Full Figure Forum - Children and Teenagers

Why Breastfeeding In The First Hour Of Life Is Important

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 10:35:26 -0500

Today countries around the world start celebrating World Breastfeeding Week, which this year emphasizes the importance of breastfeeding in the first hour of life.

World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) 2007 is encouraging breastfeeding in the first hour of life because research shows that early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding for six months can save lives. This is the reason behind this year's WBW catchphrase: "Breast Feeding the 1st Hour - Save One Million Babies".

World Breastfeeding Week is supported by a number of global and national organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), who are keen to promote awareness about the importance of breastfeeding soon after birth because of the lifelong health benefits of receiving a mother's first milk, colostrum, the "perfect food for every newborn".

Preventing obesity and raising fit children is a family affair

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 11:11:42 -0500

The numbers of overweight children are increasing, and many parents are rightly concerned about their children's weight and how it affects them.

The good news is that parents can help their children live healthy, active lives.

"Sometimes it's best to change your vocabulary." That's what pediatrician Peggy Supple, M.D., of Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove often has to remind the parents of children struggling with obesity.

"I find that overweight children respond better to the word 'activity' than to the term 'exercise,'" Supple explains. "I think it's because some children associate exercise with sweat and work, things they may feel are negatives. To really make an impact with overweight children, you must help them increase their level of activity throughout the day."

Healthy diets are important, even in your college years

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 04:09:03 -0500

With the number of Americans overweight and obese at an all-time high, the diet choices of young people are of concern, especially as they prepare to leave home for the first time in the fall and fend for themselves at college.

College is a time of tremendous change in lifestyles and routines, so it can be difficult for students to establish or maintain healthy eating habits. In some cases, tight time schedules, limited budgets and other influences can lead to weight problems. And patterns of gradual weight gain over the course of college can trigger health problems well beyond your college years.

Poor Diet affecting lung health of teenagers

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 09:57:28 -0500

A new study of US and Canadian teenagers suggests that not getting enough essential nutrients in their diet is linked to risk of developing respiratory conditions such as asthma and poorer lung function. The study is published in the July issue of the journal Chest.

Lead author, Dr Jane Burns of the Harvard School of Public Health, said in a prepared statement that:

"Our study, as well as other research, suggests that higher intakes of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory micronutrients are associated with lower reports of cough, respiratory infections, and less severe asthma-related symptoms."

Pure fruit juice not associated with excess weight in children

Thu, 17 May 2007 04:32:52 -0500

Using the same database that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) uses to confirm the rise in obesity rates, researchers have concluded that 100 percent juice is not associated with young children being overweight or at risk for becoming overweight

The research abstract, presented today at the Pediatric Academic Societies' annual meeting in Toronto, looked at dietary intakes of 3,618 children ages 2-11 using the well-known National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

According to Dr. Theresa Nicklas, "We did not find a relationship between 100 percent juice consumption and overweight among children." She adds, "Even among the children who consumed the most juice, we found no association at all with the children being overweight or at risk for overweight." Dr. Nicklas, a child nutrition researcher at the USDA Children's Nutrition Research Center at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, found that 100 percent juice consumption also did not decrease the amount of milk consumed in children's diets, which appears to be a common misconception.

Kids don't notice "Stealth Vegetables"

Tue, 08 May 2007 07:22:04 -0500

Parents who want their kids to consume fewer calories and eat more vegetables might find a healthy solution with "stealth vegetables." A Penn State study shows that decreasing the calorie density of foods by adding vegetables and other lower-calorie ingredients leads to a reduction in children's calorie intake and an increase in vegetable consumption.

"To combat the epidemic of childhood obesity, the World Health Organization recommends reducing children's consumption of calorie-dense foods. Many children are not eating enough foods that are low in calorie density, such as fruits and vegetables," said Dr. Barbara Rolls, who holds the Helen A. Guthrie chair of nutritional sciences at Penn State's College of Health and Human Development. "Parents often find it difficult to get their kids to eat vegetables."

Fathers parenting style linked to childhood obesity

Mon, 07 May 2007 12:48:50 -0500

Fathers may be more important than mothers in determining whether a child becomes overweight or obese, according to a ground-breaking new Australian study by the Centre for Community Child Health at The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, and the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute.

The study looked at nearly 5,000 4 to 5 year olds and investigated the relationship between their body mass index (BMI) status and the parenting styles of their mothers and fathers. The study's findings will be presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies' annual meeting in Toronto between May 4 and 9.

The study found that fathers who had permissive (allowing children freedom without limits) or disengaged parenting styles were more likely to have heavier children. Conversely, fathers whose parenting was more consistent (setting clear limits, following through with instructions etc) were less likely to have a child with a higher BMI. Mothers' parenting behaviours and styles were not associated with a child's risk of having a higher BMI.

Cup feeding not recommended for premature infants

Mon, 07 May 2007 08:56:37 -0500

Parents need feeding alternatives when newborns are not able to breastfeed. However, one method leads to longer hospital stays and possible health hazards for premature infants, according to a new review by Australian researchers.

Traditionally, hospitals and parents have used bottles or tubes to feed infants when breastfeeding is not possible. In some cases, hospitals have turned to cup feeding, in which a baby sips or laps milk in a small cup placed beneath the upper lip.

