Curbing childhood obesity

HAVING an overweight child can be very emotional for any parent.

The child may be subject to teasing and you may be subject to ridicule from those who blame you for your child’s weight.

However, Dr Patrece Charles-Freeman, executive director of the National Parenting Support Commission, said subtle ways parents can discourage overeating and encourage their children to lose weight and be more active at home include:

1. Being active together

Dr Charles-Freeman said once your child sees you being active it will encourage their participation in that action. “Especially now in the summer, I’m encouraging parents to encourage their children to have free playtime outside. Also, help your child find a balance with organised sports over the summer. They could do swimming, karate, football and also softer activities like reading and arts and craft. One of the things we don’t want children to do is sit on the couch for the whole day, watch TV and snack,” she said.

2. Encourage healthy snacking

“Instead of taking a pack of potato chips for your child to snack on, give them fruits that they like. Make them experiment with different fruits and vegetables. Things like carrot sticks are a healthier way to go about snacking when at home,” she said.

3. Control their portions in a kind way

Dr Charles-Freeman said parents should take note that some children will feel uncomfortable and embarrassed about their physical appearance. She explained that sometimes our body type is inherited from our parents and there’s really nothing we can do about it; however, she encouraged parents to motivate their children and help them with portion control. “When feeding your child, give them child portions and limit what they can get, but don’t do it in a way that suggests you are telling them they’re too fat,” she said.

4. Empower your child

Dr Charles-Freeman said if the child is overweight and they’re being teased by a bully, a sibling, a family member or a classmate, the first thing to help empower your child is to tell them to take control over what they can do. “There are medical conditions that children have that will cause some kind of obesity, so once you rule out medical conditions, encourage them to be consistent about doing something to change the situation rather than feeling depressed about the situation,” she said. “Obesity and their physical state can change if they take control of certain things, so helping to facilitate that whilst encouraging them to be proud of who they are, because they’re making the changes they want, are ways to encourage your child.”

Dr Charles-Freeman added that instead of speaking down to child about their physical appearance, be sure your child feels confident in who they are and are willing to make changes because you don’t want your child to swing from obesity to anorexia.

5. Be on their team

She said if the child is being teased by a sibling who may say, “Oh you’re fat, you’re fat, you’re fat!”, then you need to discipline that child and let them know it’s unacceptable to tease another person, whether it’s their sibling or not, in that way, because that’s bullying. “Set that boundary, and the child being teased or bullied will see that you are there for them and will see that mummy or daddy is on their team because they understand that this makes them feel bad,” she said. Dr Charles-Freeman also said parents should ask the child struggling with their weight if they are happy that way and if they don’t seem happy, then work with the child as a team to lose the weight.

6. Facilitate the right nutrition and lifestyle

“A lot of times children become overweight because parents provide the wrong nutrition and lifestyle for them. If it’s not a medical condition and you watch your child sit and laze around at home not being active and eating badly, it’s unfair to turn around and say ‘Look at how fat you are’, because you’re a big part or reason why they’ve become obese,” Dr Charles-Freeman said. “When they ask for food in the night or when they say that they’re hungry, you have to know the types of food they should get. Starting them on a healthy diet when they’re younger makes it a lot easier to move into adolescence and the teenage years.”