Health Insurance

Nursing Researcher Works To Reverse Tide Of Childhood Obesity

with Tyler, agrees that prevention and working with families are critical. "Starting with kids who are already overweight is much harder," she said. "Most people know that never starting bad habits is easier than trying to correct them." There are many factors working against the families, said Moran. "We hear stories about what is offered for school lunch, for example," she said. "Most of our families qualify for free school lunches and breakfasts. They can"t afford to take their own healthy sack lunch to school. "So the kids get breakfast pizzas everyday and French fries as the main vegetable. Plus, they get physical education only two or three times a week." But the blame does not fall totally with the schools. "Ultimately, parents have a huge role in this because these kids are too young to go out and buy their own food," White said. "If mom and dad are buying lots of junk food and don"t buy fruits and vegetables, the kids have no chance." Like Tyler, the nurses are careful not to use labels with the children. "Our aim is teaching a lifetime of healthy choices, not getting them to lose weight," said Moran. "Putting a label on their weight status puts more emphasis on their current measurements or how they look. The goal is to make positive changes for life, not to lose 10 pounds in the next few weeks." It is also important for parents to be good role models for children, said Tyler. "If they see you eating healthy and enjoying physical activity," she said, "they will want to do the same, hopefully for the rest of their lives." University of Texas at Austin

Pages: 1 [2] 

Add your comment:

Name:
Site address:	http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits (spam protection):