An overwhelming number of children in the U.S. are either overweight or obese. The best way to fight obesity in children is to require physical activity in a child during their early years, according to a new policy brief by the Child Health and Development Institute (CHDI) of Connecticut.
One in 10 infants and toddlers in the U.S. are overweight or obese. One in five children between the ages of 2 and 5, on the other hand, are also overweight or obese.
"The numbers are staggering, and the health implications are so big," Judith Meyers said, president and CEO of the Farmington-based CHDI. The research also concluded that the state of Connecticut has some of the highest childhood obesity rates in the country and among the bottom in terms of enacting effective policies to prevent it.
Children as young as two starts to develop fat cells, which make it extremely difficult to encourage proper diet and nutrition as they grow, according to WNPR. Meyers noted that prevention is key as advised by pediatricians.
Contrary to the original notion that chubby babies are healthy and that children will outgrow their baby fat later on, overweight children are more likely to be overweight and obese later on. In addition, this can also lead to several medical conditions such as asthma, heart disease and Type-2 diabetes.
According to research from the University of Connecticut, changes in policies are needed to address childhood obesity in childcare settings and help child care providers to reinforce healthy eating and physical activity, according to Medical Xpress. Due to the fact that many young children spend most of their time in childcare settings other than their homes, childcare becomes an important opportunity to influence diet and physical activity in children.
Connecticut has made an effort in passing a legislative bill that would impose dietary restrictions and physical activity requirement on preschools, childcare centers and elementary schools. Unfortunately, no state across the U.S. have started implementing such guidelines to help reduce child obesity, according to Roberta Friedman, a public health policy consultant.
Similarly, the health policy group Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends that child care providers should also promote healthy sleeping times during the day. T.V. and screen time should also be limited to no more than 30 minutes for half-day day care programs and one-hour for full day programs.
