Kids & Teens
Help Your Children Build Healthy Eating Habits
August marks the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ first-ever Kids Eat Right Month. In order to support AND’s focus on the importance of healthful eating and active lifestyles for children and their families, IDEA has assembled a list of our most popular articles on kids’ nutrition. Learn how to get your children involved in their diets, how to help kids meet their nutrient requirements and how to build healthy lifestyle habits for the whole family.
Helping Kids Eat Healthfully
Screen Time Weakens Boys’ Bones
Here’s more incentive to encourage boys to minimize computer use. A new study presented at the World Congress on Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases, in Seville, Spain, in April, draws a link between screen time and diminished bone mineral density.
The research, published in Osteoporosis International With Other Metabolic Bone Diseases (2014; 25 [s2]), included 1,038 Norwegian boys and girls aged 15–18.
Best Fat Loss Protocol For Obese Teens?
As obesity continues to maintain a stranglehold on the teenage population, experts search for solutions to the potentially fatal disease. When it comes to exercise, a combination of cardiovascular and strength training is best, according to researchers from Sa?o Paulo.
The Danger of Sports Specialization
Many young athletes dream of earning a scholarship to play their sport of choice at a reputable college or university. To realize that dream, they will often train extensively. Recent research found that hard training while young may lead to significant physical problems later in life.
Cash or Credit? The Psychoeconomics of Childhood Obesity
It seems that debit card purchases promote the same type of frivolity in children as in adults, but when cards are swiped to pay for school lunches, the impact goes deeper than just free spending. Kids’ food choices also become foolish, according to a study that appeared in the January issue of Obesity (2014; 22 [1], 24–26).
Preschooler Obesity Risks
According to the Food Research and Action Center website, one quarter of U.S. children aged 2–5 are overweight or obese. Researchers from the University of Illinois, Urbana, believe they have identified the top risk factors for preschool-age obesity.
The investigators surveyed 329 parent-child pairs, asking about demographics, health histories and feeding habits. There were also home visits in which assistants gathered height and weight measurements.
Obese Children and Stress Hormones
Today’s obese children aren’t just carrying around extra weight. According to researchers from Erasmus Medical Clinic, at Sophia Children’s Hospital in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, they are also carrying higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
The study observed 20 obese and 20 normal-weight children aged 8–12. To determine cortisol levels, researchers took scalp hair samples from each subject. Data showed that obese children had higher levels of hair cortisol than normal-weight children.
Preschoolers Get Health Advice From Kids’ Show’s Characters
Many experts believe that long-term healthy behaviors are more likely to take hold when developed at a young age. According to researchers from Bogota?, Colombia, learning those behaviors from Sesame Street characters might be one way to get young kids on the right track.
A Best Type Of Exercise For Obese Girls?
The top titans of exercise—resistance exercise and cardiovascular exercise—continue to duke it out for the title of best fitness protocol. When it comes to obese girls, researchers believe they have a champion: cardio.
To determine this outcome, the researchers recruited 44 obese girls, aged 12–18, and assigned them to RE, CE or a nonexercise control group for 3 months. Measures included body weight, waist circumference, oral glucose, insulin sensitivity, body fat, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular fitness and more.
Factors Associated With Youth Athlete Injury Risk
Young athletes have a significant risk of injury. A recent study questioned whether specific factors could be associated with increased levels of risk.
Presented at the
2013 American Academy
of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, Florida, the study featured 1,206 athletes aged 8–18. Participants completed a questionnaire that asked about sports specialization; stage of puberty; and height and weight. Researchers collected the same data on the athletes every 6 months for 3 years.
New Concern for Overweight and Obese Children
Here is another reason to encourage children to maintain a healthy weight: According to a Kaiser Permanente Southern California study, children who are overweight or obese are at significant risk for developing hyper- tension.
Activity Rates Among U.K. 7- and 8-Year-Olds
Many experts believe that introducing healthy habits–like regular physical activity—at an early age can lead to a lifetime of health. It seems some people in the United Kingdom missed the memo.
Join The Fight Against Childhood Obesity
?It is well known that the United States faces a childhood obesity epidemic. In fact, 81% of respondents in a poll on the topic considered childhood obesity a serious concern and two-thirds believed the problem was getting worse (Hassink, Hill & Biddinger 2011). Actually, national surveys show a stabilization of childhood obesity rates and even small declines in some localities (RWJF 2012).
Wellness Starts With the Young
Antonio S. Williams, PhD, is an assistant professor at the Indiana University School of Public Health and CEO of Identity Branding and Marketing LLC. His passion for health and wellness among youth led him to found Fit University, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering children to make healthy food choices at home, at school and on the go. He has given numerous lectures on fitness branding and marketing throughout the United States and in countries such as Korea, Greece and Spain. He has also been featured in the New York Times, the St.
Addressing Obesity And Exercise In Preadolescents
Preadolescence is a time of major change and growth, bringing psychological, physical and social shifts for boys and girls alike. Caught between the carefree days of childhood and the first throes of being a teenager, “tweens” (roughly aged 9–12) are a force to be reckoned with. Like many other populations, preadolescents are suffering from lack of exercise, which threatens to chart a course toward obesity and disease.
How Fitness Professionals Can Fight Childhood Obesity
?Fitness professionals are an important part of the solution to the childhood obesity epidemic. One of the most compelling studies to demonstrate success in combating childhood obesity involved MEND (Mind, Exercise, Nutrition, Do It), an intervention in which fitness professionals who were trained as health coaches delivered a 24-session curriculum to children and families over 3 months in communities and schools.
Exercise Improves Stress Hormone Response in Kids
The life of a child can be stressful as he navigates school, peer relationships and other childhood circumstances. A new study has found that being physically active may help children manage stress more efficiently.
Undoing Childhood Obesity
?It is well known that the United States faces a childhood obesity epidemic. In fact, 81% of respondents in a poll on the topic considered childhood obesity a serious concern and two-thirds believed the problem was getting worse (Hassink, Hill & Biddinger 2011). Actually, national surveys show a stabilization of childhood obesity rates and even small declines in some localities (RWJF 2012).
Corral the Kids
Since many schools no longer offer physical education, a lot of fitness professionals are volunteering their time before and after school. This is a great (and needed) community service, but unless you have experience working with kids aged 7–11, you may not be fully prepared for the challenge of corralling them for a cool-down. When kids are having fun, they don’t want to stop, listen and be quiet. The transition from a workout to a cool-down can be tough. That’s why you need a plan.
The following activities offer many creative ways to rein in kids.
