Healthy Kids 2kidsatriskfordiabetes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/... · 18.4% of 6-11 year olds are...

Parent's Guide to Healthy Kids

Julie Stelting Kids at Risk for Diabetes LLC


Preface

Our perceptions color our thinking.

But new idea can change our lives forever. I believe knowledge is power. With accurate knowledge you can change the future of your children. Julie Stelting RN


http://www.kidsatriskfordiabetes.com/


Why I do, what I do As a school nurse for teens for many years,

I witnessed many chronic health issues which I never realizedchildren would have

High blood pressure

Chronic knee pain and back pain

Polycyctic ovary disease in pubescent girls

Type 2 diabetes

Fatty Liver Disease in young children

Also, working with high school students I realized many of themwere taking prescriptions for chronic diseases related to weightproblems. Too many had self-image problems resulting in eatingdisorders. Many also had poor coping skills.

The CDC predicts our children will have a “shorter” live span than their parents due to obesity. It breaks my heart to see kids suffering when it can all be avoided.

What does that really mean? The CDC hasn’t really said. Will parents be burying their children? It is very possible we will see this in the near future.

The study of childhood obesity related health problems gives us a clue.




Is Your Life in Balanced life

Children need a Balanced LifeYour life is the only example your children know.

As parents, to be totally healthy, you need to recognize which areas you need more balance.

In young children, a balanced life means getting their physical, emotional and psychosocial needs met. Asparents, you are expected to understand all their needs and help them become a healthy adult.

Parents need to establish healthy daily habits to instill in their children automatic responses.

For example, we teach our children to brush their teeth in the morning. When they go to college, theyremember to brush their teeth every morning.

Healthy habits help us to life a healthy lifestyle.

What does your children’s future look like?

What would you prefer to change in their future?




What has changed?

Think back on your childhood. How has life changed?

A computer world? This mean more screen time and less activity. More video games? They are very addictive!

More working mothers? I know many young mothers have to work. Fewer mothers cooking meals at home? Many young adults don't know how to cook.

Reduced recess times at elementary schools? PE classes no longer required?

More access to high calorie meals? serving sizes have gotten a lot larger over the past 40 years.

More stress in our children’s days?

What changes has you seen since your childhood?




Genetics in your family.

Diagnoses: Unnoticed Weight Gain

Just like adult weight problems, children’s weight gain can go unnoticed over many years.

Children should never be placed on a diet. There is no quick fix for weight problems. Parents have the responsibility to teach health lifestyle habits to their children.

Genetics can play a part of the problems. If you believe you are doomed by genetics, then you need to useyour genetics to motivate you to provide good guidance for your children.




Genetics is only part of a complicated problem. Your environment and lifestyle determine your future as muchas your genetics.

If the parents have problems with weight, chances are the children will learn their food preferences and culturefrom their parents.

Some pediatricians do not want to address these issues. But if your instincts alert you – you better listen.

Parents can improve the future health of their children by incorporating better life skills in their daily routines.

Imagine placing a 20 pound back-pack on your back every day and carrying it around all day long.

How tired would you get? Would your back hurt? Would your knees hurt?

That’s what an overweight life is like particularly for children.

Everyone forgets what normal energy levels feels like.




Availability of Foods

There has never been as much variety of foods year around as we have today.

The wide variety of foods is a blessing and a curse. We need to teach children how to make good choices.They often automatically prefer sweets. We have a responsibility to offer a wide variety of foods.

There are many different types of diets. Children should only be placed on doctor monitored diets. Many fad diets are dangerous to your child's overall well being.

If your doctor places you on a special diet (like salt restriction) there is a good reason and you should stick to it!Remember, your life is the example they will follow.




We need to limit fast foods and snacks.

Limit sugar sweetened drinks. Encourage children to drink more water.

Limit high fat foods like French fries, chips and even hot dogs. High fat foods have excess calories.

Notice I’m not saying eliminate! Let’s be realistic. You don’t need a foot-long hot dog, but you do need to eat awider variety of foods.

But

There are tricks to encouraging children to eat good foods.




Family meals are so important

Preparing meals at home will make huge changes in your family.

Children are often in multiple activities and families eat fast foods too often.

It is important to

At the beginning of the school year, I would have 12 year olds come to the nurse’s office with complaints ofstomach pains before lunch. they really didn't know the pain of hunger.

We do have an availability of foods that we have not had is previous generations.

