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Thursday, March 18, 2004 Childhood obesity a growing problemBy RAY WEISS | News-Journal Staff Writer DAYTONA BEACH — Super-sized portions are leading to super-sized people. And with that added girth are coming weighty health problems for children, not just adults. A panel made up of three nutritionists, a pediatrician and an exercise physiologist met Wednesday at the Volusia County Health Department to discuss the growing problem of childhood obesity. “We pediatricians were trained to look for underweight children. Programs were geared toward that,” said Dr. Andrea Thorpe, director of the Keech Street Clinic. “Somehow we didn’t see what was happening. That kids were getting heavier and heavier.” Thorpe and the other panelists said it’s no wonder children are getting heavier in a world of video games, endless hours of TV, less exercise at and away from school and harried parents rushing home after work with fast-food dinners. “We’ve all gotten lazy,” Thorpe said. “We’re suffering the consequences.” Sodas and juice have replaced milk and water as the drinks parents offer children. And trendy low-cal or low-fat diets don’t really address the main problem — excessive calories. Kim Koevenig, a nutritionist for the adult weight management program at Halifax Medical Center, said she receives frequent calls from parents looking to help their overweight children. Many times those adults are obese. “We are seeing generation to generation passing down bad eating habits,” she said. “Parents aren’t cooking. They have to rely on quick foods because they work. More kids are eating fast food. Super size. Double, triple burgers. Calories have just exploded.” She added the real danger with children eating badly is that they might establish unhealthy habits for life. “What you grow up knowing, that’s what you eat,” Koevenig said. “Parents have to take responsibility for themselves and their kids.” She said a child who stops drinking a can of soda a day will lose 15 pounds after a year; 55 pounds if he stops eating a large candy bar a day. “You have to read labels and buy things in smaller portions,” she said. “Calories are the bottom line.” Craig Brubaker, wellness manager at Florida Hospital Fish Memorial in Orange City, said technological advancements continue to provide more conveniences and idle time. No longer do people have to gather and cook fresh food, as they did 120 years ago. Processed foods and lack of exertion have led to health problems that Brubaker predicts will become worse as more advances in technology occur. He added, “Kids emulate their parents’ behavior. If the mother and father go to the YMCA, probably so will the kids. HICI Special Report — Weighing In: Does American Culture Encourage Eating Disorders? |
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