More and more these days we hear about childhood obesity in the news. It is a major problem that our society is facing and there are many reasons for it. It is an important topic that is covered at every well visit I do.
One of my observations is that some parents feel they are not doing a good job of feeding their child unless they eat a lot. Quite often it seems they have a skewed perspective around the actual amount of food their child really needs with their estimate being on the high side. Most children do a pretty good job of regulating the calories they need yet us parents come along and tell them to eat when they are not hungry.
Many of the families I see have heard me say that our job as parents is to offer good nutritious foods, whether our child chooses to eat it is up to them. Sure there is the rare exception to this rule, but most children will not starve themselves. Most children however can outlast their parents.
What are some simple things we can do as parents for our children? Well a recent study said there are three simple things we can do.
- Have the family eat dinner together at least six nights a week
- Make sure that they get an adequate nights sleep (10.5 hrs on weeknights)
- Limit screen viewing time to less than two hours
These three behaviors where associated with a 40% lower prevalence of obesity.
The study’s conclusions in Pediatrics by Sarah Anderson: PEDIATRICS (doi:10.1542/peds.2009-0417) had the following:
US preschool-aged children exposed to the three household routines of regularly eating the evening meal as a family, obtaining adequate nighttime sleep, and having limited screen-viewing time had an 40% lower prevalence of obesity than those exposed to none of these routines. These household routines may be promising targets for obesity-prevention efforts in early childhood.
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