There is heated debate over a relatively new health issue: childhood obesity. Over the last 20 years, the number of overweight children has increased dramatically. Blame has been placed on fast food, vending machines in schools, and Saturday morning television advertising to name just a few.  But the truth is there have been a number of significant changes in our society:

1. There are no mandatory daily physical education classes in public schools and recess is scarce.
2. Moms have entered the workforce and the evening family meal has all but disappeared.
3. Home computers and other great electronic gadgets have become affordable.
4. Cable TV and video games are in almost every home.
5. Urban sprawl means we go everywhere in a car.
6. Concerns over safety keep kids locked inside after school.

     I may be telling my age here, but I walked or rode my bike to school and we had to participate in P.E. unless we were extremely ill. After school we got a snack and then rode our bikes for miles until dinner was served. We had one black and white TV with three channels. (Unless we had fever, we didn’t stay inside to watch it.) My mom worked for my dad and one of them was home in the afternoon. Summer time was a glorious play-all-day affair with swimming, kick ball, tree climbing, fort building, bike riding, and kick-the-can after dark. School lunch was a hot home-cooked meal that rivaled my grandmother’s cooking.
     Studies by the Mayo Clinic and the University of North Carolina show that since my childhood days, kids’ caloric intake has increased by 1%, but physical activity has decreased 13%. Kids are not eating much more but they are exercising far less. The American Heart Association conducted a school-based study where they revamped the breakfast and lunch meals making them lower in fat. Physical activity was put back in the school day schedule and nutrition principles were taught to students.  Disappointingly, at the end of the two year study, students’ weight had not decreased significantly and cholesterol levels went down a little. The fact is that parents have to be role models, supporting their children’s exercise and eating habits, or nothing changes. Neighborhoods need safe places to play and ride bikes.
     In fact, the one habit that is consistently linked to childhood overweight is television viewing and computer time. This “screen time” equals pounds of extra weight. The average child gets 5 ½ hours a day of screen time AFTER they sit in school all day. It is recommended that children get at least 60 to 90 minutes a day of some type physical activity. Many experts recommend limits on screen time to 1 or 2 hours per day.
     I have often jokingly said to my diabetes classes, “If everyone got off the couch for a walk daily, there would be no need for a dietitian!”  Of course, nutrition is very important, but physical activity is really the key to healthy weight maintenance.