Q: What causes children to become overweight?

A: Children become overweight for a variety of reasons. The most common causes are genetic factors, lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns or a combination of these factors. In rare cases, a medical problem, such as an endocrine disorder, may cause a child to become overweight. Your physician can perform a careful physical exam and some blood tests, if necessary, to rule out this type of problem.

Children whose parents or brothers or sisters are overweight may be at an increased risk of becoming overweight themselves. Although weight problems run in families, not all children with a family history of obesity will be overweight. Genetic factors play a role in increasing the likelihood that a child will be overweight, but shared family behaviors such as eating and activity habits also influence body weight.

A child’s total diet and his or her activity level both play an important role in determining a child’s weight. The increasing popularity of television and computer and video games contribute to children’s inactive lifestyles. The average American child spends about 24 hours each week watching television time that could be spent in some sort of physical activity.

Q: How can I help my overweight child?

A: Be supportive. One of the most important things you can do to help overweight children is to let them know that they are OK whatever their weight. Children’s feelings about themselves often are based on their parents’ feelings about them. If you accept your children at any weight, they will be more likely to accept and feel good about themselves. It also is important to talk to your children about weight, allowing them to share their concerns with you. Your child probably knows better than anyone else that he or she has a weight problem. For this reason, overweight children need support, acceptance and encouragement from their parents.

Focus on the family. Parents should try not to set children apart because of their weight, but focus on gradually changing their family’s physical activity and eating habits. Family involvement helps teach everyone healthful habits and does not single out the overweight child.

Increase your family’s physical activity. Regular physical activity, combined with healthy eating habits, is the most efficient and healthful way to control your weight. It also is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Some simple ways to increase your family’s physical activity include the following:

Be a role model for your children. If your children see that you are physically active and have fun, they are more likely to be active and stay active for the rest of their lives.

Plan family activities that provide everyone with exercise and enjoyment, like walking, dancing, bicycling or swimming. For example, schedule a walk with your family after dinner instead of watching television. Make sure that you plan activities that can be done in a safe environment.

Be sensitive to your child’s needs. Overweight children may feel uncomfortable about participating in certain activities. It is important to help your children find physical activities that they enjoy and aren’t embarrassing or too difficult.

Reduce the amount of time you and your family spend in sedentary activities, such as watching television or playing video games.

Become more active throughout your day and encourage your family to do so as well. For example, walk up the stairs instead of taking the elevator, or do some activity during a work or school break get up and stretch or walk around.

The point is not to make physical activity an unwelcome chore, but to make the most of the opportunities you and your family have to be active.

Teach your family healthy eating habits. Teaching healthy eating practices early will help children approach eating with the right attitude that food should be enjoyed and is necessary for growth, development and energy to keep the body running. The best way to begin is to learn more about children’s nutritional needs by reading or talking with a health professional and then to offer them some healthy options, allowing your children to choose what and how much they eat. The publication “Dietary Guidelines for Americans” is a good source of dietary advice. The publication is available at K-State Research and Extension Douglas County.

Here are some ways to help your child develop good attitudes about eating:

Don’t place your child on a restrictive diet. Children should never be placed on a restrictive diet to lose weight, unless a doctor supervises one for medical reasons. Limiting what children eat may be harmful to their health and interfere with their growth and development.

To promote proper growth and development and prevent obesity, parents should offer the whole family a wide variety of foods from each of the food groups displayed in the Food Guide Pyramid. The Food Guide Pyramid applies to people who are older than 2. The Food Guide Pyramid illustrates the importance of balance among food groups in a daily eating pattern. Select most of your daily servings from the food groups that are the largest in the picture and closest to the bottom of the Pyramid.

Carefully cut down on the amount of fat in your family’s diet. Reducing fat is a good way to cut calories without depriving your child of nutrients. Simple ways to cut the fat in your family’s diet include eating low fat or nonfat dairy products, poultry without skin and lean meats, and low fat or fat-free breads and cereals. Making small changes to the amount of fat in your family’s diet is a good way to prevent excess weight gain in children. But, major efforts to change your child’s diet should be supervised by a health professional. In addition, fat should not be restricted in the diets of children younger than 2. After age 2, children gradually should adopt a diet that contains no more than 30 percent of calories from fat by the time the child is about 5 years old.

Don’t overly restrict sweets or treats. While it is important to be aware of the fat, salt, and sugar content of the foods you serve, all foods even those that are high in fat or sugar have a place in the diet, in moderation.

Guide your family’s choices rather than dictate foods. Make a wide variety of healthful foods available in the house. This practice will help your children learn how to make healthy food choices.

Encourage your child to eat slowly. A child can detect hunger and fullness better when eating slowly.

Eat meals together as a family as often as possible. Try to make meal times pleasant with conversation and sharing, not a time for scolding or arguing. If meal times are unpleasant, children may try to eat faster to leave the table as soon as possible. They then may learn to associate eating with stress.

Involve children in food shopping and preparing meals. These activities offer parents hints about children’s food preferences, teach children about nutrition, and provide children with a feeling of accomplishment. In addition, children may be more willing to eat or try foods that they help prepare.

Plan for snacks. Continuous snacking may lead to overeating, but snacks that are planned at specific times during the day can be part of a nutritious diet, without spoiling a child’s appetite at meal times. You should make snacks as nutritious as possible, without depriving your child of occasional chips or cookies, especially at parties or other social events.

Discourage eating meals or snacks while watching television. Try to eat only in designated areas of your home, such as the dining room or kitchen. Eating in front of the TV may make it difficult to pay attention to feelings of fullness and may lead to overeating.

Try not to use food to punish or reward your child. Withholding food as a punishment may lead children to worry that they will not get enough food. For example, sending children to bed without any dinner may cause them to worry that they will go hungry. As a result, children may try to eat whenever they get a chance. Similarly, when foods, such as sweets, are used as a reward, children may assume that these foods are better or more valuable than other foods. For example, telling children that they will get dessert if they eat all of their vegetables sends the wrong message about vegetables.

Make sure your child’s meals outside the home are balanced. Find out more about your school lunch program, or pack your child’s lunch to include a variety of foods. Also, select healthier items when dining at restaurants.

Set a good example. Children are good learners, and they learn best by example. Setting a good example for your children by eating a variety of foods and being physically active will teach your children healthy lifestyle habits that they can follow for the rest of their lives.