There is nothing I enjoy more than raising my four children, but I have
found it to be a challenge to raise healthy-weight children in today’s society.
With the tripling of the child obesity rate in our country, there are record
numbers of children experiencing health problems that a generation ago were
primarily observed in adults.
As a physician's assistant
in family medicine, my job is not only to treat patients for their various
health problems, but also to educate patients on ways to prevent diseases.
Lifestyle changes can be
challenging, but when I took a successful child obesity intervention and
prevention program that I had implemented in my community, the “Family Fitness
Challenge,” and brought it to my church, I found that by combining current
medical research about behaviors associated with obesity along with Bible
verses to meditate on, it further inspired parents to make changes in their
household that had a huge impact on the health of their entire family.
While there are multiple
contributors to the child obesity epidemic, here are five areas that parents
need to pay the most attention to:
1. Sleep. Research
shows that people who regularly sleep too little and at the wrong time suffer
long-lasting consequences: an increase in obesity and risk of diabetes, heart
disease and other health problems. American children are the most
sleep-deprived in the world. Children should get 10 to 12 hours of sleep at
night, teenagers eight to nine, and adults eight.
“Let us, therefore, make
every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their
example of disobedience” (Heb. 4:11, NIV).
2. Eat enough produce. The
recommendations for the servings of produce came out when it was discovered
that five servings was the minimum daily amount that was needed to reduce heart
disease, cancers and obesity. According to the American Heart Association, the
cardiovascular health of today’s youth is foreshadowing bad news for their
adult years and the future of our country’s public health, after a survey found
that less than 1 percent of teenagers in America met this ideal dietary goal.
“At the end of the ten days
they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate
the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were
to drink and gave them vegetables instead” (Dan. 1:15-16).
3. Limit media time. Of
all the areas I speak to patients about, our society’s excessive amount of time
spent on media is the habit that poses the greatest challenge. Most parents
underestimate the amount of time their kids spend on media. Current data
reveals that U.S. children spend an average of 7.5 hours a day staring at
screens. This screen time is affecting their physical activity, slowing their
metabolism, interfering with their sleep cycles, exposing them to toxic
advertising, and taking over time that could be spent interacting with family,
friends, honing their artistic skills or growing their spiritual life. It is
recommended that children limit screen time to two hours or less a day. With
the excess time that children and adults are spending on screens, their hearts
and minds are being continuously bombarded with the material and sometimes
corrupt values of the world.
“Finally, brothers and
sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is
pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or
praiseworthy—think about such things” (Phil. 4:8).
4. Get enough physical
activity. According to a recent study, Americans are spending eight hours
a day barely moving. Couch-potato adults are now raising couch-potato children.
With physical activity no longer being scheduled into our daily lives, our
society is experiencing the negative health consequences that accompany it. The
Bible talks about when Mary and Joseph had the job of raising Jesus and how he
“grew in wisdom and stature,” meaning they looked out for his intellectual
health as well as his physical health.
It is recommended that
children get at least one hour of exercise a day. As a working mother of four,
I find this advice to be impractical—at the end of the day, I have no idea how
much time each of my children have spent exercising. I needed a watchdog to
make sure my kids are getting the exercise they need. My easy solution has been
to invest in pedometers for everyone in my family. By having our brood wear
pedometers, I can ensure that my children (and their parents) get the minimum
of 10,000 steps recommended daily.
“And Jesus grew in wisdom
and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52).
5. Drink more water. Soda
and other sugary drinks are the No. 1 source of calories in many Americans' diets
and the food item most commonly linked to weight problems. The average American
gets an extra 300 calories a day in the form of liquids. By replacing liquid
calories with water, it is possible to see a dramatic impact on weight problems
in a short period of time.
“Let anyone who is thirsty
come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of
living water will flow from within them” (John 7:37-38).
