Weekly Health Care

Posts Tagged ‘childhood obesity’

Childhood obesity is one of the biggest health problems of the country, particularly for Hispanics.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 20 percent of Hispanic children between 12 and 19 are obese. In contrast 18 percent of all children between 12 and 19 are obese.

“We could say that is the main problem of our community,” said Dr. Philip Lobel, a nutrition specialist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a federal government agency that promotes good health.

“We unfortunately the U.S. group with the highest rates of obesity in adults and children and we must do something about it,” he said. (Download the full interview in. Mp3 (5MB) or read the transcript of the interview.)

That something could be summarized in the following five habits that Dr. Lobelo recommends that parents or guardians who seek to combat childhood obesity at home: Read the rest of this entry »

Limit the time spent by children watching television to encourage them to do sports
Introducing your children to eat healthily is not all. Playing sports is a good habit too. But have you thought about limiting the time your children spend watching television? According to a U.S. study, there is a direct link between time spent watching TV and the rate of childhood obesity. Watching television is a sedentary activity and passive.

In addition, marketing agencies saturate children advertising clips for unhealthy foods. According to one study, fast food chains are the main target children in their advertising because of the influence of children on parents’ purchasing decisions. These children will also become loyal customers and loyal later, remaining trademark throughout adulthood.

Make a family sport to play sports with your children
Incorporate fitness into the daily life of a family is a good way to encourage children to eat healthy and do sports. Try a walk of 30 minutes after dinner, or go biking with your family once a week. For a really fun activity, organizing a dance party one of these Friday nights at home. Turn off the lights, turn on music and type of heels, and you’ll burn calories while having fun.

Other activities that expend calories, and children will love to include a battle of laser guns, roller skate, play football family. There are thousands of ways to familiarize your children to eat healthy foods and do sports. All you need is a little creativity, to subtly change your children so harmless and recreational (without even realizing it).