Why it matters
About 1 in 5 American children have obesity. Compared to children with healthy weight, children with obesity are at a higher risk for asthma, sleep apnea, bone and joint problems, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and mental health concerns like depression and anxiety.
Children with obesity are more likely to have obesity as adults. Adults with obesity have higher risks for stroke, many types of cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, premature death and mental health issues.
Factors that influence obesity include genes, eating patterns, physical activity levels, access to health care, and sleep routines. Also, conditions where we live, learn, work, and play affect access to healthy food and safe places to be physically active.
Though there is no one solution to addressing obesity, there are many ways parents and caregivers can help children have a healthy weight and set up lifelong healthy habits at home.
Here are a few ways families can help prevent or address obesity.
1. Model a healthy eating pattern
Offer a variety of fruits and vegetables throughout the day. Frozen and canned fruits and vegetables are often less expensive than fresh and are still good for you. Look for low sodium or no salt added vegetables and fruits packed in water or 100% fruit juice.
Adopting healthy eating patterns as a family can help children grow healthfully and maintain a healthy weight as they age. Eating a variety of vegetables and fruits, whole grains, lean protein foods, and dairy products that follow nutrition recommendations sets children and adults up for optimal health.
Choose healthy drinks
Help kids rethink their drink by replacing sugary drinks, such as soda, fruit drinks, and flavored milk, with water, 100% juice, or plain milk. Sugary drinks are the leading sources of added sugars in the American diet. Having too many sugary drinks can lead to weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and dental problems like cavities.
The next time you go grocery shopping, read the nutrition labels on the items in your cart to see which ones have added sugars. You may be surprised to see the amount of added sugars in some drinks.
Nutrition guidelines recommend that children younger than 2 years have zero foods or drinks with added sugars. From age 2 into adulthood, less than 10 percent of calories per day should come from added sugars.
Keep Reading: Nutrition Facts Label and Your Health
2. Move more as a family
Physically active youth have stronger muscles and bones, better cardiovascular fitness, and lower body fat than those who are inactive. Regular physical activity can also help improve attention and memory and reduce the risk of depression. Children aged 3–5 years should be physically active throughout the day. Guidelines recommend that children aged 6–17 years get at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day.
Help your children move more and meet the physical activity recommendations by being active as a family. Walking the family pet before and after school, riding bikes, having races in the yard, all count toward physical activity. Active chores, such as washing the car, vacuuming a room, or raking leaves, also count.
3. Set simple routines for better sleep
Getting enough sleep and healthy sleep patterns improve attention and behavior and can help to prevent type 2 diabetes, obesity, and injuries. Good sleep also helps improve mood and memory and is essential for our emotional well-being. Children who don’t get enough sleep are at risk for unhealthy weight gain.
Preschoolers need 10–13 hours of sleep per day, including naps. Children 6–12 years old need 9–12 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night, and youth 13–17 need 8–10 hours. Keeping a consistent sleep schedule, including on weekends, can help children sleep better.
4. Replace screen time with family time
During childhood, too much screen time can lead to poor sleep, weight gain, lower grades in school, and poor mental health. Reducing screen time can free up time for family activities and can remove cues to eat unhealthy food.
Turning off screens an hour before bed and removing screens from children’s bedrooms can help reduce screen time and improve sleep. Parents can use this family media plan for examples of ways to reduce screen time.
5. Look for childcare that supports healthy habits
The number of children in early care and education (ECE) settings makes childcare facilities among the best places outside the home to help young children build a foundation for healthy living. High-quality ECE programming can have a positive impact on a child’s social-emotional wellbeing, educational achievement, health, and socioeconomic outcomes later in life.
When looking for ECE programs for your child, ask about policies and practices related to nutrition and physical activity, like breastfeeding and feeding breast milk to infants, nutrition standards for the food served, access to outdoor physical activity , and daily screen time.
6. Find a family healthy weight program
If you are concerned about your child’s weight, talk with their health care provider. They can assess the health risks related to excess weight. If your child has overweight or obesity, your health care provider may refer you to a family healthy weight program (FHWP). These family-based lifestyle change programs help children and families make progress toward a healthier weight through positive behavior changes.