About 1 in 5 American children have obesity. Your child’s health when they are young greatly affects their health later in life and children who are overweight are more likely to be overweight in adulthood. Plus, children with obesity are at a higher risk of developing long-term conditions like asthma, sleep apnea, bone and joint problems, type 2 diabetes and risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure. Being overweight can also impact children’s mental health, potentially contributing to lower confidence, anxiety and depression.
To set our children up for success, it is important to work together to teach healthy lifestyle habits at home. We’re here to help you combat childhood obesity with the resources and information you need.
Children's bodies are changing all the time, pretty much up until adulthood. Growth spurts, hormonal changes and weight changes are all normal throughout adolescence. Your child’s pediatrician can help you determine if your child is at a healthy weight.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also has a body mass index (BMI) calculator for children and teens that can help you monitor their BMI between provider visits. This BMI calculator is different from the one for adults. It provides detailed results that consider children’s and teens' age, height and weight and places it into a percentile compared to others of the same gender and age. The CDC’s BMI calculator is meant to help determine if your child is overweight but does not replace medical advice from their pediatrician.
Preventive health is vital to your child’s overall wellness. With the rise of childhood obesity, it is important to keep up with well-child visits so your child's pediatrician can track their weight and height to help identify any concerns. Your child’s provider will be able to determine if your child is overweight and help you create and follow an action plan specific to their health.
Make sure your child is up to date on their well-child visits as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
For overweight or obese children, the goal is to slow down weight gain while still allowing for healthy growth and development. As a parent, you can guide your child into making small, everyday changes that may have a big impact on their health. Here are 3 steps you can take to help manage your child’s weight.
The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend children between the ages of 7 and 17 years get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day.
Exercise can look different for kids than it does for adults. One way to ensure your child is active is enrolling them in an after-school sports program or other activities that get them moving, like dance. Giving your child options to pick from can help you find an activity they enjoy.
There are also a lot of ways to sneak physical activity in throughout the day, like walking the dog and walking or biking to and from school. Plus, just being outside as a family is naturally conducive to active play. Play a classic game (like tag or jump rope), go for a bike ride or organize a game of kickball in the backyard.
It can be tough to motivate kids to exercise when they just aren’t interested. If joining a soccer team day one seems like a stretch, start with small goals and build from there. It is also important to talk to your child about the benefits of exercise to help them understand all the ways moving their body can help.