pediatric obesity epidemic

It's about Health not about Appearance

She slept through her alarm and dashes through the door with no time for breakfast.  For lunch she skips the salad bar and shares half a bag of Cheetos, a few Oreos and a soda with a friend. She gets home from school famished and promptly opens a bag of chips and pops the tab on a Coke. For dinner her parents made a salad, baked chicken, brown rice and broccoli; but she’s not hungry anymore and only picks at the meal.  Two hours later she is making movie-style buttered popcorn and washing it down with a sports drink.  Sound familiar?

Many parents of teenagers can relate to this scenario.  So too can parents of even younger children.  Their foods may be different; perhaps its fruit snacks and juice boxes instead of chips and soda.  But in the end it all equals the same thing: poor nutrition and the beginning of a lifetime of unhealthy eating habits. And the beginning of obesity.

“By the time a child is overweight, his or her lifestyle patterns are difficult to change,” explains Dr. Joe Tzougros, Pediatrician with Medical Associates Health Center in Waukesha and an executive committee member of the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Now, in an age when the National Institute of Health (NIH) reports that 17 percent of American children ages 2-19 are overweight, parents can no longer be passive about their children’s health.

“Just like ensuring that their children receive well baby care and proper immunizations, parents need to be aware of their child’s weight and body mass index in their early years,” says Dr. Tzougros.

His campaign against childhood obesity takes him to communities all over Wisconsin.  He works extensively with school districts to help them comply with new state-mandated policies requiring districts to address problems associated with poor nutrition and physician activity.

Dr. Tzougros is passionate about stemming the tide of childhood obesity.  His zeal partly comes from research that proves that children who are overweight have an accelerated development of chronic diseases like Type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, gall bladder disease, asthma, cancer and others.

Learning how to balance food (often called energy-in) with physical activity (known as energy-out) is the real key to a healthy weight for children or adults. Dr. Tzougros advises parents to be vigilant about this balance.

“Pay attention to how much screen time your child has, how many fruits and vegetables they have in a day, and make sure the food you buy is high quality and nutritious.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends less than two hours a day of television and computer screen time for school aged children.

So, if you’re a parent wondering how to change that earlier scenario, consider this:  Wake her up 15 minutes earlier. Hand her a yogurt and a low-fat granola bar as she speeds out the door. Pack her lunch (or help her do it the night before) with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on wheat bread, carrot sticks, an apple, and a trail mix of dry cereal, nuts  and a few chocolate chips.  For after school have her make a mini-burrito or quesadilla in the microwave or toaster using a small, soft, whole-wheat tortilla with low-fat cheese and salsa. Keep the healthy dinner and, if she is hungry in the evening, hand her a bowl of beautiful, ripe strawberries.

For more information contact Medical Associates at 262.255.2500.