My daughter was a chunk of a baby. (See for yourself.) But she has since shed her baby fat and grown into a perfectly sized preschooler, who can outrun all the girls and all but one boy on her soccer team. When I watch her sprint after the ball I often reminisce about her former Michelin Man legs. Man, was she chubby (though, very healthy, according to her doctor).
I’m not afraid to speak about my child’s hefty beginnings, but perhaps I should since these days the tide seems to be turning against baby fat. In a recent article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers claim that chubby babies are more likely to grow into obese adults.
The reason I know the article exists is because my daughter’s soccer coach handed out guides on new programs designed to help beat the battle of the baby bulge. Apparently, states across the country are joining forces to teach parents and children about proper nutrition and the importance of daily exercise.
According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, 12% of kids ages 2 to 5 are obese. In addition, more than half of overweight kids already have high cholesterol or blood pressure, which is why medical experts are so emphatic about getting kids to take part in regular physical activity.
Doctors say the earlier a child gets moving the less likely he or she will suffer with weight issues in the future. To help teach children about the importance of daily physical fitness a number of schools nationwide have jumped on the SPARK bandwagon. SPARK stands for Sports Play and Active Recreation for Kids and is taught at hundreds of daycare centers and schools across the country.
The philosophy behind the program is to increase movement in sedentary children. Doctors say physical activity is key to healthy children growing into healthy adults. But medical experts say parents shouldn’t rely solely on these types of programs to encourage their children to get moving.
As one doctor affiliated with the program pointed out, “Children are always moving; we don’t have to train them to move, we have to give them opportunities to move.”
Health experts say formal weight loss programs should be left for extreme cases of overweight children. If you are concerned that your child might fit into this category you should consult your son or daughter’s pediatrician. Doctors can diagnose obesity by calculating a child’s body mass index or BMI.
Note: Calculating BMI for children is slightly different than for adults. BMI tables for children and teens take into account age and gender, because body fat is different in girls and boys.
To view the CDC’s BMI calculator click here.
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