Word: ludwig
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...plan. Some doctors fear they will worsen the problem by embarrassing the child and instilling shame instead of empowering him or her to get healthy. And doctors worry about turning off Mom and Dad as well. "Every parent feels guilty that their child has a weight problem," says David Ludwig, the director of the Optimal Weight for Life Program at Children's Hospital Boston and the author of the kids'-weight-management book Ending the Food Fight: Guide Your Child to a Healthy Weight in a Fast Food/Fake Food World. Kids aren't the ones buying family groceries, after...
...Ludwig reminds parents they are not solely to blame for their child's weight. Many other environmental influences - from fatty school lunches to fast-food ads - are simply outside parents' control. That doesn't mean they can't make a difference at home, though, by getting junk food out of the cupboards, limiting TV time and - most important - being good role models. "The tragedy that so often occurs is that parents, out of fear for their kids' health, make a bad situation worse by using coercive parenting practices," Ludwig says. In his book, Ludwig writes that forcing certain dieting rules...
...Ludwig gives parents tips on how to work with their kids, not against them, by reinforcing good habits instead of punishing bad ones. He tells pediatricians to relay a "message of hope" when they talk to families with overweight children. Obesity is not destiny, and in fact, because kids are still growing, they may have an easier time getting back to a healthy weight than adults do. "Most of the time, we're not talking about kids losing weight. Most of the time, we're talking about kids maintaining their weight while their height catches up," says Michigan's Davis...
What's clear is that childhood obesity cannot be solved in a single doctor's visit. Ludwig sometimes spends several sessions with a patient at his Boston clinic before coming up with a concrete plan - and persuading the child to cooperate. "Many children come in at first unwilling to talk about the problem. They feel so embarrassed," Ludwig says. But when change comes, it can make a huge difference. "With just the smallest tangible results, a sense of empowerment can grow," Ludwig says. "The child may go from denying a problem exists and fighting their parents' efforts tooth and nail...
...factors, like diet and inactivity, account for about 70% of a person's blood pressure (genes determine the rest), and high blood pressure at a young age may increase kids' risk of developing heart disease in adulthood. "There is no fundamental biological need for TV-viewing in childhood," says Ludwig. "So these findings certainly warrant follow...