| |
|
|
| |
Overweight children - healthy
lifestyle tips |
|
| |
|
|
| |
The number of overweight
children and adults is increasing. About one quarter of
children in Australia are now overweight. Encouraging
children to eat healthy food and be physically active can be
a challenge. It requires patience, practice and time.
Childhood is an important time to develop healthy patterns
for life and prevent weight problems. Research shows that
overweight children are more likely to become overweight
adults. |
 |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Seek advice if you’re not sure |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Sometimes it is hard to tell if
a child is overweight. This is because children have
different shapes at different ages. When there are more
overweight children around, our view of what is ‘normal’ may
also change. Your family doctor, school nurse or an
experienced health professional will be able to check your
child’s growth. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Why children become overweight |
|
| |
|
|
| |
A diet high in energy and fat
combined with little physical activity or exercise will lead
to someone becoming overweight. Your family’s eating habits
and activity patterns will affect body weight. You also
inherit body type and shape from your parents. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Possible problems for overweight
children |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Overweight children can have
difficulties in several ways. Most often they may feel
different from other children, which can affect their
confidence.
They can also be subjected to bullying from other children.
This may make parents feel worried about children taking
part in everyday activity such as school sports.
Unfortunately, this can make weight control more difficult.
Although health problems are less common in childhood,
children who continue to be overweight into adulthood can
develop:
- High blood fats with the
risk of heart disease
- Type 2 diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Stroke
- Joint problems
- Breathing problems
- Some forms of cancer.
Overweight caused by medical
conditions is rare, but always check with your doctor if you
are concerned. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
How to help your overweight
child |
|
| |
|
|
| |
If your child is overweight, the
advice of a health professional is important.
Young children should not be on restrictive diets that
severely limit food intake. You need to make permanent
changes to your family’s lifestyle and eating habits.
Everyone at home should be involved in any changes,
regardless of body weight, so that no child feels singled
out. Making the right changes will protect your children
from developing eating and dieting problems later in life.
It may take a number of attempts before children are happy
to change their food choices or become more active. This may
be frustrating for parents. But don’t give up. Remember to
stay positive. Children who are overweight need to know that
they are loved and important, regardless of their weight. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
How to make healthy food choices |
|
| |
|
|
| |
A healthy diet is not only what
your child eats, but how much. All children should eat
regularly, including healthy snacks.
Good nutrition starts early in life. Wherever possible try
to:
- Breastfeed and introduce
solids at around six months.
- Encourage a wide variety
of nutritious foods. No particular food should be forced
or overly restricted.
- Consider using reduced fat
dairy products after two years of age.
- Offer mostly cereals,
grains and breads, vegetables and fruits, with moderate
amounts of meat products and dairy foods.
- Limit added fats such as
oil, margarine and butter.
- Offer fresh vegetables and
fruit instead of processed snack foods.
- Include treats such as
cakes, chips or takeaway foods occasionally (once or twice
per week). Enjoy them as a family.
- Offer children water when
they are thirsty. Sweet drinks including juices, cordial
and fizzy drinks are not necessary and can contribute to
tooth decay.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Ways to encourage healthy
changes to your child’s eating |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Suggestions include:
- Buy, prepare and offer the
foods you would like your child to eat. Allow them to
choose what and how much of these foods they will eat.
- Keep offering healthy
foods even if they refuse them at first.
- Include your child’s food
choices in the family menu sometimes.
- Involve children in simple
food preparation, for example, making a salad.
- Let your child decide if
they have had enough, even if food is left on their plate.
This encourages children to better understand feelings of
hunger and fullness. These habits may help to control
appetite and prevent overeating as they grow.
- Encourage slow eating if
yours is a family of fast eaters. Put your knife and fork
down between mouthfuls. Offer crunchy foods that need
chewing.
- Help your child recognise
if he or she eats when bored, sad or lonely. Try to
suggest another activity to help distract them.
- Try not to punish, reward
or cheer your child up with food. It can be tempting to
use food this way at times but it establishes an unhealthy
relationship with food.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Fun family activity |
|
| |
|
|
| |
An active lifestyle is important
for the whole family, regardless of their age or weight.
Physical activity helps to build skills, makes you feel
better and helps to protect you from many lifestyle
diseases.
Activity should be fun, without focusing only on competition
or skills. To keep children active as they get older, they
may need help from their parents to include physical
activity in the family routine. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Tips to increase everyday
activity at home |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Suggestions include:
- Be active together. Let
your child see you being active too.
- Encourage lots of free
playtime outside.
- Try to use the car less.
Walk or cycle to school, the shops or to a friends house.
- Help your child find a
balance between organised sport, fun activities and
individual sports like swimming and dancing.
- Find an activity that your
child enjoys and that is fun, readily available,
affordable and matches your child’s age and skill level.
Ask your child’s physical education teacher, childcare
worker, community centre or other parents about options.
- Be supportive and
encouraging. Some children feel embarrassed and
uncomfortable about their physical skills or appearance.
- Motivate your children to
be active – even though it’s not always easy. Remember, if
your child gets hot, puffed and sweaty when active, this
is generally a good sign that they are working their
bodies and getting some benefit from the exercise.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Television and screen viewing
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Watching too much television is
linked closely with overweight in children. When children
watch TV, they are not being active and are more likely to
see food advertisements that encourage them to eat whether
they are hungry or not.
Suggestions include:
- Limit sedentary activity
like TV watching, watching videos, playing personal screen
games and using computers to no more than two hours a day.
- Avoid eating while the TV
is on. This may be a distraction from family time
together.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Getting started |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Start slowly. It is best to
manage one or two small changes before moving on to the next
change. It doesn’t matter how long this takes. Find out what
works for your family. Small setbacks may happen, but try to
be patient and reward your child’s effort and progress with
treats like books, stickers or special outings. |
|
| |
|
|
