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A New Epidemic: Childhood Obesity by Ihor Magun, M.D., F.A.C.P. About ten million children in the United States have serious weight concerns. It has been esti mated that one out of every five children is over weight. This places them at potential risk for heart dis ease, diabetes, and orthopedic problems later in life. It also sets a pattern for a bad "way of life." In overweight children, diabetes can occur as early as the teenage years; cholesterol levels tend to be elevated, and heart disease can be seen in the early twenties. Additionally, obesity causes emotional scar ring resulting in social repercussions. Obese children often suffer from low self-esteem and this negativity affects their lives well into adulthood. The longer a child remains obese, the more likely he or she will be come an obese adult. So what is the reason for childhood obesity? Almost always, it all comes down to poor eating habits and inactivity. Children in America eat far too much food that can only be viewed as dietary time bombs. Children in America also spend far too little time mov ing around. Although this combination can be ex plained, it can not really be excused. It is the source of too many problems. In most families with working parents, prop erly prepared and cooked meals at home are a thing of the past. Meals are almost always prepared from pre packaged sources. Frequently, meals are purchased at fast food restaurants and are accompanied by sugar- sweetened soft drinks. While these things taste good, they are loaded with fat, calories, and salt. Portion con trol is rarely an issue. The meal is usually topped off with an equally poorly chosen dessert. Marketing by manufacturers feeds the temptation palate, especially in the case of desserts. Rather than being occasional treats, desserts become daily staples. Today's children watch more television than any previous generation of children in this country. Be cause television is a sedentary activity, this means they are not active enough. Today's children also play with computers on an average of twenty-five hours a week. This compounds the problem. Physical activity is placed low on the "to do list." After a while, inactivity becomes a way of life. Frequently, parents are just as inactive as their children, and this sets a poor example. So what can be done? It has been said that food is a great model for learning and for growing a healthy child from inside out. It has also been proved that a healthy body is a body that moves. We all want our children or grandchildren to be the best they can be, so we should take the time to work with them to eat better and move more. Heath habits start at home. Do not expect this to be done by someone else. We all need to set an ex ample and develop good eating and exercise habits. Healthy food is delicious and does not require too much of an effort. Enlist the help of your children with meal preparation. Doing this will also help you spend time with them in a productive way. Breakfast should never be skipped. Children concentrate more and do better in school after a good nutritious meal. It has also been shown that children who eat breakfast are less likely to be obese. Make breakfast interesting—use whole grain cereal, fruits, eggs, and limit the amount of fat. Create a healthy lunch if one is not available at school. Encourage fresh/dried fruit as well as milk. Sit down at dinnertime with your children where you can promote good eating habits. Encourage physical activ ity by playing with your children and grandchildren. It is a wonderful way to bond and promote a healthy life style. Limit television watching and computer games and plan activities that center on walking, running, swimming, jumping—any activities that promote mov ing muscles and bones and keep respiratory systems going at a good pace. Our children are the most important people in our lives. Let's give them the proper guidance to maximize their potential and develop a solid, healthy view on life. From O ur Life Archives: The follow ing is an open letter written by the editors o f O ur Life in 1944 on an issue that re mains important to editors o f contemporary publications worldwide: In recent months, two newspapers, one in the United States and one in Canada, have used articles from O ur Life without properly crediting our publication. We are appealing to the editors who publish articles previously published in O ur Life to mention our magazine as the source of this material and give proper credit, including the month and year in which the articles were published. This editorial courtesy is common in the publishing world and beyond. Those who reprint arti cles should always mention where the articles first appeared. Н А Ш Е Ж И Т Т Я ”, Ж О В Т Е Н Ь 2004 19
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