Childhood Obesity Awareness and Prevention

ParentingU

September is Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, and ParentingU is ready to help families with practical information about nutrition, activity, excess weight, and the resources available to tackle this sometimes sensitive and tricky topic.

Pediatricians Katie Queen, MD and Melissa Holland, DO both see patients at the Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health Weight & Nutrition Center. The statistics are stark: 1 in 7 children aged 10-17 in the United States are obese (source: National Survey of Children’s Health.) Unfortunately, the rates of childhood obesity in Louisiana are worse. This is where the Weight & Nutrition Center comes in.

Dr. Queen and Dr. Holland aim for a healthy weight for each child individually. Using a team approach, the Weight & Nutrition Center assesses each child’s health needs and works with families to get to optimal health (as opposed to focusing solely on weight loss.) On this episode, Dr. Queen and Dr. Holland describe the process for addressing excess weight in children as well as sharing some tips for healthier eating, exercising more and talking about weight in a constructive manner.

Some Questions Answered on the Episode

• Is obesity a disease or a self-control problem?
• Why is childhood obesity a serious issue?
• What are some reasons a child may have excess weight?
• How can children get more activity in their days?
• What are some words we can use instead of “good foods” and “bad foods”?
• Bullying about weight at school is a big issue. What can I do to help my child?
• Why isn’t the Weight & Nutrition Center called a weight loss clinic?
• My child has excess weight. How can I get my child an appointment with the Weight & Nutrition Center?
• We’ve tried everything and the weight won’t come off! What can my child do?

Mentioned on the Episode:

• Learn more about the Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health Weight & Nutrition Center.
• Queen likes HealthyKids.org as a place to get high-quality information about childhood health: https://www.healthykids.org/
• Call the Weight & Nutrition Center: (225) 374-HEAL
• Need a little exercise break? Adrian B. has some Family Fit Break videos for you! Click to see on YouTube.
• Queen was recently quoted in a Healthline article about childhood obesity: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/why-childhood-obesity-rates-are-rising-and-what-we-can-do

We hope you enjoy the new season of ParentingU! You can hear all episodes of ParentingU on our website or on your favorite podcast app including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Podcasts. New! Watch videos of our podcast on YouTube: ParentingU playlist.

Learn more about Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health at our website: https://ololchildrens.org/ Find Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health on Facebook and Instagram.