>> CHILDHOOD OBESITY IS A SERIOUS HEALTH CONCERN
NATION-WIDE.
CONNECTING POINT CORRESPONDENT CAROLEE MCGRATH SPOKE WITH
DR.
CRYSTAL WHITCOP, DIRECTOR OF BAY STATE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL'S
PEDIATRIC WEIGHT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM TO LEARN ABOUT THE
CAUSES AND SOLUTIONS TO THIS HEALTH PROBLEM.
>> WE HAVE AN INNER CITY, SPRINGFIELD ITSELF ABOUT 25% OF
CHILDREN ARE CONSIDERED OBESE, AND ANOTHER 10 TO 15% ARE
OVERWEIGHT SO 35 TO 40% OF THE KIDS ARE ALWAYS CONSIDERED
SOMEWHAT UNHEALTHY WEIGHT IN THE AREA.
>> SO WHAT KINDS OF STRATEGIES DO YOU USE IN YOUR PROGRAM AND
HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU SEE A YEAR?
>> YES, WE DO ALL SORTS OF THINGS BUT REVOLVING AROUND
HEALTHY LIFESTYLE CHANGES SO WE WANT THE KIDS TO PICK UP THINGS
THAT THEY ARE GOING TO DO, SO THINGS, LITTLE THINGS LIKE
MAKING SURE THAT THEY ARE AVOIDING SUGAR SWEETENED
BEVERAGES, THEY ARE LOOKING AT THEIR PORTION SIZES, WE DO
THINGS CALLED HANDY PORTIONS WHERE THEY LOOK AT THE PORTIONS,
THE SIZE OF THE HAND TO TELL THEM HOW MUCH THEY SHOULD BE
EATING.
WORKING ON EATING OUT AND FAST FOOD AND TRYING TO LIMIT THE
QUANTITY OF THAT, GETTING GOOD, FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IN
THEIR DIET AND REGULAR ACTIVITY.
SO LITTLE STRATEGIES THAT LIFELONG WILL BUILD UP FOR THEM.
>> WHY IS IT SUCH A PROBLEM NOW AS OPPOSED TO YEARS AGO?
>> IT'S MULTI-FACTORIAL.
WE THINK THAT THERE IS A LOT OF THINGS GOING ON IN SOCIETY, A
LOT RESOLVES AROUND THE DECREASE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY.
WE DON'T MOVE AS MUCH AS WE USED TO.
WEAVE CONVENIENCES, AND EVEN LITTLE THINGS LIKE CHANGING THE
TV, WE DON'T DO ANY MORE.
WE USE THE REMOTE CONTROL OR WALKING INTO THE BANK VERSUS
USING THE ATM, THOSE DAY-TO-DAY, AND OUR FOOD, AND WE HAVE A LOT
OF ACCESS TO FOOD AND SOMETIMES EVEN PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE A LOT
OF ACCESS TO FOOD, THE FOOD THAT THEY ARE ACCESSING IS POOR
QUALITY, HIGHER CALORIE DENSITY, SO IT'S EASIER TO GAIN WEIGH ON
THOSE PRODUCTS.
>> SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I KNOW ALWAYS COMES UP IS BMI,
LIKE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT KIDS OBESE AND KIDS OVERWEIGHT, AND I
HAVE TO BE HONEST, THE WHOLE BMI THING DOES MAKE ME AS A MOTHER A
LITTLE BIT A -- ANNOYED.
MAYBE A LITTLE CHUBBY AND HEFTY BUT NOT OBESE AND THEN YOU LOOK
AT THE BMI AND THEY ARE OFF THE CHARTS.
IS THAT A REALISTIC WAY OF LOOKING AT THEM?
YOU LOOK AT THAT KID AND YOU SAY THEY ARE DESTINED FOR OBESITY.
>> WE USE THAT BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT UP ABOVE THE 95th
PERCENTILE WE SEE DISEASES ASSOCIATED WITH THE EXCESS
WEIGHT SO WHEN WE LOOK AT CHILDREN WHO ARE ABOVE THE
95th PERCENTILE THEY ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE HIGH CHOLESTEROL,
MORE LIKELY TO HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, AND MORE LIKELY TO
HAVE WHAT WE CALL INSULIN RESISTANCE.
SLEEP APNEA, THOSE THINGS, SO IF WE USE IT AS A MARKER OF SORT OF
INCREASED RISK FOR DISEASE, IT'S A VERY GOOD MARKER, AND IT TAKES
INTO ACCOUNT THEIR WEIGHT AND HEIGHT SO WE GET HEIGHT DOUBLE
CREDIT SO WHEN WE ARE PLOTTING IT, IF A KID IS TALL, IT TAKES
THAT INTO ACCOUNT.
>> WHAT ABOUT IF THE KID IS SHORT?
>> THEN YOU ARE IN TROUBLE.
HOPEFULLY IF THEY ARE SHORTER THEY ARE EATING LESS AND THAT'S
ONE OF THE BEAUTYINGS OF USING WHAT WE CALL THE HANDY PORTIONS
BECAUSE WHEN YOU ARE SHORTER LIKE YOU ARE A LITTLE SHORTER
THAN I AM AND YOUR LAND IS SMALLER, SO YOU CAN HAVE -- YOU
ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE LESS, AND SO HOPEFULLY IF YOU ARE NOT AS
TALL YOU ARE NOT EATING AS MUCH AS IF YOU ARE TALLER.
