This op-ed was published the
Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel, the
Los Angeles Daily News, the
Fredericksburg,
VA Free-Lance Star, the
Journal Star (Peoria), and
other
Knight Ridder newspapers in September 2004.
No Supersizing this year!
By Diana Zuckerman
My kids’ new school binders and backpacks remind me that September
is the time for a fresh start. There is a lot we can’t control
in the world around us, but as we look at our kids we’re reminded
of how important it is that we try. And as we look at the supersizing
of America’s children, we know that we need to do something about
that. And this is a great time of year to do it.
It’s getting increasingly obvious that many children are truly
getting too big for their britches. For some reason, it seems
more noticeable when it is someone else’s child. Research shows
that 4 out of 5 parents of very overweight children don’t think
their children are even slightly heavy. And when we don’t see
it, we are less likely to do anything about it.
But most children know if they are fat -- if only because other
children will tell them so. A study of young children in California
found that obese kids were the unhappiest kids -- with a quality
of life comparable to children with cancer who were undergoing
chemotherapy. It is tragic that children with cancer suffer so
much -- we should make sure that healthy children don’t gain so
much weight that their lives are similarly difficult.
It’s not just that being overweight makes kids unhappy. What
used to be called "adult-onset diabetes" has become a national
epidemic among children. A diagnosis of diabetes doesn’t scare
parents the way some other diseases do, but it can cause a lifetime
of serious health problems, and a shorter life.
In reading the latest research, I’ve found some simple suggestions
for helping everyone in the family -- kids and adults -- stay
a healthy weight or get back to a healthy weight.
Cut back on regular soft drinks -- sodas and
sugared fruit drinks. It’s just common sense to avoid supersized
drinks no matter who sells them, but even moderate size drinks
can add up to undesirable flab. A new study published in the Journal
of the American Medical Association found that drinking one or
more soft drink each day was linked to weight gains of 10 pounds
a year, compared to those who drank only one per week. It seems
that these drinks don’t fill us up the way food does, no matter
how many calories they are.
Don’t eat or drink while watching TV. Studies show it’s a bad
habit that is common among overweight children (and adults). This
is what happens: when you eat you want to watch TV and when you
watch TV you will want to eat. Break the cycle! Don’t allow eating
while watching TV. If it’s hard to go "cold turkey" in your house
then just allow eating during certain programs or only allow healthy
foods that you want to encourage, like milk or fresh fruit. Cut
back gradually if you need to, but sometimes clear rules are easier
to enforce than more flexible ones.
Walk. In the community where I live, parents drive their kids
almost everywhere, or push them in strollers when the kids are
old enough to walk on their own. I’ve seen strollers advertised
for kids up to 70 lbs! That might be faster, more convenient,
or better exercise for parents, but let’s face it -- kids that
size should be walking on their own unless they have a physical
disability. It’s good for kids to let them walk or ride their
bikes to school or to visit friends if it is safe and close enough.
It’s a great form of exercise, it fosters kids’ sense of confidence
and independence, saves money on gas, and can even give parents
more time to do other things.
There are lots of ways to help our kids start the school year right, but helping them lose weight is a gift that will keep giving for the rest of their lives. You won’t see these ideas advertised on TV, but they don’t cost anything and they actually work. It’s one way to turn back the clock to a better time -- to the days when there were no supersized drinks and fewer supersized kids.
Diana Zuckerman is president of the National Research Center for Women & Families in Washington, DC.
