Our Overweight Children: What Parents, Schools, and Communities Can Do to Control the Fatness Epidemic (California Studies in Food and Culture, 13)

Cover 1 Contents 12 Introduction: Our Overweight Kids 14 ONE: HOW WE MEET A GROWING EPIDEMIC 24 1 - Coming to Terms 26 2 - Gauging Obesity’s Toll 41 TWO: WHY KIDS ARE GETTING FATTER 56 3 - Family Matters 58 4 - At Home 74 5 - Beyond the Home 105 THREE: HOW WE CAN FIGHT THE EPIDEMIC 128 6 - Nurturing Healthy and Active Lifestyles 130 7 - Reaching and Keeping a Healthy Weight 159 8 - Slowing the Vicious Cycle of Fat Discrimination 190 9 - Mobilizing to Help Our Overweight Children 213 Appendix 1. Body-Mass Index by Height and Weight 252 Appendix 2. Body-Mass Index by Age 254 Notes 256 Acknowledgments 286 Index 290 A 290 B 291 C 292 D 293 E 294 F 295 G 296 H 297 I 297 J 297 K 297 L 297 M 298 N 299 O 299 P 300 Q 301 R 301 S 302 T 304 U 304 V 305 W 305 Y 305 Z 305 The United States is facing a health crisis of epidemic proportions: children are gaining weight younger and faster than ever before. With the prospect of becoming the most obese generation of adults in history, they are already turning up with an alarming assortment of'grown-up'maladies, from type 2 diabetes to high blood pressure. This book takes a clear-eyed look at what's behind the statistics and diagnoses, and what can be done about the major health crisis among American children. Sharron Dalton begins with the basics: what obesity is, what causes it, and why it matters. Integrating information from scientific and popular sources, she reviews past remedies and their results and compares specific strategies and programs for children. When a third of our children are overweight or likely to become so, it's everyone's problem—and this book argues for a united approach, promoting the role of parents, health professionals, and school and community leaders. For each group, Dalton outlines actions to combat the epidemic. She suggests ways for parents to respond to their children in interactions centered on food and physical activities. And she illuminates a number of issues raised by childhood obesity, from the pain of fat discrimination to the economic, social, and political ramifications of an epidemic of obesity among the young. At once authoritative and nontechnical, no-nonsense and compassionate, Our Overweight Children is a clear call to action—a prescription for treating the most dire problem threatening our children's health and our nation's future. Our Overweight Children includes• A discussion of what obesity is, what causes it, and why it matters• A review of various remedies and their results• A comparison of specific strategies and programs for children• A plan for parents, health professionals, and school and community leaders to work together to confront childhood obesity The United States is facing a health crisis of epidemic proportions: children are gaining weight more rapidly and at younger ages than ever before. Poised to become the most obese generation of adults in history, today's children are turning up at doctors' offices with an alarming assortment of "grown-up" maladies, from type 2 diabetes to high blood pressure. This book takes a clear-eyed look at what's behind the statistics and diagnoses, and considers what can be done about the major health crisis threatening American children. Sharron Dalton begins with the basics: what obesity is, what causes it, and why it matters. Integrating information from scientific and popular sources, she reviews current diet and exercise recommendations for healthy living, comparing these recommendations with everyday realities experienced by American families. When a third of our children are overweight or likely to become so, it's everyone's problem -- and this book argues for a united approach, promoting the complementary roles of parents, health professionals, and school and community leaders. For each group, Dalton outlines actions to combat the epidemic. She suggests new ways for parents and other adults to respond to children in interactions centered on food and physical activities. And she illuminates a number of issues raised by this epidemic, from the pain of fat discrimination to the economic, social, and political ramifications of widespread obesity among the young. At once authoritative and nontechnical, compassionate but no-nonsense, Our Overweight Children is a welcome prescription for treating the most dire problem threatening our children's health and our nation's future The United States is facing a health crisis of epidemic proportions: children are gaining weight younger and faster than ever before. With the prospect of becoming the most obese generation of adults in history, they are already turning up with an alarming assortment of "grown-up" maladies, from type 2 diabetes to high blood pressure. This book takes a clear-eyed look at what's behind the statistics and diagnoses, and what can be done about the major health crisis among American children. Sharron Dalton begins with the basics: what obesity is, what causes it, and why it matters. Integrating in