When I was hungry, my mother would say to me – don’t eat that because you’ll spoil your supper. Now kidssnack all the time.

Think back on your childhood, what has changed?

Is your life so busy that you eat out more than you eat at home?




Breakfast means better school experiences

At the beginning of the school year, I would have 12 year olds come to the nurse’s office with complaints ofstomach pains before lunch. They had not eaten breakfast.

They really didn’t know what hunger pains were.

There is a lot of proof that students who eat breakfast perform better in school.

It is important to provide a source of protein at breakfast. This could be a high protein cereal.

Sugar coated cereals will leave them hungry quickly.

Plan for your child’s breakfast. Help them get a good start to their day.




Why is this an obesity crisis?Being over weight contributes to fatty liver disease. The liver helps control blood sugar. When it is not workingproperly, children develop insulin resistance which stresses their pancreas. Youth onset type 2 diabetes is very different from adult type 2. Parents think it is the same because it has thesame name. But it is very different. Many children are placed on insulin right away. Diabetes is also the number one reason for blindness in young adults which they can develop in their 20's.

And it is also a major contributor for heart disease, kidney disease and lower limb amputations.

The statistics are being collected now. We believe growth hormone contributes to these complications.

Why is this important?

Adults can have prediabetes for over 10 years before it converts to Type 2. Children can progress throughprediabetes in less than 12 months.

But children as young as 4 years old have been diagnosis with Youth onset Type 2.

We are seeing many of these complications from diabetes are happening faster in children.

Some pediatricians do not want to address these issues. But if your instincts alert you – you better listen.

Parents can improve the future health of their children by teaching better lifestyles.




Preventative Health with Life-skills.Preventative health practices are being promoted with adults, why not in children too?

The ADA Diabetes Prevention Program has

Up to 58% of participants prevent or delay diabetes through lifestyle improvements

70% of individuals over 60 years delay diabetes diagnoses

It is difficult for adults to maintain these changes. How long do you keep your New Year’s resolutions?

How often have you lost weight on a diet only to gain it back again?

With support, parents can teach their children better choices.

(There is no prevention program for children.)




What is the truth about weight in children?

CDC 13.9% of 2-5 year olds are classified over the 95 percentile for weight.

18.4% of 6-11 year olds are classified as overweight.

20.6% of 12-19 year olds were classified as overweight.

According to the CDC in 2009; 87% of obese adolescents remained obese as adults.

39% of obese adolescents became severely obese in adulthood. (Freedman, Pediatrics 2009)

BMI > 25 at 18 years old are at high risk for complications as adults.

(Quig, HE, Karlberg, J. Prediction of Adult Overweight during Pediatric Years)

(Pediatric Research. Volume 46(6) December 1999)




Weight related health problems are undiagnosed even in children.

Self-esteem issues

Depression

Fatty Liver Disease

Hypertension

Asthma

Sleep Apnea

Joint pain

Arthritis

Back pains

Type 2 Diabetes

Gall Bladder issues

PCOS

Cancer

Gout

Children and Teenagers canhave significant healthproblems.




Annual increases in BMI rates are a predictor of obesity issues in adulthood

Overweight children face social dysfunctional challenges

High school students are being treated for high blood pressure

Many teens show signs of prediabetes

Many young children have body image distortion leading to

anxiety, anorexia and bulimia, and substance abuse.

Young people are being diagnosed with chronic Fatty Liver Disease!

The AADE record cases of 4 year olds being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes

Body Mass Index can be confusing

I have seen treads in young children gaining 20 pounds every year with annual increasing BMI.

Percentages can be confusing

Children’s height and weight measurements are recorded in percentiles.

Their BMI interpretation is different from adults.

As you can see, a BMI of 23 in a 10 year old places them above the 95 percentile and classified as obese.

A 15 year old with a BMI of 23 is considered average.

BMI is not a perfect system. To improve the data, you could also include a waist circumference in ourcalculations. There are calculator that include waist circumference with BMI.

Without using BMI, overweight in children is defined as =/> 85% of the average population. Obesity is definedas =/> 95% or 120% over normal for weigh alone.

It is important to monitor changes in BMI from year to year.

As your children grow and change their activities, their BMI can indicate the effects on their health.

For your convenience, I have included a BMI chart for girls and one for boys.

th




SOURCE: Developed by the National Center for Health Statistics in collaboration with

the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (2000).

http://www.cdc.gov/growthchart




Recommended Activities for children have recently changed.




