Search Results for: blog the epidemic of child obesity

Obesity Will Increase the Cost of Health Insurance Premiums

Health experts say that if the current trends continue, then about half of all American men and women will be obese by the year 2030. This is going to increase the cost of health insurance for everyone, not just for the people who become obese. A research team that was led by Claire Wang at the Mailman School of Public Health recently did a study about obesity in the United States. They found that 32% of all American men, and 35% of all American women are currently obese. It has been said that there is an obesity epidemic in the … Continue reading →

Your Mother Caused Your Obesity

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Mothers have a huge influence on the lives of their children, starting from the moment that a child is conceived. There is a lot of advice to be found regarding exactly what a woman should eat, or should not eat, while she is pregnant. It turns out that an unhealthy diet can cause a genetic change in the woman’s baby that predisposes that child to have an increased risk of obesity. Obesity has been described as an epidemic in America. We have all heard about the increased health risks that an obese person faces. This translates into more visits to … Continue reading →

Should Children Lift Weights?

Last year about this time I attended my first preseason football meeting for my son who was going into 6th grade at the time. I had no idea what to expect and how much work it would be for him. The meeting covered more than just practice times and how to get your uniform. It also included information on the importance of nutrition and what the boys should be eating. They also talked about exercise and stressed that the middle school students would not be utilizing the workout room, which was reserved for high school football players. One of the … Continue reading →

There May Be A Genetic Link To Obesity

It has been said that there is an obesity epidemic in America. Many different factors have been pointed at as the cause of this health problem. Is it due to large portion sizes? Perhaps it is because the cost of fast food, which is full of fat and calories, is much less expensive than the cost of fresh, healthy, fruit and vegetables. Some say that children are becoming obese because they don’t have physical education classes at their school. Could it be possible that obesity is in your genes? A new study seems to point in that direction. There are … Continue reading →

Should Your Child’s Body Mass Index (BMI) Be Included On Their Report Card?

Should your child’s Body Mass Index (BMI) be included on their report card? According to the current issue of Redbook, several states have elected to include BMI’s on students’ report card in an effort to fight the rising childhood obesity epidemic. Your BMI is the ratio of weight to height and is used to determine a person’s healthy weight. I’m usually pretty much for or against an issue like this but I have to say this is one time I’m sort of riding the fence. I can understand both sides of the issue and could be persuaded to go either … Continue reading →

Childhood Obesity Linked to Gender In Sweden

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A new Swedish study has linked childhood obesity, in that country, with gender. According to research conducted at Sweden’s Uppsala University, 4-year-old girls were six times as likely to be obese than they were 20 years ago. The researchers have concluded that recent lifestyle chances are the cause for much of the obesity they are currently seeing. However, they added, “It is difficult to say what that is.” The findings, published April’s issue of Acta Paeditrica, show that in 1982, 1% of all 4-year-olds were obese. By 2002, 2% of boys and 6% of girls were considered obese. The differences … Continue reading →

Baby Blog Week in Review: April 29th to May 4th

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I apologize for this being a little late. I actually took a weekend off. A whole weekend to myself to attend a homeschooling conference. But I won’t bore you with the details of my homeschooling conference since this is the baby blog! Here is last week’s list of articles: Sunday, April 29th Old Growth Charts Blamed for Fat Babies Since childhood obesity is reaching epidemic proportions in the United States, experts are looking at anything and everything as the cause. Many believe that encouraging breastfed babies to gain as much weight as formula fed babies is part of the problem. … Continue reading →

Children’s Television Shows to Promote Exercise?

Way back in the Dark Ages (by that, I mean, before electricity) children worked out on the farms with their fathers. They hoed and weeded, milked cows, carried hay bales, and got scads of exercise. They ate fresh produce, meat and eggs, nothing came out of a box, and they were trim. When television and computers came along, advertisers spent quite a bit of money calling attention to themselves until every home had at least one television and then at least one computer. Children began spending more and more time inside with their noses glued to screens, and they began … Continue reading →

Breast Cancer and Obesity Connection

While most people know that obesity is dangerous when it comes to diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and stroke, many women are unaware that obesity has also been linked to breast cancer. The greatest risk indicator is for women that carry excess weight around the tummy and in the upper body region. Today, experts have identified that approximately 50% of all women (and men) with breast cancer are obese. One of the reasons this is believed to be true is that being able to identify lumps or abnormalities in the breasts of someone overweight is far more difficult than someone of … Continue reading →

Avoiding Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity is on the rise. It’s an epidemic of grand proportions (no pun intended). In this society that values looks and idolizes anorexic models, we simultaneously abuse our children’s bodies and stand by as they grow larger and larger and become more and more unfit. Childhood obesity has got to stop but the cycle begins at home. How do you know if your child is obese or at risk of becoming overweight? Knowing is half the battle. So many parents are in true denial, believing their children are simply “built big” or “sturdy” or retaining “baby fat”. It’s time … Continue reading →