Fighting Teen Obesity: 10 Tips from a Physician

WALTHAM — With the Centers for Disease Control reporting that America is fatter than ever (two-thirds of Americans are now overweight or obese) and another study showing that spending on obesity-related diseases has doubled in 10 years and now accounts for more than 9{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} of all health care spending, obesity has been widely recognized as one of the nation’s biggest health problems.

“Obesity has become a double-edged sword, and neither side is good,” said Dr. Denise Rollinson, chair of the Mass. Medical Society’s Committee on Nutrition and Physical Activity. “It’s hurting us physically, with the incidence of diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease continuing to rise. And it’s hurting us financially. Obesity is now the single biggest reason for soaring health care costs, as we pay for treating these obesity-related chronic diseases.”

Rollinson said that, while the epidemic of obesity is affecting all age groups, “childhood obesity is particularly insidious because the health effects of obesity at a young age can last a lifetime.” And she noted that it’s a growing problem: a recent national study showed that the number of 2- to 19-year-olds who are severely obese has risen more than 70{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} since 1994 and has tripled in the last 30 years.

Public health officials have called attention to the seriousness of the obesity problem in Massachusetts. Adult obesity is rising faster here than the national average, with one in five residents now obese, and childhood obesity is even worse: nearly 30{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} of middle- and high-school students are overweight or obese.

Focusing on childhood obesity, Rollinson, who is also a diplomat of the American Board of Physician Nutrition Specialists, said the start of a new school year offers children and teens a great opportunity to take stock of their exercise and eating habits.

“The two primary factors in controlling weight are diet and exercise,” she said, “and the equation is simple. It’s calories in, calories out. If you take in more calories than you expend, you gain weight. If you take in less, you lose weight. We have to move more, eat less, and eat better.”

With that in mind, she offers 10 tips on nutrition to help teens adopt a healthier lifestyle:

• Monitor the quality of your diet by visiting mypyramid.gov;
• Monitor your weight regularly, either weekly or every other week;
• Limit intake of fast food;
• Increase portion sizes of salads, vegetables, and fruits, and decrease portion sizes of higher-calorie foods like pasta and bread;
• Drink water instead of soda, juice, or energy drinks;
• Eat fresh fruits or raw vegetables for snacks instead of chips, crackers, or cookies;
• Don’t skip meals, especially breakfast, because you’ll only end up eating more later. If you have to eat on the run, consider drinking a low-calorie, no-sugar-added, complete nutritional drink;
• Plan exercise into your schedule, such as walking, bicycling, or inline skating. Squeeze in exercise by using the stairs, taking 15-minute exercise breaks while studying, or walking home from school if possible;
• Treat yourself to more sleep, at least eight hours per night. This helps avoid extra calories from late-night snacking; and
• Include good sources of calcium in your diet, such as lowfat yogurt, fat-free chocolate milk, or low-fat pudding.

Rollinson cautions that these don’t have to be done all at once. “Adopt one or two at a time,” she said. “Small steps over time can make a big difference. And don’t worry if you fall back every once and a while. The important thing is to keep at it.”

For more information on obesity and overweight, for both adults and teens, visit www.hcam.tv/obesity to view a television program, Obesity in Massachusetts. Or visit the Mass. Medical Society Web site at www.massmed.org/healthyweight for more resources.