Children need a balanced life this includes many different activity every day!

It has been proposed that children today have too much screen time (television or video games).

This graphic helps us understand that the activity requirements for children are a lot different from adults.

It starts with walking every day. (I used to walk to elementary school every school day.)

3-5 times a week they need cardio exercises to build their heart and lungs.

3 times each week they need muscle building exercises

As an adult do you feel like it is difficult to get your exercise program to fit into your life?

Remember children need a wide variety of activities every day. Getting children involved in sports or other activities in school is a good way to promote better health. Ask your child what they are interested in and support them as best you can.




Overweight Children don’t know what it feels like to have normal energy.

Children don’t know what is normal energy for their age.

I have seen obese 13 yr olds with chronic knee pain. They don’t want to be active because it is painful. Trying toget them moving is almost impossible. This is not normal for kids.

Parents don’t know what is normal either. Obesity happens very slowly in children.

Overweight children do not know what it feels like to take off that backpack.




Adequate Sleep

Children need about 10 hours of sleep.

Well rested children learn better in school.

To get children better sleep, you need good parenting skill.

Computer games stimulate their brains, so playing computer games before bed interferes with their ability togo to sleep.

Any blue lights (on cell phones or computers) also stimulate our brains. Monitor their bedrooms for these bluelights.

I have seen many middle school students using power drinks to get through their school day.

This is not healthy.




They prefer to play video games rather than sleeping.

We are beginning to understand how addictive video games can be. Trying to disconnect your children is a lotharder than just limiting their game time.

If they want to play computer games, use it as a reward for doing chores. Allow them to earn game time fromtheir to-do list.




Coping Skills

Parents need to teach is good coping skills.

This skill is very individualized.

Schools do not teaching coping skills. Many parents as well as many students don’t have good coping skills.

A poor coping skill is eating disorders. We have all turned to carbohydrates for comfort.

When kids learn to eat to feel better, they will use the same methods into adulthood.

As parents, we try hard to protect our kids. But we really need to teach them how to cope with stress.

Even just deep breathing can help, but we need to practice it with our kids before they hit the teenage years.




Children need love and belonging too

Dr Oz “Happy and Healthy starts at home."

Children need to know they are accepted.

Summary

Kids need to develop healthy daily habits.

Kids need good nutrition and limited fast foods.

Fashionable diets don’t work for children. Parents need to teach better life-

skills

Many teens have eating disorders – Anorexia and Binging or using diarrhea

agents & caffeine

Self Esteem problems can lead to eating disorders.

National Eating Disorder Assoc reports 50% of girl 6-8 years old and 33% if

boys 6-8 years old

think their ideal weight is thinner than their current weigh. (First graders!) By age 9-11, nearly half of all kids have been on a diet

AND 80% of them report at least one family member has been on a diet.

Even girls who are not overweight report occasionally dieting.

Many Adolescent boys are trying to increase muscle mass by being on a

special high protein diet.

A poor body image places our children at a high risk for low self-esteem,

anxiety and depression which can lead to tobacco use, drug and alcohol abuse

and drug abuse.




What do you see in your child’s future? You can make a big different in their life.

I am giving away a free evaluation form to help you measure your child.

Take advantage of this limited time offer.

Go to my website and download my free gift..

What can parents really do?

1. Evaluate your child’s future health and2. Learn and practice better parenting skills

Being diagnosed with a chronic progressive disease is depressing for adults and even more so for the parentsof the children knowing it could all be prevented.

Imagine for a moment what it would feel like to have a child diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

Parents need to focus forward.

They have passed their genetics AND their health problems onto their children?

Genetics is only half the problem. We say genetics is like a gun. It is not dangerous until you load it.

Lifestyle choices loads the gun. Parents need to teach their children to make better life choices.

Making sustainable lifestyle changes could be the most difficult thing you will ever do.

Many people find success by associating in an accountability group.

Parents realize they can’t do it alone. They need emotional support.




Facebook KIDS AT RISK

Join my Facebook support group for parents focused on kids with weight problems.

If you are interested in measuring how your children are doing, grab my free evaluation form.

Go to my website for more information concerning programs available for parents and children.


https://www.facebook.com/kids.at.risk.for.diabetes/

http://www.kidsatrisksfordiabetes.com/


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