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Show Moiiitof child's wekht ' Prevention is the key to helping children avoid becoming fat and remaining re-maining that way throughout adulthood, adult-hood, according to an article in the February issue of "PTA Today," the National PTA's award-winning magazine. "Studies indicate that as many as 15 percent of all young children and 20 percent of all adolescents can be classified as obese," says Thomas G. Moeller, associate professor pro-fessor of psychology at Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Frederick-sburg, Va. His article in "PTA Today" To-day" points out that being a fat child is bad enough in itself, but as many as 80 percent of these children chil-dren continue to be overweight as adults. Most researchers agree that obesity in children develops from a combination of genes and life experiences, ex-periences, says Moeller. However, Howev-er, even children who are genetically genetic-ally predisposed toward obesity can learn to control their weight through proper eating and exercise, exer-cise, he adds. For infants and young children, becoming overweight is often the result of being overfed by their parents. pa-rents. But, as children get older, they gain more control over their eating habits. "Parents may send a nutritious lunch to school with the child, but there is no guarantee that the lunch will go into the child," Moeller points out. "As early as age four or five, both fat and normal-weight children chil-dren show a definite aversion when shown pictures of overweight children," chil-dren," says the author. And as the teen years approach, adolescents , seem to be more conscious of how their bodies compare with those of others. Therefore, it may be crucial to help fat children lose weight before be-fore they reach puberty, or better yet, not to let them get fat in the first place. Moeller suggests that parents learn good dietary habits and set a good example for their children by avoiding food that is high in calor- v ies, fats and salts. "Parents should ' consult their physicians about what, when and how often to feed their baby," says Moeller, adding, "It's important to recognize when the baby's cries really indicate hunger and not some other discomfort." discom-fort." As babies begin to eat solid food, parents can feed them fresh fruit and vegetables that have been strained in a blender or food pro- cessor. As children grow, providing provid-ing a diet high in fiber, fruits and vegetables, poultry and fish is a good step. Parents' attitudes toward food are also important. The author suggests sug-gests that parents avoid teaching children to associate food with emotions or other psychological needs. "Rather than consoling children with food, adults need to -take the time to talk with them ab- ) out their feelings and needs," he V says. The author stressed that children should get proper exercise to battle obesity. Parents should encourage aerobic exercise such as sustained walking, jumping rope, running and swimming. Other articles in the February issue of "PTA Today" include how to get lead out of your water, the dangers of pesticides in schools, what makes a good AIDS curriculum and a profile of school-based school-based health clinics. Copies of the issue are available for $1 each by sending a check or money order made payable to the National PTA, 700 N. Rush St., Chicago, 111. 60611. |