Here's some practical advice for parents concerned about their
children's weight: Serve them meals on smaller plates, pay attention to
what they watch on TV and make sure they get adequate sleep.
These suggestions are based on three new studies in April's Pediatrics, released online today.
Nationally, about a third of kids and adolescents ages 2 to 19 are obese or overweight, government statistics show. Children are classified as overweight or obese based on where they fall on body mass index, or BMI, growth charts.
In a study of 41 first-graders, researchers found that 80 percent served themselves 90 calories more at lunch using adult-sized dinner plates than when using child-sized plates (the size of an adult salad plate). And when the kids said they liked the meal, they served themselves an average of 104.2 calories more.
"We know large portions have a pretty consistent effect in making kids eat more than they would if portion sizes were smaller," says study co-author Jennifer Orlet Fisher, an associate professor of public health at Temple University in Philadelphia.
In a paper examining the relationship between different types of "screen" media and increased BMI, researchers find that not all devices have the same effect.
They compared data collected from 91 teens, ages 13 to 15, about TV viewing, computer use and video-game playing, including the amount of time and the level of attention given to the devices.
According to the analysis, there was a clear association between paying primary attention to television and having a higher BMI, says study co-author Michael Rich, director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Boston Children's Hospital. There was no association for computer use or video-game playing, nor was increased BMI associated with the overall amount of time spent watching TV, he says.
As has been suggested in other studies, the potential culprit may be the attention paid to TV commercials, many of which are for "high-calorie, nutritionally questionable snack foods," Rich says.
A new sleep study in the journal is the latest in a growing body of research to suggest that insufficient sleep may contribute to the rise in adolescent obesity. It has been proposed that sleep deprivation is related to increased BMI because it increases levels of a hunger hormone and decreases levels of a fullness hormone, which could lead to overeating and weight gain.
These suggestions are based on three new studies in April's Pediatrics, released online today.
Nationally, about a third of kids and adolescents ages 2 to 19 are obese or overweight, government statistics show. Children are classified as overweight or obese based on where they fall on body mass index, or BMI, growth charts.
In a study of 41 first-graders, researchers found that 80 percent served themselves 90 calories more at lunch using adult-sized dinner plates than when using child-sized plates (the size of an adult salad plate). And when the kids said they liked the meal, they served themselves an average of 104.2 calories more.
"We know large portions have a pretty consistent effect in making kids eat more than they would if portion sizes were smaller," says study co-author Jennifer Orlet Fisher, an associate professor of public health at Temple University in Philadelphia.
In a paper examining the relationship between different types of "screen" media and increased BMI, researchers find that not all devices have the same effect.
They compared data collected from 91 teens, ages 13 to 15, about TV viewing, computer use and video-game playing, including the amount of time and the level of attention given to the devices.
According to the analysis, there was a clear association between paying primary attention to television and having a higher BMI, says study co-author Michael Rich, director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Boston Children's Hospital. There was no association for computer use or video-game playing, nor was increased BMI associated with the overall amount of time spent watching TV, he says.
As has been suggested in other studies, the potential culprit may be the attention paid to TV commercials, many of which are for "high-calorie, nutritionally questionable snack foods," Rich says.
A new sleep study in the journal is the latest in a growing body of research to suggest that insufficient sleep may contribute to the rise in adolescent obesity. It has been proposed that sleep deprivation is related to increased BMI because it increases levels of a hunger hormone and decreases levels of a fullness hormone, which could lead to overeating and weight gain.
No comments:
Post a Comment