Study: Fight obesity in children 5 and under

Recommendations in a new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM), one of the first comprehensive studies analyzing what should be done to help prevent obesity in kids 5 and under.

About one in five kids are overweight or obese before they go to kindergarten, with higher rates among low-income children and African-American and Hispanic children, the report notes. Government data show a third of school-age children are overweight or obese. Many young children don't grow out of their baby fat, and that extra weight increases their risk of obesity and other chronic diseases such as heart disease later in life, Birch says. The first years of life are a critical time to begin obesity prevention, she says.

Among recommendations:

• Increase physical activity in young children. Kids should have the chance to be physically active throughout the day.
• Adults should avoid using restriction of play as a disciplinary measure, and kids should have opportunities for daily outdoor time for physical activity whenever possible.
• Decrease sedentary time for young children. Activities for toddlers and preschoolers should limit sitting or standing time to no more than 30 minutes at a time.
• Encourage age-appropriate sleep. There is a lot of data establishing a connection between shorter sleep duration and higher weight status, Birch says.
• Adults should create environments that ensure restful sleep for children, such as allowing no screen media in rooms where kids sleep. Currently, about 40% of children ages 4 to 6 have TVs in their rooms.
• Limit screen time and exposure to food and beverage marketing. Child care providers should limit television viewing and use of computers, mobile devices and other digital technologies to less than two hours a day for children ages 2 to 5.
• Monitor and track weight and length or height on growth charts from birth to age 5 at every well-child visit.

REFERENCIAS:

USA Today. (24 de junio de 2011). Study: Fight obesity in children 5 and under. Obtenido de Academic Search Complete EBSCO Host: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=c8f17002-0656-4ed8-b9cc-e1675be140d5%40sessionmgr14&vid=1&hid=111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=J0E393587881311