What the Health Unit is Doing | What Parents Can Do
Active Healthy Youth: Healthy Weight & Healthy Body Image
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All the talk about increasing rates of childhood obesity is making parents and community leaders seek the balance between encouraging a “healthy” weight and ensuring a child feels good about his or her body. |
A Snapshot of What's Happening in our Community:
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What is a "Healthy Weight"?
Teens, like adults, come in all shapes and sizes. It is important to realize that there are significant body changes that occur during puberty. These changes are healthy and normal. Girls generally grow 10” taller and gain 40-50 lbs while boys increase their height by 12” and gain 50-60 lbs during puberty. Weight gain consists of organ, bone, muscle, and fat. Shape changes also occur during this period of development; girls develop hips and breasts and boys get broader shoulders and more muscle mass. |
Active, Healthy Kids – A Growing Concern
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Most of our children and youth are not as active as they should be, are dissatisfied with their bodies, and are not adopting good eating habits. This is putting them at risk of diseases like Type 2 Diabetes, high cholesterol, osteoporosis and high blood pressure. |
Youth grow and develop at different rates. For instance, many teens grow in weight before they grow in height or vice versa. It may take months, a year, or possibly longer before your teen grows into his or her natural weight. Body size and growth rate is genetic - some youth come from a family of mostly larger individuals.
In any case, it’s important to realize that this is an emotional time in your teen’s life. It is essential to ensure that your teen is eating healthy, being active, and accepts and feels good about their body.
Here are some statistics related to physical activity, healthy eating, body image and family life:
Physical Activity
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Less than half of Canadian children and youth are active enough (Canada’s Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth, 2006).
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The Canadian Paediatric Society recommends that screen time (watching television and using the computer) in children and youth, be limited to no more than two hours a day. However, less than 20% of Canadian children and youth are meeting this medical guideline – most are watching more than this (Canada’s Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth, 2006).
Healthy Eating
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More than 30% of grade 6 students do not eat breakfast daily and by Grade 10, 60% of girls do not eat breakfast everyday (Trends in the Health of Canadian Youth 1999, King et al).
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Only 36% of kids between 12-19 years get 5 or more servings of vegetables and fruits a day (Statistics Canada 2002).
Body Image
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80% of Canadian teenage girls feel dissatisfied with their bodies or consider themselves overweight.
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83,000 of youth (majority males) between the ages of 11 and 18 use steroids mostly to improve performance in sport or to change appearance.
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Amongst Ontario girls ages 12-15, 23% were dieting to lose weight, 15% were binge eating, 8% self induced vomiting, 2.4% used diet pills, and 1.1% use laxatives.
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Approximately 95% of people who diet gain the weight back…plus more!
Family Life
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The attitudes of parents and caregivers directly influence children and teen food choices (CDC 1996).
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In 2005, only 36% of Canadian parents were physically active with their kids on a regular basis. This figure has dropped from 43% in 1995 (2005 Physical Activity Monitor).
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41% of Canadians agree that their life is so hectic that they find it hard to include healthier food choices on a daily basis (IPSOS Reid, Jan 2005).
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In 2000, Canadians spent about 20 minutes on dinner preparation, compared to 2 hours in 1985 (Angus Reid, 2000).
It is important to support our kids in choosing healthy foods, being active every day and feeling good about themselves and their bodies.
Working with Youth
We help youth build a strong sense of their own power, purpose, and self worth to improve their body image and make healthy choices.
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Eating Disorder Awareness Week promotes positive body image through a poster contest and classroom activities that help youth gain positive body image and improved self esteem.
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Go Girls is a 7-week program where young women act as mentors to grade 7 girls. It focuses on physical activity, healthy eating, and encouraging teens to feel good about themselves.
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Eat Smart! School Cafeteria Program enables student leaders to assist cafeteria operators in promoting healthy food choices.
Working with Community Leaders
We work with parents, schools and community leaders to help children and youth build their self esteem and make sure that healthy food and activity choices are available. Recently, we spoke with community leaders and parents to learn what got in the way of healthy eating and physical activity for teens.
Lessons We've Learned
This is what we learned by consulting with community leaders, along with some steps we’re taking to improve the situation:
1. Both parents working may result in a “frenzied family.” Less time is spent making healthy meals and being active together.
