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  Strong Bodies, Strong Kids

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Strong Bodies, Strong Kids:  
Exercise, Nutrition and Young Children

Childhood obesity is a growing problem in America, particularly for young children.  One out of every fourteen children in the United States is obese, and one out of three is overweight (4C’s Madison, 2001). The greatest cause of obesity is eating more and exercising less.  More families than ever have less active, sedentary lifestyles, and more children than ever are drawn into this lifestyle as well.  Why should we be concerned about obese and overweight children? Overweight children are more likely than other children to suffer from preventable health problems in their lives including: Type II Diabetes, heart related complications, and asthma.

Although the potential consequences of a sedentary lifestyle are a bit scary, there are some simple things providers and parents can do to reverse this trend for children. To combat unhealthy weight gains in children, providers and parents must not only instill healthy eating habits in young children, they must also encourage children to get generous amounts of physical activity everyday.  The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends following the food guide pyramid nutrition guidelines when making decisions about children’s meals and snacks. The food guide pyramid below details the types and amounts of food needed for children’s bodies to function and perform optimally.  Additional information about children’s nutrition and the USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is available at www.nal.usda.gov

Sound nutrition isn’t the only piece of the fitness puzzle.  Nutrition goes hand in hand with physical activity for optimal overall health.  The American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (www.aahperd.org or 1-800-321-0789) organization has developed guidelines describing the amount of physical activity young children need at various stages of their development. Following is a summarization of these guidelines:

Infants should be physically active from birth.  Get infants out of strollers, playpens and baby seats and interact with them in meaningful ways.

Toddlers need at least 30 minutes of structured physical activity daily; preschoolers and school age children need 60.

Toddlers and preschoolers should not be sedentary for more than 30 minutes at a time.

All children need unstructured time for physical activity.  Toddlers and preschoolers need at least 60 minutes a day of unstructured movement and physical activity time. School age children need at least twice this amount.

Children who participate in regular, adequate amounts of structured and unstructured physical activity on a daily basis, and who are taught healthy eating habits are more likely to grow up healthy, strong and have fewer health related conditions. 

Please contact the organizations mentioned above and these for more information:

References:

Community Coordinated Child Care (4C’s Madison),
Fitness: Early and Often, September, 2001.  www.4-c.org
WECA, 
The Wheat Stalk, How providers promote positive food attitudes.  February, 1996.
Mulligan-Gordon, Sarah. 
Enjoying Family Style Meals in Child Care.  Child Care Information Exchange. May 1997.

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