Obesity and Quality of Life

One problem was the way her own extended family treated her.
“Samoan culture, people are big,” explains her
mother, Vaoileti Peleti . “But sometimes my family would
get on her, Lourdes, you are such a beautiful girl, when are
you going to do something about it?” she explains.

A lot of obese children are unhealthy, teased and ostracized.
In a new study from the University of California at San Diego,
researchers asked children to rate their own ‘Quality
of Life.’

Then, researchers compared the answers from overweight children
to answers from other kids, even some with cancer. “And
as it turned out, a child who is obese has the same quality
of life and suffers the same kind of depression that the terminally
ill child suffers, which is pretty serious,” says Dr.
Ranveig Elvebakk, a bariatric physician.

Pain, chemotherapy, and the constant looming prospect of
death … how could an overweight child’s life ever
be so bad as that???

“But you have to understand,” Dr. Elvebakk explains,
“To a kid to whom a pimple on the nose is a social disaster,
obesity is something they carry all the time, and it certainly
can be the cause of deep depression.”

But, Dr. Elvebakk says the good news is that a child doesn’t
have to lost a lot of weight to start feeling better. At 5’3”
and 200 pounds, Lourdes still has a long way to go. But, for
the first time in her life she weighs less today than six
months ago, and THAT’S enough to make her smile.

“Now, it’s like, there’s no more tears,”
Vaoileti says.

People who are severely
obese as adolescents or in their early 20s can expect to have
significantly shorter lives, according to research published
in the Journal of the American Medical
Association. Researchers focused on subjects whose
body mass index (BMI) was more than 24, the reference for
adults aged 18 to 85. BMI is calculated based on weight and
height. People who have a BMI over 30 are considered obese.
The study, based on years of federal health survey data of
thousands of people, examined the extent to which obesity
could affect years of life lost. For every degree of being
overweight, younger adults generally had greater years of
life lost than older adults. Specifically, it was discovered
that severely obese (BMI over 45) young females could lose
four to eight years from their life expectancy. The results
for males were even more astounding. They could have 12 to
20 years cut off of their lives!

Why is obesity such a problem for today’s children and adolescents?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cites
the following causes for childhood obesity:

• Overweight in children and adolescents is generally caused
  by lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns
  or a combination of the two, with genetics and lifestyle
  both playing important roles in determining a child’s weight.
• Society has become very sedentary. Television, computer
  and video games contribute to children’s inactive lifestyles.
• Forty-three percent of adolescents watch more than two
  hours of television each day.
• Children, especially girls, become less active as they
  move through adolescence.

Because diabetes, hypertension and other obesity-related
chronic diseases are now more common in adolescents, the recent
study results highlight the importance of weight control in
the nation’s youth through more physical activity and better
dietary habits. Several organizations have found that today’s
youth are considered the most inactive generation in history.
In fact, the National Association for Sport & Physical
Education reports that only 25% of all kids in the United
States are physically active. And since daily physical education
has been eliminated from schools in all but one state (Illinois),
the burden now rests on the shoulders of parents to encourage
their children to be more active.

With the CDC reporting that more than 13%
of children and adolescents are seriously overweight, it now
more important than ever to encourage your child to maintain
a high level of physical activity. The American Council on
Exercise offers the following tips for incorporating exercise
into your child’s daily activities:

• Set an example for your child and treat exercise as something
  to be done on a regular basis, like brushing your teeth
  or cleaning your room.
• Invite your child to participate in vigorous household
  tasks, such as gardening, washing the car or raking leaves.
• Go biking, rock climbing or inline skating with your child.
• Jump rope or shoot baskets with your child.
• Plan outings and activities that involve some walking,
  like a trip to the zoo, a nature hike or even a trip to
  the mall.

The other component of maintaining a healthy lifestyle is
practicing proper eating habits. Instead of high-calorie foods
and snacks, provide your child with fruits and low- or non-fat
foods. The American Obesity Association (AOA) does not recommend
dieting for teens because it can prevent them from growing
to their full height. Instead, it suggests that your teen
“eat lean” and try some of these healthy snack options
to get the nutrition he or she needs:

• Dried fruit mixed with sunflower seeds
• Bagels with peanut butter
• Low-fat cheese and crackers
• Baby carrots dipped in low-fat salad dressing
• Baked chips, low-fat cheese and salsa
• Fat-free popcorn with parmesan cheese
• Yogurt smoothie
• Frozen bananas
• Fresh fruit

Exercise and nutrition go hand in hand, but without your
support, your adolescent will have a tough time maintaining
a healthy lifestyle. The U.S. Surgeon General’s Office offers
the following strategies for helping your teen stay fit physically
and emotionally:

• Let your child know that he or she is loved and appreciated
  whatever his or her weight. An overweight child probably
  knows better than anyone else that he or she has a weight
  problem. Overweight children need support, acceptance and
  encouragement from their parents.
• Focus on your child’s health and positive qualities, not
  your child’s weight.
• Try not to make your child feel different if he or she
  is overweight but focus on gradually changing your family’s
  physical activity and eating habits.
• Be a good role model for your child. If your child sees
  you enjoying healthy foods and physical activity, he or
  she is more likely to do the same now and for the rest of
  his or her life.
• Realize that an appropriate goal for many overweight children
  is to maintain their current weight while growing normally
  in height.

American
Council on Exercise
American
Obesity Association
Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention
Journal
of the American Medical Association
National
Association for Sport & Physical Education
U.S.
Surgeon General’s Office