Free program offers help for overweight kids
School is back in session and for kids it’s all about getting back into routines.
Getting plenty of sleep, eating well, and making time for exercise are keys to success in the classroom and living a long life.
It’s never too late to adopt positive lifestyle habits but the earlier those healthy practices become ingrained, the less likely kids will have to live as adults with the problems associated with obesity.
“What we know about kids in general is roughly one in three are on an unhealthy weight trajectory,” said Dr. Tom Warshawski, a Kelowna pediatrician who chairs the Childhood Obesity Foundation. “For kids, one of the major side effects is they get teased. Maybe more importantly, kids tend not to outgrow their healthy weight and in fact it gets worse.
“When it gets into adulthood we know an overweight adult dies on average three years before a normal-weight adult would, and if you’re obese, you die around seven years earlier because of chronic diseases associated with it.”
The province is trying to make healthy weights in children and youth a priority and is targeting school-aged kids aged eight to 12 with weight management issues as candidates for the foundation’s new Healthy Family Living Program.
Working in partnership with Prince George’s YMCA of Northern B.C., the 10-week community-based program will provide health and nutrition counseling in weekly group sessions. It will engage participants in healthy activities that mesh with their own personal interests that they can do on their own time.
It’s all about giving families the tools to do the things they know they should be doing and avoid the things they know are bad for them.
The program will be administered by community members rather than health professionals and it will highlight best practices that can be shared by parents with other parents. Feedback provided by participants will help refine the program so it can eventually be offered across the province.
“The entry point is a parent who’s concerned about an unhealthy weight trajectory for their kid and once the parent has that concern and they go to the first session, weight is never mentioned again,” said Warshawski.
“It’s all about healthy eating and active living for the whole family. Unhealthy eating is associated with Type 2 diabetes, as well as heart disease and cancers, regardless of your weight. We don’t talk about weight here, our premise is, if you get the habits right, you’ll get the weight that’s right for each member of the family.”
Healthy living habits are encouraged by educators in the school system but Warshawski says teachers have enough on their plates teaching kids reading, writing and arithmetic while also dealing with mental health and behavioural issues and other barriers to learning.
“If I was king, I would add 45 minutes to the school day and make mandatory physical activity each day with a qualified instructor – that’s what’s really lacking,” he said. “You’ll see that all the private schools have this because they know the link between physical activity, concentration, memory, cognition and healthy weights.
“We’ve actually set ourselves up here for an element of inequality that we don’t accept in the healthcare system that we accept in the education system and that should be addressed systematically. We as a province have to look at how we really want our children to learn and evolve and I think we’re falling short in the activity end at school.”
More information about the program and an online registration form is available at www. familyhealthyliving.ca
Tips for Healthy Living, Active Living
• Sleeping well. Make sure the foundation for sleep is set to avoid being tired at school, which becomes a barrier to learning. Warshawski recommends kids 12 and younger get 10 to 12 hours of sleep per night. Set regular bedtimes and take away the screens in bedrooms. Sleep deprivation can upset the body’s metabolism, increasing the chances of gaining weight.
• Eat a good breakfast. That means skipping the donuts and Frosted Flakes to avoid sugar, which the body tends to process quicker, leading to midmorning hunger pangs. Eggs, whole fat yogurt, oatmeal or pancakes are better breakfast choices.
• Pack nutritious lunches. Hold off on granola bars and eat fresh vegetables instead. Avoid fruit juice in packed lunches and limit sugary drinks to no more than one per week. It’s much better to eat your fruit and drink your water.
• Walk to school. If your kids live far from the classroom, drive part way there and walk the rest of the way and get there early so they can play in the playground before the morning bell rings. A bit of physical activity early in the day helps them concentrate better in class.
• Limit screen time. Designate a maximum of two hours a day, whether that’s TV time, video games or online surfing. Kids are naturally active unless they’re tethered to a screen. Video games are designed to be addictive and that has to be held in check.