are responsible to decide how much they eat and whether or not to eat the foods they are served. If healthy food choices are in the home and being offered, this is what children will have to choose from.”

In Lake County, the most recent data collected by the Health Department shows approximately 19 percent of youth, ages 12 to 19 are obese while approximately 26 percent of adults are obese.

“It's very reflective of what's happening across the country,” Arnold said.

Chubby babies are often considered cute and cuddly, but more than 80 percent of obese children will continue their trend well into adulthood, putting themselves at an increased risk of developing chronic illnesses like heart disease and diabetes. The Centers for Disease Control reported one in three Americans born in 2000 will develop diabetes as long as current trends of of a more diverse population and longer lifespans continue.

For parents, “teaching healthy eating habits at home can prevent their children from having health issues in the future,” she added.

The Health Department is having success in working with pediatric patients to change the behaviors of the entire family in order to avoid obesity, said Arnold, who works in the Medical Nutrition Services program and coordinates the Be Well Lake County Diabetes Program. From 2010 to 2011, 37 percent of the pediatric visits that saw a Medical Nutrition Services dietitian at county health centers in Waukegan, Highland Park and Round Lake Beach resulted in improved or stable body mass index (calculation using height and weight).

The Health Department provides nutrition services through the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) program for qualifying mothers and their children (up to age 5). For ages 5 and older, Medical Nutrition Services provide assistance. To be eligible to meet with a medical nutrition services dietitian at the Health Department, an individual must be a patient at one of the community health centers and see their health care provider at least once a year.

Some tips for parents are:

- Choose specific times during the day to eat (have a set eating schedule)

- When eating with your children, make it a time to talk about your day and feed your relationships with your children.

- Don't skip meals, because that increases the chances of overeating at another meal

- Plan what you are going to eat at the meal.

- Eat slowly. It takes 20 minutes for the brain to tell the stomach it is full.

- When attending gatherings, offer to bring vegetables or low-calorie recipes.

- Remember when you are out during the holidays, that free food is not always good for you

- Cut up raw vegetables and keep them accessible in the refrigerator

- Treat juice like a snack

- As much as possible, include a vegetable and a fruit with a meal

- Be physically active; get the family moving together in an activity