The treatment and prevention of childhood obesity starts at home

The University of Kentucky Public Relations and Strategic Communications Office provides a weekly health column available for use and reprint by news media. This week’s column is by Samir Softic, M.D., medical director of the Pediatric Fatty Liver Clinic and Aurelia Radulescu, M.D., medical director of the Pediatric BMI Clinic at Kentucky Children’s Hospital.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 13, 2024) – In the United States, one in five children are obese. Obesity is a chronic disease with many contributing factors; family history, access to healthy foods, hormonal and metabolic conditions, and even environmental factors such as how “walkable” neighborhood and cities are can have a negative impact a child’s weight. Obesity in children can lead to other health conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, lipid abnormalities, sleep disorders, as well as depression, anxiety and behavioral issues.

Poor eating and exercise habits established in childhood can be difficult to modify later in life. Children learn from their parents; the lifestyle choices modeled for them inform the patterns and habits they have as adults. To help give your child the best chance of growing into a healthy adult, it’s important to lead by example and help them build a lifetime of healthy habits.

Treating and preventing obesity in children starts at home. Here are some ways parents and caregivers can get the whole family to make positive, sustainable changes together.

• Consider your language. Using words like “fat” and “chubby,” commenting on a child’s body size and policing eating habits can be very damaging to a child who may already be self-conscious about their body. Support and empathy are essential first steps in obesity treatment.
• Involve the whole family. Even if parents, caregivers and other family members aren’t obese, make a plan that incorporates the whole family so that the child doesn’t feel singled out or isolated for their obesity treatment. New healthy habits will be beneficial for everyone.
• Start with small changes. Don’t restrict your and your child’s thinking to “diet” and “exercise.” Instead, focus on building small, sustainable habits that involve the whole family, such as going for a walk after dinner, having an extra serving of fruit and vegetables and substituting sugar-free juice or lemonade for soda.
• Make it fun. Try something new as a family, such exploring Kentucky’s state parks or participating in a community fun run. Pickleball, nature walks and neighborhood scavenger hunts are just a few more examples of how you can make movement fun. Cooking together at home is another way to have fun and eat a nutritious meal.
• Get professional help. In addition to advice from your child’s pediatrician, seek out guidance from pediatric obesity specialists and nutritionists to help guide and monitor obesity treatment.