Photo By Sheila deVera | September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month and in Alaska alone, three in...... read more read more
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September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion said one in three children in the United States are considered obese or overweight. In Alaska alone, it is three in 10 high school students.
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson offers many resources to parents and children to foster a healthy lifestyle. The 673d Medical Operations Squadron Pediatric Clinic, 673d Medical Support Squadron Nutritional Medicine Flight, and sports activities at the youth and teen centers, youth sports, and instructional youth programs all strive to help JBER families live healthy lives.
Medical professionals identify obese children as those above the 95th percentile body mass index amongst their peers.
“We start tracking BMI for children at age 2, and annually after that during their wellness visit,” said Air Force Maj. Neil Copeland, 673d MDOS pediatrician. “Children who are between the fifth and 84th percentile are considered healthy, 85th to 94th are overweight, and above 95 are obese.”
The clinic also educates family members about the “5-2-1-0 Rule”. Individuals should eat five or more servings of fruit and vegetables per day, limit their screen time to two hours or less per day, get active for one hour or more of physical activity per day, and drink zero sugar sweetened beverages per day.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said obese children are at higher risk for other chronic health conditions and diseases such as asthma, sleep apnea, bone and joint problems, and Type 2 diabetes. They also have more risk factors for heart disease like high blood pressure and high cholesterol than their normal-weight peers.
“We have a lot of resources here on the base such as an exercise physiologist for kids age 13 and older, nutritionists, and physical therapists as well as the Commissary,” Copeland said. “We have been aligning our resources to streamline a pediatric health and well-being clinic. If parents are concerned about their child’s weight, they should contact our [office] and we will provide resources for them to start a healthy lifestyle.”
The nutritional clinic sees an average of 14 children each month, educating both children and parents on eating a healthy diet.
“It ultimately is up to the parents to set a good example,” said Air Force Capt. Jeffrey Perry, 673d MDSS Nutritional Medical Flight registered dietician. “This has to be a whole-family effort; we can’t shift all the blame on the children because parents control the food that comes into the house, so any intervention for the children is also an intervention for the parents.”
The biggest contributors to weight gain are screen time such as watching television, playing games, or using the computer because children doing so are not active; and food, because children are overeating.
“Losing weight does not happen overnight and people need to put in work,” Perry said. “Children should focus on weight management instead of weight loss. Limiting calories or [counting caloric intake] is not a good thing because kids are still growing. However, calorie control is more appropriate for older teens.
“I would not recommend giving a child a calorie intake rule because kids will start focusing on numbers,” Perry added. “Food becomes negative, and complex eating disorders come [into play]. Food should be fun and delicious, and [children] can listen to their body signal.”
Senior Airman Nicholas Nelson, 673d MDOS Pediatric Clinic medic, said he struggled with his weight growing up and knew how debilitating it could be, not wanting to go out and do things. However, he emphasized children going through the same thing should not blame themselves; there are a lot of outside factors that drive what they put into their mouth. Seeking help is the first step of making a healthy lifestyle, he said.
The 673d Force Support Squadron offers a program for children to participate in such as the running club or outdoor activities at the Youth Teen Center, recreational leagues with the Youth Sports or even gymnastics and martial arts with the Instructional Youth Programs.
The youth centers limit screen time to only 45 minutes a day, three days a week. They also encourage children to get involved in non-traditional sports such as rock climbing, hiking, kayaking and obstacle courses. Every day, children have an opportunity to be active.
“We have many activities at the gym; children can also check out equipment for the skate park outside, or bike – there tons of opportunities for them to stay active,” said James Yracheta, Two Rivers Youth Center director. “They are coming here after school and have been sitting down for a few hours, and children just want to move.”
Every Wednesday and Thursday, the center offers a cooking club that teaches the children how to cook healthy foods and make healthy choices by staying away from processed and junk foods.
“We show them an alternative way of cooking and portion control,” Yracheta said. “As long as we are teaching them the correct balance of healthy food, it’s a good start.
“The Air Force is still pushing for [kids to be active] with a program called ‘Triple Play,’ Yracheta said. “It’s three components: mind, body, and soul. The mind is teaching children healthy habits; the body is the active component – keep them going and moving; the soul is establishing a healthy relationship with other kids who will lead others to have a healthy lifestyle.”
Being healthy does not happen overnight, and Copeland said weight loss is not a race; because it’s about making healthy choices for the rest of your life. “That’s the healthy way to lose weight,” Copeland said.
Parents who are concerned their child is overweight should contact the Pediatric Clinic at 580-2778. Parents and children are interested in signing up for any of the 673d FSS programs should call the Central Registration Office at 384-1510 or 384-2514.
| Date Taken: | 09.11.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 09.12.2017 15:24 |
| Story ID: | 247955 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, AK, US |
| Web Views: | 149 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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