Relearning to Play Now Vital To Preventing Childhood Obesity
by Caren Vance, M.D.
Most of us remember as children the thrill of summer breaks, warm evenings filled with nonstop play and refusing our parents’ calls to come home if we were in a heated game of dodge ball.
Unfortunately, physical play has given way to sedentary lifestyles and poor diets in our children, with the number of overweight and obese youngsters doubling in one generation, and continuing to rise. Camping out in nature has been replaced by camping out in front of a computer screen for a summer of playing video games and blogging on MySpace.
Besides the explosion of technology cutting down the incentives for children to be physically active, the big barrier to playing outside is safety in our modern world. Both working parents with time constraints and concerns about safety in their neighborhoods are keeping kids inside and sitting down. Parents worry about their children being accounted for at all times.
Moreover, schools have cut back on physical activity for students. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, daily participation in physical education programs among adolescents has dropped from 42% in 1991 to 33% in 2005.
Advice to Parents…
In my pediatric practice I stress to parents and their children that it is my job to worry about the numbers – weight and body-mass index (BMI) -- and when to screen for health consequences of having an unhealthy BMI. (A BMI in the 85th or 95th percentile indicates that a child is at risk for becoming overweight or obese.)
I also emphasize the importance of making sure the kids get enough unstructured playtime. Allow children to get bored and figure out their own fun. Rather than buying them the latest electronic gadgets or enrolling them in too many extracurricular programs, let the children play outside everyday; give them a ball and let them come up with their own games. Let them discover nature in their own backyards. Walk them to school or anywhere else they need to go.
And follow the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines: less than two hours a day of sedentary computer time.
The important fact for parents to remember is that excess weight is a health issue. Unfortunately, this generation of children will be the first that could experience a shorter life span than the previous generation due to obesity. Just by making simple changes in the area of play, parents may help their children live longer, healthier lives.
Dr. Vance is a pediatrician with a practice at Castro Valley Pediatrics, located at 20101 B Lake Chabot Road, Castro Valley. She has privileges at Eden Medical Center, Castro Valley campus and Children’s Hospital Oakland. Dr. Vance can be reached at (510) 581-1446.