Thursday, March 28, 2024

MSU prof studies keys to fight family, child obesity

February 2, 2009

An MSU doctor and his team have gained more insight into how children and families that beat obesity achieve their success.

Dr. Christopher Pohlod said although there has been significant research done on the causes of obesity, there had been little, if any, work done on children who successfully lose weight.

Pohlod and his team interviewed numerous health care providers in the area — many that worked with low-income families — to try to pinpoint the markers of success.

“What we found was the people who were very successful had essentially the entire family brought in,” Pohlod said. “The parents were extremely active in making changes.”

Pohlod also stressed the importance of sitting down for a family meal, away from the TV, in order to communicate healthy eating behaviors.

“You communicate positive messages about food when you’re around the table. At the TV, you’re not doing that,” he said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of obese children from ages 2 to 5 hovers at about 12 percent. For ages 6 through 11 and 12 through 19, the prevalence is about 17 percent for both groups.

Sharon Hoerr, a professor of human nutrition, said although other factors contribute to childhood obesity, such as poor diet, a lack of physical activity and sedentary behavior, making time for family meals is key.

“In my own work, I see stressed out families having fewer and fewer family meals. It requires a concerted effort for all family members,” Hoerr said. “It’s something that both parents need to prioritize and implement and it might just be one day a week.”

Another factor, Pohlod said, seems to the income level of the family.

“(Families) that didn’t do well had a lot of budget problems. Either they felt that family budget didn’t allow them to buy good food or it just wasn’t available, or they weren’t in the habit of buying fruits and veggies,” Pohlod said. “(They) bought boxed food that was cheap and available.”

Pohlod emphasized the importance of the role parents play in facilitating a child’s weight loss and healthy lifestyle.

“The number one is for parents themselves to realize that they may not feel like they have a lot of influence, (but) they really do,” Pohlod said. “They’re extremely important in setting the tone for the whole family.”

A good strategy to follow is the 5-2-1-0 rule, Pohlod said. This means five servings of wholesome fruits and vegetables every day, no more than two hours in front of any kind of screen, one full hour of activity every day and zero beverages with sugar in them.

He also said being overly restrictive in controlling the child’s diet is counterproductive.

“(Parents) need to chose the foods that the family is going to eat wisely, but let kids eat what they want,” Pohlod said.

“In a low-key way, decide what foods will be in the house, and then allow kids to choose from those healthy choices.”

Mindy Emerson, principal of Red Cedar Elementary School in East Lansing, said the school provides breakfast and lunch to students and encourages healthy snacking. But, Emerson said the school isn’t typical because of the wide diversity of students, with children that hail form 48 countries and 14 states.

“The fourth graders run an organic snack store. We are working on wellness and health well all the time here,” she said. “There is a jump rope team that is a great promoter of fitness for all of the children.”

Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.

Discussion

Share and discuss “MSU prof studies keys to fight family, child obesity” on social media.