What is the White House Obesity Initiative?
The First Lady’s national campaign against childhood obesity called “Let’s Move” is a comprehensive and coordinated initiative with many partners. The focus is to prevent childhood obesity. The campaign has four pillars: healthy schools, access to affordable and healthy food, raising children’s physical activity levels, and empowering families to make healthy choices. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is proud to join the White House in this initiative.
What is BMI?
BMI, or body mass index, is a calculation that uses height and weight to estimate body fat. For years, pediatricians have used height and weight measurements to assess a child’s physical growth. Now they have another tool: BMI. Using this tool, a pediatrician can determine how appropriate a child’s weight is for her height and age. Starting when your child is 2 years old, your pediatrician will determine BMI at routine checkups and plot this measurement on a chart, just like the growth charts you may already be familiar with. Because what is considered a normal BMI changes with age, your child’s BMI must be plotted, rather than using a universal normal range for BMI as is done with adults. There are also separate charts for boys and girls to account for differences in growth rates and amounts of body fat as boys and girls mature. For children under 2 years, instead of BMI your pediatrician will be charting weight for length on a graph. Plotting the BMI is the first step in evaluating a child’s healthy eating and activity patterns and behaviors, so your pediatrician will also be asking you about your family’s nutrition and physical activity and working with you to make healthy lifestyle choices.
Why do parents need to know their child’s BMI?
Parents need to know their child’s BMI because prevention is the best medicine. By plotting BMI and monitoring physical activity and nutrition throughout childhood, parents and pediatricians can keep an eye out for children at-risk of becoming overweight and take action early to prevent future obesity. By catching at-risk children early, families in partnership with their pediatrician can explore ways to make changes to live healthier active lives.
How do I talk with my children about making healthy active changes?
Talk with your children about the importance of the whole family being healthy. Get together with your family and decide ways your family can make healthier choices. Talk with the whole family and decide what changes to make together. Remember to make it fun to try new things together.
What can families do to lead healthier lives?
Healthy active living can be fun and family-oriented. Make healthy choices together – grow a garden, play outdoor games, cook as a family. Have fun! As parents, it’s important to set a good example.
There are a lot of things families can do to be healthier and it can be overwhelming trying to decide where to start. But it is important to remember that small changes can make a big difference. The AAP recommends starting with one of these behaviors:
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5 – Eat 5 fruits and vegetables a day.
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2 – Limit screen time (TV, computer, video games) to 2 hours each day. Children younger than 2 should have no screen time at all.
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1 – Strive for 1 hour of physical activity a day.
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0 – Limit sugar-sweetened drinks.
To start, families can pick one of these behaviors and set specific goals to improve their health.
In addition to 5, 2, 1, 0, goals, families can make small changes in their family routines to help everyone lead healthier active lives. Science suggests these activities can help prevent obesity:
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Eating breakfast every day;
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Eating low-fat dairy products like yogurt, milk, and cheese;
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Regularly eating meals together as a family;
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Limiting fast food, take-out food, and eating out at restaurants;
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Preparing foods at home as a family;
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Eating a diet rich in calcium; and
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Eating a high fiber diet.
How do we start to make changes to our family’s routine?
You can start in small steps. Small changes can make a big difference in your child’s health. First Lady Michelle Obama gives a few concrete examples of doing just that – putting water in your child’s lunch box, providing a fruit serving at breakfast, and curbing fast food consumption. The AAP’s healthy active living prescription available at www.aap.org/obesity/whitehouse is designed to help you and your pediatrician identify some areas where you might want to begin. Remember, small changes you make every day can make a big difference in your family’s health in the long run!
How can our communities support healthy active children?
The environments our children live in have a profound impact on the foods they eat and the amount of activity they get. Some communities lack full-service grocery stores, but have an abundance of fast food restaurants. In turn, families may fall back on these fast food options because healthy, fresh foods are not available nearby. Working with community leaders to encourage the creation of healthy, fresh food options can make a difference in the choices available for families.
Communities can also ensure that children have a safe place to play. Community centers, green space, parks – these all provide an opportunity for kids to be active. Encourage your community to have fun and safe places for children to play – inside and outside – so they have options for fun and safe activities.
Why has the First Lady chosen to make childhood obesity prevention one of her top priorities?
Our world has changed dramatically over the past 20 years and as a result children and families are left in an environment where it is often hard to make healthy and informed choices. It is our job as parents, citizens and policy makers to create an environment where people can make informed decisions and where healthy choices are widely available, and affordable, for all children and families. The First Lady not only has the visibility to draw attention to the issue, she also has experienced the challenges associated with trying to lead a healthy active lifestyle in today’s world. The AAP commends the First Lady on her dedication to this extremely important child health issue and is committed to working in partnership with families and communities to ensure the life success of every child.
How can pediatricians and parents partner on healthy active living?
Your pediatrician can partner with you on a prescription for healthy active living that is right for your family. He or she knows your family and understands the nutritional and physical activity needs for your child. Your pediatrician is also familiar with your community and may be able to help you find needed resources to support your healthy active lifestyle goals. Together, you and your pediatrician can help your family get started on the path to leading healthier lives.
For more information on the AAP's partnership with Mrs. Obama's "Let's Move" Campaign, click here.
For remarks of AAP President Judith S. Palfrey, MD, FAAP on this initiative, click here.
