The rest of this article can be found in the Scott Hamilton Issue (past issues) of ABILITY Magazine www.ABILITYMagazine.com
Reprint of this article was provided by Chet Cooper, Publisher of ABILITY Magazine
ALOT TO SWALLOW:
CHILDHOOD OBESITY
As Sharon Rowland's weight climbed to 210 pounds, she worried that her children would follow her example, especially her oldest girl.
"She likes to eat, and I was concerned about that," Rowland says of Kylah, now 12. "I also wondered if she was getting enough exercise."
It's a concern shared by parents across America as childhood obesity rates for children six to 19 have more than tripled since 1980, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Packing on the pounds in youth may cause a range of typically "middle age" health diseases to strike much earlier.
"Type 2 diabetes used to be called 'adult onset diabetes,'" says Wes Alles, director of Stanford Health Improvement Center in Palo Alto, CA. "But the name had to be changed because we were seeing younger and younger children with the condition." In fact, some experts have warned that this could be the first generation that won't outlive its parents.
Loss of self-esteem, eating disorders, depression, social isolation and learning problems are additional ills that can land at the doorstep of obese children.
Even without wading through knee-deep statistics on the subject, Rowland gleaned that it was important to monitor the diet of all four of her children, who, in addition to Kylah, include daughters Kennedy, 10, and Kamryn, 7, along with son Raymond, 4.
"It's hard as a single parent," she said, "but I knew that there were better ways to eat than the drive-thru at McDonalds." So when an administrator at her local Indianapolis YMCA approached her about taking part in the Healthy Family Home Program, she signed up.
Earlier this year, the Rowlands completed a four-month pilot study, which was also conducted simultaneously in Chicago, New York City, San Diego and Marshalltown, IA. More recently the Eli Lilly funded program went nationwide at 1700 YMCAs.
WORKING TOGETHER
In sessions with other families, the Rowlands learned to make healthier choices, scrutinize food labels and avoid the evil god of trans fats. Sharon Rowland lost 25 pounds, and found that the Healthy Family kit was easy to incorporate into her and her children's daily routine.
The opening pages of the colorful pamphlet provide tips for youth to take an active role, not only in planning and preparing meals, but also in choosing family activities. The booklet's second half addresses parental input, urging moms and dads to eat and play with their children, and to spend individual time with each kid, which may help reduce emotionally motivated eating.
Rowland finds that the lessons she learned during the program have given her children more hands-on decision-making skills, such as the ability to interpret nutrition labels and to leave fattier items right there on the supermarket shelves.
"Our family used go through boxes of Little Debbie Snack Cakes," Rowland recalls, "but after the trans fat discussion [at the Y], we went home and threw them all away. Now, when I tell them to go pick out something for a snack, nine times out of 10 they pick out something very healthy."
As the family's head chef, she changed up the menu, using recipes that trim the fat, switching to brown rice and whole grain spaghetti, substituting olive oil for butter, and baking instead of frying. .