The Alaska Dispatch News – Harlow Robinson
Childhood obesity is the leading public health threat of our lifetimes, according to health officials. Nationally, the childhood obesity rate has quadrupled in the last 20 years, from 5 percent to 20 percent. In Alaska, one in three children is overweight or obese, according to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. (more)
WTVR – Staff Writer
Ask any parent about the top challenges of raising kids, and getting them to eat healthy would probably be high on the list. Countless parents have kids who just want to eat chicken nuggets, or pasta, or macaroni and cheese, or all of the above, and definitely without any vegetables. (more)
Magic Valley – Taryn Palmer, RDN, LD
September is here, and with it comes busy nights and weekends full of soccer practices, football games and other activities that keep children (and parents) busy and active. Young athletes need to fuel their bodies with the proper nutrition so they can grow, play and recover in the very best way. (more)
The Daily Mail – Maggie O’Neill
Fewer than one percent of preschoolers get the recommended amount of exercise that will help them avoid obesity in later years, a study has found. The study by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center also concluded that one in five preschoolers do not eat enough fruits and vegetables, and the same amount get too much screen time. The exercise habits that children develop as preschoolers influence their chances of developing hypertension, Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular abnormalities. (more)
Cleveland.com – Zachary Lewis
All that marathon training, hot yoga, and weightlifting you do? Yeah, leave your kid out of it. That doesn’t mean keep him or her inside, or away from the gym. Children need exercise, too, especially in this era of obesity. Just a different sort. Instead of focused, sport-specific training, expose your child to a broad range of activities, and never allow him or her to do what you do with intensity. The recommended dose is 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity daily, over the course of the day, and that can include anything from running around the house to playing kickball in the yard. (more)