Childhood Obesity

Abby2008 · May 24, 2013

With new technology now a days there is something called geocoaching where you can take your child out for a treasure hunt using gps on your phone. There is also obstacle and races courses. i know when i was younger i loved those. Of course you can get kids to play kickball or any type of sport! Summer is coming and swimming pool games are always a good way! Hope this helps!

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · May 24, 2013

Geocacheing gets you outside, but it's simple to make that almost less than walking. And not everyone has the equipment to do that.

Kickball, whiffleball, going to the park and running amok, petitioning schools to STOP DROPPING PE (for God's sake - get those snack companies who want to shove food machines in every school in America to pony up for the everloving privilege), throwing kids outside and off the TV and the video games...the possibilities are endless once you unplug everything. Most folks can also come up with a few bucks for a secondhand bike from Goodwill and a ten dollar helmet from Target - I know that's not possible for everyone but you can get bikes pretty cheap.

I go hiking in local parks and that's free - and this is hill country in Texas, so there are a couple of decent places around here to hike. You can also go to state natural areas if there are some locally and hike there for about six bucks for the day. There are great lessons to be learned on the trail (and I dumped fifteen pounds doing it - try hiking in one hundred degree heat - it's a great, practically free sauna experience, and it's a heck of a lot more fun than running all the time). You don't need fancy equipment, just a good pair of shoes and a backpack to carry water in. A school backpack would do.

leslie :-D · May 25, 2013

i agree with all that carolinapooh has suggested.

the biggest barrier i see however, is getting the parent(s) on board with this.

more often than not, the parents themselves are obese and aren't going to be proactive in getting their children to a healthy weight.

i reiterate, not all but "more often than not".

this really needs to be a family effort as it entails a major lifestyle change.

anything less is setting everyone up for failure, imo.

leslie

Shorty11, BSN, RN · May 25, 2013

Enrolling children in sports (i.e. soccer, basketball, football, baseball, softball, volleyball, tennis, gymnastics, etc.). Activities such as jump rope and swimming can provide cardio. I played games like "freeze-tag" with the neighborhood kids when I was young, and I remember running a lot during games like that! As a PP said, kickball and whiffle-ball are great examples of games that can be played impromptu. I spent a lot of time at the Girl's Club when I was a kid and we were always doing some sort of physical activity, ranging from square-dancing to dodge-ball to basketball to flag football. Hiking trails are abundant where I live and the whole family can enjoy hiking together. Riding bicycles or rollerblading were things I always enjoyed as a child as well. I know these ideas may not be "creative". Just try and think about games/activities in which the exercise can be "hidden".

mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN · May 25, 2013

As a parent of child with Type 1 diabetes, one of the biggest problems I see with childhood obesity is school provided meals. There are many children whose only decent meals are eaten at school. The quality of the food is horrid. 5 years ago, the food at my child's school was decent. Now, they have changed vendors-they don't prepare food much at the school-everything is pre-cooked and frozen, it is awful. If my child eats what is on the menu, it is close to 150 grams of carbs. There is very little protein and they offer virtually no fresh fruits or veggies. Pizza, fried chicken, (in various forms of the two). I am amazed. My child doesn't eat breakfast there, but on the menu, it is pancakes, waffles, again, all carbs, not protein and no fresh fruits. Juice maybe. Education is so broke and they need to cut costs so they go to the cheapest for the money foods. That is why the numbers for obese children are low income. Good for you food is the most expensive.

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · May 29, 2013

I agree with most of your statement except this: Good for you food is the most expensive.

This is a common perception, but it's incorrect - and usually the ones who cite the cost as the root of the problem (not saying you, not saying you - it's in general) are eating at McDonald's three and four times a week.

My DH and I had a conversation about this one night and we came to the conclusion (and I don't mean the federal school meal program - THAT needs to be scrapped - if the Feds wanted to negotiate better contracts, they could - look at what Medicare says is allowable and what the pt is charged if you need a nearby example, because that's Federal negotiation at it's best) that this is bogus. We even designed a shopping list and concluded that a family of four can eat reasonably healthy on about $65 a week. YEP, $65 A WEEK.

