Word: weight
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Does dieting even work for kids? Many clinicians say no. "We actually find that children who diet gain more weight than their peers," says pediatrician Dr. Alison Field from Children's Hospital Boston, who has been following the weight-control behaviors of almost 17,000 kids. It's not just that kids who diet tend to gain back the weight later; it's that dieting brings up all sorts of unbidden psychological responses that sabotage the process. After all, self-deprivation is one thing; being told by someone else that you can't eat--even when you feel hungry...
...experts focusing on the best ways to control weight or increase activity, the job pretty much ends here. Parents, however, have it harder; they have to think about the whole child. "If dealing with my daughter's weight issues was as simple as following a few nutritional and exercise guidelines, she wouldn't be overweight," says a Southern California mom. "But the whole thing is so much bigger and messier than that. I don't just care about what she weighs; I care about her growing up healthy and happy and feeling good about herself. And that is where...
...Beth Marcus, a family physician at Verdugo Hills Hospital in Glendale, Calif., knows all about these difficulties. "I don't think there's any way in our culture to have kids feeling 100% good about themselves when you're telling them they need to lose weight," she admits...
...grow up to be just like fat Aunt Sue!"). Schoolmates--at least those not yet claimed by the obesity epidemic themselves--may soon join in the chorus. All of this can hit a child's still developing ego hard. On the whole, overweight children are more likely than healthy-weight kids to be anxious, unhappy and depressed. The science is mixed on which kids suffer the most. One study finds that self-esteem takes a bigger hit in black kids than in white kids; another sees the problem as being worse for Hispanic children. One study finds significantly higher rates...
...probably unfair. Parents are a powerful influence, but there are other influences as well--like genes." Recognizing that at least some cards in the obesity hand are dealt even before a child is born can be an important first step for parents and kids accustomed to thinking their weight woes are all their own fault. Recognizing that there are a lot of cards they can still play is the next--even more important...