>> SO, I MEAN YOU KNOW, WHEN A KID HEARS THAT IN A DOCTOR'S
OFFICE AND THEY ARE ALWAYS VERY, VERY GOOD ABOUT HEALTHY PORTIONS
AND HEALTHY CHOICES AND THAT, IT DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THAT
IF YOU WERE AT THAT 96 PERCENT ISLE THAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE AN
OBESE ADULT.
THESE ARE HABITS YOU WANT TO CHANGE BEFORE IT BECOMES A
PROBLEM?
>> RIGHT.
OBESITY IS SIGNIFICANT CHILDHOOD OBESITY BUT THE SOONER THAT YOU
CAN COUNTERACT THAT AND DEVELOP HEALTHY LIFESTYLES, THEN THE
LESS LIKELY YOU ARE TO GO ON TO HAVE DIFFICULTY WITH WEIGHT AS
YOU GET TO BE AN ADULT, AND LESS LIKING YOU ARE TO GO ON AND HAVE
THE DISEASES I WAS TALKING ABOUT.
>> WHAT ABOUT CHANGES IN GENERAL LIKE I LOOK AT ONE SCHOOL THAT
WE HAD GONE TO RECENTLY IN SPRINGFIELD, MAYBE A YEAR AGO,
BROOKINGS, AND THEY HAD A GREAT PROGRAM CALLED THE 100-MILE
CLUB, AND THESE ARE SIMPLE CHANGES THAT YOU CAN MAKE.
IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THAT YOU HAVE TO HIRE A BUNCH OF PEOPLE.
OH, IT'S 1:00 AND EVERYBODY GET UP AND WE'RE GOING TO START
DOING LAPS.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WOULD ALWAYS WORK FOR SCHOOLS BUT DO
YOU WANT TO ENCOURAGE SCHOOLS AND PARENTS TO THINK OF WAYS TO
GET THAT ACTIVITY IN THAT WE WOULD HAVE HAD WHEN WE WERE
YOUNGER PLAYING OUTSIDE BUT KIDS DON'T DO THAT ANY MORE.
>> EXACTLY, SO THE OTHER THING, WAYS TO INCORPORATE THE ACTIVITY
INTO THE DAILY LIFESTYLE, IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE THAT YOU ARE
GOING TO THE GYM, OR YOU ARE ON THE TREADMILL, BUT JUST GETTING
UP AND MOVING AND FIGURING OUT HOW DO WE PUT THAT BACK INTO
WHAT WE DO BECAUSE IT'S BEEN TAKEN AWAY, IN SOME REGARDS SO
WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE GET THAT BACK IN, AND THE KIDS
LOT LOVE IT.
IF YOU ASK A KID AND YOU TALK TO THEM ABOUT IT THEY ARE SUPER
EXCITED ABOUT IT.
>> RIGHT.
>> AND THE TEACHERS DO, THEY DO A GREAT JOB THERE.
AND WHAT COULD YOU RECOMMEND FOR KIDS YOU KNOW, WHO -- WHO DO
HAVE, YOU KNOW, WHO NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT?
DO YOU WANT THEM TO LOSE WEIGHT?
DO YOU WANT THEM TO MAINTAIN WEIGHT OR JUST CHANGE THEIR
LIFESTYLE?
>> IT'S A DISCUSSION THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE WITH THEIR PHYSICIAN
OR IF THEY CAME TO SEE A WEIGHT SPECIALIST BECAUSE IT VARIES FOR
CHILD TO CHILD, SOME CHILDREN JUST SAYING THE SAME WEIGHT AS
THEY GROW IS ACCEPTABLE.
SOME CHILDREN ACTUALLY DO NEED TO MAYBE LOSE SOME WEIGHT
BECAUSE THEY ARE HAVING THE MEDICAL PROBLEMS I TALKED ABOUT,
SO THEY ALREADY HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, AND THEY HAVE
DIABETES, AND WE PROBABLY NEED TO ENCOURAGE SOME DEGREE OF
WEIGHT LOSS.
>> CAN THIS BACKFIRE?
I KNOW THAT CERTAINLY NOT, I GUESS IN THE LAST 15 OR SO BUT I
REMEMBER MANY, MANY YEARS AGO THE BIG, BIG CONCERN ABOUT
EATING DISORDERS, SO THAT IF A KID HEARS YOU ARE TIPPING THE
SCALE, THAT COULD STICK, HOW DO YOU NAVIGATE THAT AS A PHYSICIAN
AS YOU ARE COUNSELING THE CHILD AND THE PARENT?
>> SO THAT CAN BE TOUGH BECAUSE SOMETIMES THEY CROSS OVER AND IT
CAN BE DIFFICULT TO FIGURE OUT WHICH OF THOSE IS GOING ON, BUT
ASKING GOOD QUESTIONS ABOUT AGAIN ABOUT HEALTHY EATING SO IF
YOU ARE SEEING UNHEALTHY EATING BEHAVIORS, SEEING MEAL SKIPPING
OR EXCESSIVE EXERCISE OR A CHILD WHO REALLY IS FEELING POORLY
ABOUT THEIR BODY IMAGE, WHETHER, YOU KNOW, THEY ARE THIN OR
OVERWEIGH, THEN THAT'S A CONVERSATION.
YOU WANT THEM TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT THEIR BODY AND THE BODY THAT
THEY ARE IN, SO IF THEY ARE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THEIR BODY
IMAGE, THAT'S WHERE WE START TO GET CONCERNED.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US.
A LOT OF GOOD TIPS FOR KIDS AND TO KEEP THEM MOVING.
>> THANK YOU.