The Health Unit's Take a Break with Your Kid Campaign encourages parents to keep talking with their kids and to give lots of love and support. It promotes talking about body image, trying new activities and making healthy choices. It also helps adults to set clear rules and boundaries for their children. It encourages activities that focus on the family, for example, eating meals together and playing simple active games together.
2. More technology (i.e. TV, computer, drive thru) means less reason to be active.
During Turn off the Screens Week, families are challenged to limit their TV and computer use to 2 hours or less. Family time together is stressed and activities in the community promote physical activity.
3. Families that don’t have a lot of money have a harder time buying healthy foods and taking part in regular or organized physical activity.
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Extra costs for equipment and transportation are major issues. Costs of food and gas are higher in our region.
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The Good Food Box is delivered to over 400 low-income families in Thunder Bay. It provides fresh vegetables and fruit for a fraction of the retail cost.
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Increased Social Assistance: The Health Unit sees the connection between poverty and poor health and we work with community organizations to advocate for higher social assistance rates.
4. Each school is different when it comes to helping their students make healthy eating and physical activity choices.
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School Nurses work with all schools to increase programs around healthy eating and physical activity.
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Eat Smart! Cafeteria program is running in high schools in the Thunder Bay and across the District. Find out more about
Eat Smart Cafeterias.
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Public Health Dietitian works with schools and parents to provide School Nutrition Consultation to ensure the types of foods served and sold in the school community are healthy choices.
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Exercise in Disguise program provides resources and support for the Daily Physical Activity requirement.
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Active Playgrounds program trains youth in grades 6-8 to lead games for younger children at recess. It helps youth feel they have a purpose within their school and builds self esteem.
5. As communities face pressures on city budgets, user fees go up, and there are fewer, low cost recreation facilities and programs.
We recognize the need for low-cost recreation programs and facilities. We work with the Take Heart coalition to encourage municipalities to maintain budgets for recreation services each year.
6. Community design often makes it easier to drive to school or work than to bike or walk.
The Health Unit will join other leaders to encourage communities to increase the number of trails, sidewalks and other services that promote active transportation.
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Raise an active, healthy teen!
Be a good role model. If you or your family focuses on weighing, dieting or overeating, your teen might as well. Eat healthy, be active, and feel good about yourself…your teen will do so also. Find ways to fit 30-60 minutes of activity into your day.
Read more online: www.tbdhu.com/HealthyLiving/PhysicalActivity |
Never encourage diets. Restricting foods and calories may affect your teen’s healthy growth and development. All foods can fit into a healthy lifestyle. Labeling foods as “bad” tends to encourage disordered eating, such as restricting or overeating these “bad” foods.
Talk to your teen about sensible eating. Help your teen find the healthy balance between food and exercise.
Encourage at least 3, well-balanced meals per day. Ensure meals include at least 3 out of the 4 food groups from Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating. Focus on whole grains, veggies and fruit, low-fat milk and milk products, and lean, unprocessed meats or meat alternatives. Remember, people who skip meals (especially breakfast) tend to overeat throughout the day.
Help your teen stay active: Activity levels drop around the age of 12. Involve your teen in deciding family activities. Meet your teen’s social needs. Allow her to invite friends on family outings. Help him plan activities with friends. Support their interests and encourage their efforts. Look for fun unorganized sports and activities to be involved in.
Eat meals together as a family more often. Take time to connect and be a role model for healthy eating habits.
Make snacks count. Choose foods from at least 2 out of the 4 food groups. Try a yogurt parfait, veggies with hummus Dip, cheese and crackers, or high fibre cereal with low fat milk.
Limit TV and computer time. Children and youth are affected by the sexy ads on TV and the constant advertising of unhealthy foods and unhealthy snacking. Studies show that The Canadian Paediatric Society recommends less than 2 hours a day. It is important to talk to children, and set rules around TV and computer time. Think about playing games, reading, and other activities that build lifelong skills.
Obesity is a very different issue.
Only a doctor or registered dietitian can assess for obesity. If your doctor tells you that your teen is “obese” it could mean that he/she is at risk of certain health problems. Ask for a referral to a Registered Dietitian to learn how to help your teen in a healthy way. Find out more about Nutrition Services at www.tbdhu.com/HealthyLiving/HealthyWeight/
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Our children and youth need adult support to improve their eating and activity habits and to feel good about themselves and their bodies. The Health Unit is working with parents, community leaders and youth to ensure the healthy choice is the easy choice. |
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