Professional curiosity prompted the researchers to take a closer look at the practice. "We were all employed in the neonatal nursery at the time and the discussion about cup feeding would often occur," said lead researcher Anndrea Flint, a nurse manager at the Centre for Clinical Nursing of the Royal Women's Hospital in Brisbane.

New breastfeeding research challenges traditional Feeding Positions

Sun, 06 May 2007 11:28:53 -0500

Breastfeeding newborn babies lying down or in a semi-reclined position may boost the chances of success, according to new research being unveiled at the Royal College of Nursing's 2007 International Research Conference on Wednesday 2nd May in Dundee.

Dr Suzanne Colson, senior midwifery lecturer at Canterbury Christ Church University, based her research on 40 healthy mothers and their healthy full-term babies, all of whom were breastfeeding at six weeks, as well as 14 bottle feeding mother-baby pairs. She found that those mothers who breastfed their infants lying down or semi-reclined in positions that mirrored the feeding positions of other mammals had the greatest success.

Building your child's self esteem

Sat, 13 May 2006 15:15:36 -0500

It's one of those things that all parents want to provide for their children and one of those things that many feel they do not know how to do: raise a self-confident child.

Self-esteem oftentimes seems like a fragile, distant thing that we all know what it is but don't know how to develop. Your self-esteem is a compilation of how you feel about yourself. It encompasses everything from your confidence in relationships, to your body image, to your work life. So how do you foster this "thing" in your children?We teach our children "honesty is the best policy." This applies to how we deal with our children as much as it does expecting them to be honest with us. When it comes to your child's self-esteem, he or she will know or be able to sense if you are not being honest. For example, if art is not your child's top skill, don't say that his or her drawing is the best you've ever seen. Your child will know it's not, and will not believe you the next time you say something meant to be positive, no matter how honest it is. Instead, tell your child something genuine about the piece or the effort. Make non-judgmental statements such as, "You really used your imagination in making the flowers many different colors." This simply states your observation, rather than a false statement.

Family Meals Promote Healthy Eating

Mon, 01 May 2006 04:39:56 -0500

Regular family meals promote healthy eating habit among children and teenagers,
University of Minnesota study finds dinner table atmosphere is also important

It’s not only the routine of sitting down to dinner as a family, but the importance, structure, and atmosphere of family meals that may help steer adolescent girls from eating disorders.

University of Minnesota researchers found that girls who ate regular family meals in a structured and positive environment were less likely to exhibit extreme weight control behaviors such as diet pill use, vomiting, and chronic dieting.

The meal itself provides an opportunity to model healthy eating habits to children, and it also gives parents the chance to check in with their children, said Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.D., professor of epidemiology and primary author of the article. She recommended parents keep the conversation positive and non-confrontational, especially if their children have issues surrounding food.

Teens Turning From Milk To Sodas

Tue, 25 Apr 2006 07:41:51 -0500

A recently completed nine-year study of more than 2,300 teen-age girls by Wesleyan University and others found that milk consumption decreased more than 25 percent. However, soda intake increased almost threefold during the course of the study.

Decreased milk consumption results in less calcium intake. That's a problem, doctors say, because adolescence is a critical period for accumulating peak bone mass.

“Eating foods rich in calcium can help make bones and teeth strong at any time of our life, but in adolescence, we can contribute the most to our skeleton,” said Loise Gilmer, R.D., pediatric clinical dietitian in the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine.

Junk Food Bans In Schools - The Practical Side

Sat, 15 Apr 2006 02:38:20 -0500

In the face of what many see as an exploding obesity epidemic among both adults and children, a growing number of state and regional legislatures are passing laws that prohibit the sale of junk foods in school vending machines and cafeterias.

The new regulations differ from region to region, but the general drift is to reduce the availability of sugar, salt, and fat laden foods and snacks, and replace them with more nutritious healthy foods and snacks.

The money issue

Such good intentions are not always easy to implement. Money raises its ugly head at numerous points along the way, making it difficult to move to more healthy alternatives.

Teen Dieters Are More Likely to be Overweight

Fri, 14 Apr 2006 04:57:05 -0500

Adolescents who diet and use unhealthy weight-control behaviors are more likely to be overweight and put themselves at risk for eating disorders in the future, according to new research done at the University of Minnesota.

A study published in the April issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that adolescents with unhealthy weight-control behaviors were three times more likely to be overweight five years later. In addition, adolescents using unhealthy weight-control behaviors were at an increased risk for out-of-control binge eating, self-induced vomiting, and the use of diet pills, laxatives, and diuretics.

12 Things You Can Learn From A Two-Year Old

Sun, 02 Apr 2006 10:30:25 -0500

Nancy Hill

If you ask any child about the adults around them, they'd probably say we're a little wacky and seem to be stressed out a lot of the time. Here are a few simple things they can teach us...

1. Nap when you're tired.

2. Eat when you're hungry.

3. Don't starve yourself, it makes you tired and cranky. Eat little bits often to keep fueled up.

4. Stubbornly refuse to eat even one more bite once you're full. If you're full after a few bites, gleefully throw the rest away.

5. Leave the table with a satisfied, full belly and an eagerness to dive back into your delicious life.