July 9, 2010 Hiding Our Heads in the Sand
If your child were overweight, would you know it?
Not according to recent research. One study of preschoolers, in which nearly one in three was overweight or obese (matching the national statistics):
- 83% of all the parents thought their children were about the right weight.
- More than 50% of the parents of obese children also thought their child was the right weight.
I guess we parents are hiding our heads in the sand.
Parents aren't the only ones reluctant to discuss toddler weight. Pediatricians are too.
Even though parents in the study overwhelmingly reported that they would value a pediatrician's advice about a child's weight problem, most pediatricians are reluctant to pull the trigger. Unless parents bring it up, the topic of discussion of toddler weight goes unspoken.
This is bad news because even though plump babies may slim out, young children — even those as young as 2— with a body mass index indicative of obesity are at high risk of becoming obese adults.
Children learn their eating habits at a very early age and, more often than not, carry them through life.
Some people blame childhood obesity on the food industry, but that's only part of the story.
It's true that food manufacturers are serving our kids questionable food; it's loaded with sugar, salt and fat. Read Singing the Sweet & Salty Baby Food Blues and The Truth about “Child-Friendly” Foods.
However, in the name of nutrition, parents often unintentionally teach kids to eat more than they need. We're hiding our heads in the sand about that too.
10 ways parents teach kids to overuse food:
1) We make kids finish their meals before they can have dessert, instead of encouraging them to save room for sweets.
2) When kids stop eating, we typically ask them to eat a few more bites, even though we can’t possibly know how hungry they are.
3) We let kids snack until they are full – instead of until they’re no longer hungry -- and then serve them a meal.
4) We dish up adult-size portions, hoping our kids will eat half (even though 1/2 is still too much).
5) We offer kids food before they get hungry, thereby disconnecting them from their internal hunger/satiety signals.
6) We use even the smallest celebration as an opportunity to party.
7) We don’t believe young kids when they say they’re not hungry.
8) We teach kids to use food to self-soothe by offering them lollypops to recover from falling down, a shot at the doctor’s office and even to cheer them up at the dentist.
9) We glorify dessert and “challenge” kids to conquer large portions: “I’d like to see you eat that!”
10) We reward everything from good behavior to good grades with treats.
Want to take your head out of the sand?
1) Find out if your child is overweight or obese: According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children are considered overweight if they fall in the 85th to 94th percentiles of the BMI growth chart. They’re considered obese if they are in the 95th percentile or higher.
To calculate your child’s BMI you need to know three things: age, height and weight. Calculate your child’s BMI.
2) Remember, you don’t have to know your child’s BMI to prevent weight gain. You simply need to keep an eye on her habits.
~ Changing the conversation from nutrition to habits. ~
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Source: Hernandez, R. G., Cheng, T. L., and Serwint, J. R. 2010. “Parents’ Healthy Weight Perceptions and Preferences Regarding Obesity Counseling in Preschoolers: Pediatricians Matter.” Clinical Pediatrics published online June 3, 2010; Kalb, C. 2010. Parents Oblivious to Overweight Kids. Newsweek July 1. accessed 7/5/10.
Reader Comments (5)
The blanket statement about what qualifies as overweight and obese based on the BMI chart concerns me. I have a little girl who has been consistently above 90% since birth...even over 100% at some points. However, she falls at about the same place on the HEIGHT charts. I'm not sticking my head in the sand when I tell you that if I were to try to get her below 85% in weight, someone would likely call DYFS on me because she would look malnourished.
Jessica,
Thanks for your comment. I'm sure there are problems with the BMI chart, and that it doesn't cover everyone. In the general case, though, it does work for most kids and it can help parents to have an objective measure of their children's weight. I hope I didn't offend you.
Dina
Oh, no offense taken at all. And I just realized that I had misread what you wrote...I thought you were talking about weight charts. BMI makes much more sense. Sorry!
I know this is an old post, but it's new to me, and I had to comment. :-)
I think the question of whether or not pediatricians are willing to comment on weight is less important than whether they're willing to comment on NUTRITION in a sensible way. My two kids couldn't be more different; 2-year-old always borderline "underweight" by BMI, 4-year-old almost always slightly "over" by BMI. Our ped. consistently makes a huge, uncomfortable deal out of the 4-year-old's weight. Even after receiving from me a detailed list of his daily intake -- and he's a veg. eater, thanks very much, and we don't do processed foods or sweetened cereals or anything like that -- she still shook her head and told me that the only solutions were: 1) NEVER allow even ONE COOKIE, because clearly he's going to "wind up being the fat kid" if I do; and 2) MEASURE his plain Cheerios (the only out-of-a-box food he gets, really) and plain rolled oats, because he needs to learn to restrict portions and cut calories.
But parents of his friends, many of whom are skinny, have never been asked for details about their kids' diets. "Do they eat a variety? Fruits, veg, protein? Good." Nobody asks "Are they eating Lunchables? Gogurts? Do you count the fact that she eats a carrot stick per day as eating good fresh produce?" There's an assumption that the SKINNY kids must be HEALTHY, so why look at their diets?
And yet I'm being asked to do things that are BLATANTLY going to set my kid up for a lifetime of food issues. We've worked hard to not have power struggles around food and keep mealtimes pleasant and nutritious. I feel like no matter what, we can't win, because the desperation to keep kids from getting "fat" means that we assume "skinny" is always healthier. He never gets sick, is academically well above average, and despite a motor planning disability, is active -- horseback riding, swimming, and soon karate. Half his plate at dinner is fruit and veg and he's allowed to leave as much food untouched as he wants. He foregoes snacks quite often of his own accord, and gets a small treat one-two times a week. What else am I expected to do for him? It makes me want to tear my hair out.
Bri,
I agree with you that pediatricians do and say crazy things. It sounds like you're handling your child's eating in a sensible, long-view, way. I'm glad you've been saved the pressure to put more food into your "skinny" kid's mouth. Most parents I speak to who have children who are even slightly underweight are pressured beyond belief to get more food into their kids. What longterm habits does that produce?
Pediatricians need education, not about nutrition, but about habits.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment,
Dina