Children and Weight Gain

with Barbara Kolp-Jurss, M.D., Pediatrician, Advanced Healthcare

Posted: Jan. 1, 2005

When it comes to children and weight control, Barbara Kolp-Jurss, M.D., a pediatrician with Advanced Healthcare, doesn’t mince words.

“We are definitely seeing more obese people of all ages,” Dr. Kolp-Jurss said, “especially children and teenagers.”

In 1976, approximately 7 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 11, and 5 percent of teenagers (ages 12 to 19) were obese. By 2000, those numbers had jumped to 15.3 and 15.5 percent, respectively.

Barbara Kolp-Jurss, M.D., Pediatrician, Advanced Healthcare "Three top reasons are the ‘Three N’s,’ Nickelodeon, Nintendo and Netscape — television, video games and computers. Kids are getting less activity."

Dr. Kolp-Jurss, who was a registered dietitian before becoming a pediatrician, attributes the increase to several factors.

“Three top reasons are the ‘Three N’s,’ Nickelodeon, Nintendo and Netscape – television, video games and computers,” she said. “Kids are getting less activity.”

There also has been an increase in the availability of unhealthy foods. In addition, home cooking has been replaced in too many families by visits to fast-food restaurants and pre-packaged meals from the grocery store.

Portions have gotten bigger too. A study comparing today’s serving sizes with those from 20 years ago reveals that now a small serving of French fries is noticeably larger, a single bottle or can of soda contains two or three servings, and plates and bowls are bigger.

Healthy habits
Given those realities, the easiest way to keep children and teens from developing weight problems is to make sure they develop good habits early on.

“We’ve become a society that wants to provide foods that kids will eat, and we’ve stopped worrying about what they should eat,” she said.

Dr. Kolp-Jurss recommended cutting back on chips, cookies and candy and in favor of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads and pastas, fish and low-fat meats, such as chicken and lean cuts of beef.

She also encouraged parents to make sure their children are getting enough exercise. “Kids do what they see. When they have active parents, they’re going to be more active,” she said.

“I do not think kids need a computer, television or telephone in their room,” Dr. Kolp-Jurss said. “You don’t know what they’re watching, or who or what they’re in contact with.”

In addition, Dr. Kolp-Jurss said, watching television actually burns fewer calories than simply sitting around doing nothing.

“You burn fewer calories than you would if you were just sitting idle,” she said, “because when you’re watching TV, you’re so zoned out that you’re not even fidgeting.”

For families who aren’t particularly athletic, Dr. Kolp-Jurss suggested taking family walks and doing household chores together. She also recommended working together with children to plan and shop for family meals. That way they learn early on about nutrition in a non-threatening environment.

“You can teach them to read nutrition labels,” she said, “and teach them to cook.”

Teens
What if you’re in a situation where you haven’t been as careful about diet and exercise and have an older child or teen gaining weight and eating unhealthily?

The best you can do, she said, is to make sure you’re providing healthy meals at home and the opportunity for increased activity.

“Get them involved,” she said, referring to a child not interested in changing unhealthy habits. “If it’s Mom or Dad saying ‘I want him or her to lose weight,’ forget it. It’s not going to work.”

On the other hand, there is plenty that a parent can do to support an older child or teen who wants to lose weight.

Reassurance is the first step, Dr. Kolp-Jurss said. Overweight or obese teens need to know that normal weight doesn’t mean skinny.

“Those Victoria’s Secret models and Paris Hilton are not the norm,” she said. “They work out all the time to look like that and they deprive themselves. And yes, some of them have natural attributes, but there are plenty of models who, when they relax a bit, are a size 12, and suddenly find themselves working as plus-sized models.”

Dr. Kolp-Jurss cited Carre Otis, a former model who became a plus-sized model when she began eating normally, something she encourages her weight-conscious patients to do.

Smart weight loss
“When I have a patient who wants to lose weight, I start with simple things,” she said.

Those include eating three pieces of fresh fruit and two servings of vegetables each day, eight ounces of juice, up to two glasses of low-fat milk and plenty of water. Skipping meals is not an option.

“I tell them they can have fast food twice a week, and no more than two cans of soda per week,” she said. “And I tell them they need to exercise 30 minutes a day three to four days a week.”

That doesn’t have to be competitive exercise, just something that increases their heart rate. Brisk walking, a bicycle ride, in-line skating, swimming, washing windows or mowing lawns are some ideas.

“People go to the gym,” she said, “but they don’t wash their own windows. Shoveling, vacuuming and cleaning bathrooms means you start and finish a job, and accomplish something. That helps the family, and it helps the child, physically and emotionally.”

For more information about Columbia St. Mary's Bariatric Center, call 800-377-2673.

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