On average, the cost of McDonald's for four people, even just three times a week is $72, using $7x2 adults and $5x2 kids as a baseline figure. Fast food is expensive.

A bag of oranges is three bucks. A bag of chips is three bucks. I can keep going from there...

If the Feds weren't so lazy - and yep, I do mean lazy - they could negotiate contracts from food vendors and fix that abhorrent program. They won't, and yet when my sister sent her child to school with a PB&J, a juice box that was 100% juice, fresh orange slices, and a small cookie (all organic, by the way, and all without preservatives or artificial colors because my niece has crazy dye allergies, the school system forced my niece to buy a milk with money she didn't have on her and sent a letter home to my sister warning her that if the kid came to school without a dairy source or a verifiable allergy, she would be forced to either buy it at school or toss her lunch in the trash and buy one from the school.

Rightfully so, my sister went ballistic. Are you KIDDING me? Kiddo hates straight milk (so do I! Can't stand it - I have dairy in lattes and in my cereal bowl and in yogurt!), so the teacher loaned her whatever the cost was and Kiddo, who then tried to give the milk away and was unsuccessful, ended up throwing the milk in the trash.

After my sister threatened to go to the local TV station and blow her cork, the school system (yep, it went to the county level!) did the intelligent thing and dropped the matter.

mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN · May 30, 2013

I agree with you. I am just saying that the price of food is ridiculous. Meat, that is not like shoe leather or full of fat, is 10 dollars a pound. Fresh veggies are expensive, too.

We tried for a loan modification on our home while in was in school and they told me a family of four should be able to spend $500 a month for groceries. ??????? We shop smart, I buy family packs of meat when possible, but I don't have the money or the room for another freezer. That is just one example. It's all a mess.

xoemmylouox, ASN, RN · Jun 6, 2013

I agree with you. I am just saying that the price of food is ridiculous. Meat, that is not like shoe leather or full of fat, is 10 dollars a pound. Fresh veggies are expensive, too.
We tried for a loan modification on our home while in was in school and they told me a family of four should be able to spend $500 a month for groceries. ??????? We shop smart, I buy family packs of meat when possible, but I don't have the money or the room for another freezer. That is just one example. It's all a mess.

I agree. Eating out or in is expensive. With summer coming hopefully the cost of fruits and veggies will drop, but milk and meat is still crazy.

JenTheSchoolRN, BSN, RN · Jun 6, 2013

The cost of food, healthy or not, is going up. But I save so much more money eating in then eating out, no matter where I go.

As for the OP's original question: getting kids to exercise is tough sometimes. I work as a school nurse and we have gym/recess every day (a luxury a lot of school don't have) with games like "pickle tag" to encourage each child to participate.

Even so, I have kids that are not "into" it. One is a type 1 diabetic who is borderline insulin-resistant as well. I talk with mom regularly to find a way to encourage activity and we have finally discovered how much he likes swimming! He's excited about a swim team option this summer. I have another student that hates gym and team activities, but could jump rope and hulu-hoop. She considered each of those a challenge and talent vs. exercise. They are both, so everyone wins :).

stylishest · Jun 6, 2013

I am doing a project on childhood obesity, and I need to outline and research exercise. Does anyone have any ideas on what children could do? Any fun creative ways to get kids to exercise? games?
Thanks!

We live where it rains a lot and it gets really hot outside. One of my children has some pretty bad eczema spots and the sweat makes it burn and he can't swim in anything but salt water most days because of it...needless to say, activities for him are difficult sometimes. (Luckily he has no weight issues).

I can suggest two things: I don't let my children snack all day long, otherwise they are never hungry enough to actually eat their veggies later. I have set meal times (which includes a mid morning snack and afternoon snack). I have one exception, there is a bowl I keep full of fruit, they never have to ask and can always eat from that bowl.

Second, during the hot times of day and rainy days we play the wii dance games...and I tell you what, we laugh and sweat like crazy.