What’s Going Around | Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

WASHINGTON ( DC News Now ) –September has been dubbed National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month.

Childhood obesity is considered an epidemic in the United States.

The rates have tripled over the past three decades, according to Dr. Yolandra Hancock, a pediatrician at Generational Health Center in Prince George’s County.

“The numbers are astounding right now. Nearly 20% of children across the country are dealing with obesity. And when you look at communities of color, those statistics are even more staggering. A little over 26% of Latino children are dealing with obesity and nearly 25% of black children are dealing with obesity over the past 30 years,” she said.

Obesity is a complex, chronic disease with lots of different factors.

Children with obesity are more likely to be diagnosed with chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and asthma.

They are also more likely to have obesity as adults. Childhood obesity is like a puzzle with a lot of different moving parts.

“So as much as we want to blame it on overconsumption of calories, it’s a combination of factors. It is about what children are eating. We know that over 30% of children eat fast food on any given day. We know that children drink a significant amount of sugary drinks. So a lot of the sugar that they’re consuming now is a lot higher than it was about 30 years ago. Levels of physical activity are much less. Even children’s sleeping patterns have been impacted by things like technology,” said Dr. Hancock.

The CDC recommends four things families can do to set up lifelong healthy habits at home:

• Model a healthy eating pattern
• Move more as a family
• Set consistent sleep routines
• Replace screen time with family time

There are warning signs parents and caregivers should look out for, including knowing your children’s numbers.

“Pay attention to not just their weight, but their weight trend. Are they losing or gaining weight? And how fast? And then also make sure you know what the BMI percentile is.” she said. Focusing on health, not weight, is critically important if a child is dealing with overweight or obesity,” she said.

Dr. Hancock also said to not focus on numbers on a scale. Instead, focus on health habits because that’s how you’ll get that child to their ideal weight.

It’s also important to pay attention to eating nutrient-rich foods and paying attention to the amount of sugar.

“Children should consume no more than about 25 grams of sugar, which is the equivalent of six teaspoons. That’s inclusive of the fruit that they eat. So what you’re feeding them for breakfast, lunch and dinner plays a critical role. How much sleep they’re getting is also important. Children should achieve about 50 minutes of physical activity and moderate physical activity every single day. And we should limit screen time to no more than 2 hours per day,” she said.

Dr. Hancock added that it’s also important to remove a child’s phone from their bedroom or at least put it on silent so they get enough sleep.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.