Though there are many parents throughout this nation that recognize childhood obesity as a serious condition and a threat to a child’s well-being, there are also many who fail to recognize the problem when it presents itself in their own children. As a recent poll of 2600 adults (two thirds were parents) has shown, there is a “stark mismatch” between children with weight problems and parents who are able to recognize those problems.
In the context of the poll, parents were asked to disclose the height and weight of their oldest child. With this information in hand, the researchers were able to calculate the body mass index (BMI) of each child and assign them to a weight category based on this information. For children whose BMI registered in the 95 to 100 percentile for their age and gender group that meant being classified as obese. For the children who missed the threshold for obesity but still found themselves in the 85 to 94 percentile range that meant being classified as overweight. And when the researchers had finished crunching the numbers, they found that according to their parameters, a quarter of the children in the study were classified as either overweight or obese.
Despite the evidence that 25 percent of the respondents’ children were either overweight or obese, many parents had trouble recognizing weight problems in their own children. While parents of teens were much better at recognizing the problem than parents of other age groups, the group overall did not do a good job of recognizing their own child as being overweight or obese.
There is some good news in all of this though. When questioned, an overwhelming majority of parents did say that they would be interested in talking with their child’s physician about the problem of childhood obesity and would like to address the subject in their next appointment. This is good news because, as most people know, the first step to overcoming a problem is recognizing that you have one.
Of course, after you recognize the problem, the next step is to take action against it.
Many parents will be happy to know that there are organizations that are fully dedicated to improving childhood nutrition, and they are working hard to remove sugary drinks and junk food from your child’s school. However, in order to be fully successful, parents will need to take up the battle after the last school bell rings. For most parents this starts with educating themselves about nutrition and healthy weight ranges for your child’s age and gender. From there, the work carries over into making sure that your child maintains a healthy weight while eating well balanced meals and exercising.
Even today you can encourage your entire family to eat healthier by opting for healthy and nutritious snacks from YoNaturals organic vending machines. Show the world that you not only know that childhood obesity is a problem but that you are also willing to do something to stop it.
Organic Vending Machines by YoNaturals 