Some Frightening Facts on Childhood Obesity

Many North American families have recently welcomed a new guest into their households…the Halloween booty! If your little goblins have done their jobs right, you now have more junk food in your homes than you may feel comfortable with. Reaping the rewards of a good night’s trick-or-treating is nothing new; we’ve been doing it for generations. However this tradition may have a more serious association attached to it now than in previous years. According to Statistics Canada, one out of every three children in this country is overweight. The epidemic of childhood obesity is no myth; for the first time in history North American, children are at risk of leading shorter and less healthy lives than their parents’. Worldwide, the number of deaths from the affects of excessive eating will soon surpass those from starvation and diseases related to malnutrition.

Even more frightening are the repercussions of childhood obesity. The physical effects are type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, joint problems, high-blood pressure, asthma and other respiratory problems, sleep disorders, liver diseases, early puberty or menarche, and skin infections. The social and emotional fallout includes low self-esteem, eating disorders, bullying, behaviour and learning difficulties, and depression. Almost all overweight adolescents become overweight adults; in fact the condition usually worsens. An adult who is clinically obese at the age of 40 can expect to have 7 years cut from their lifespan. And the reality is that this problem affects us all; in British Columbia alone last year treatment of health problems related to obesity and a sedentary lifestyle cost tax payers 1.10 billion dollars.

What Causes Childhood Obesity?

Obesity in children occurs in the same way it does in adults; simply put, the body takes in more energy (calories) than it puts out. There are some genetic diseases that cause obesity in children (such as Prader-Will syndrome) but these conditions represent an extremely small portion of affected children. By far the primary cause is lifestyle. That being said, children are usually incapable of controlling many of the factors involved in their daily life; that responsibility belongs to their caregivers. Obviously providing a good role model for your children is the most important thing you can do; parents who lead healthy lifestyles are far more likely to have children who will do the same. This of course includes being active and eating a balanced diet; however since over-eating is sometimes caused by emotional factors, it is also important that families address the issue of emotional eating. The best way to do this is to maintain good communication with your children and encourage them to deal with the stresses of life in a healthy way, other than turning to food. And never use food (especially sweets) as a reward for good behaviour; this just reinforces the psychological connection between food and comfort.

How Can I Help?

Almost all experts dealing with childhood obesity agree on one factor: the best way to combat the problem is through prevention rather than treatment. As mentioned above, patterning a healthy way of living is probably the best approach. Resources on how to encourage your child to be active and eat a healthy and balanced diet abound. Some good examples are the Weight Control Information Network, Capital Health, & the Childhood Obesity Foundation of BC. One tip that made a lot of sense to me was to take a gradual approach to changes in your families’ lifestyle. For example, when attempting to introduce a variety of both food and activity choices, don’t despair if your kids don’t take to them all right away. Statistically children need to be presented with a new food 10 times before they readily accept it and it takes nearly as long for some children to start enjoying certain sports and activities, especially if they have a self-perceived lack of athletic ability.

One aspect of obesity that has been in the news quite a bit lately is the connection between sleep and weight gain, both in children and adults. A study done by the University of Bristol reported that a shorter sleep duration disturbs normal metabolism which may contribute to obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The study indicated that teens who slept 5 instead of 8 hours each night had a 15% change in the hormones that helped prevent weight gain. Lack of sleep has been clinically proven to lessen energy and increase stress – both factors in obesity. And in a classic “Catch 22” situation, increased weight can then lead to serious sleep disorders such as Sleep Apnea. Recommendations are that parents not allow TV’s, videogames, or other electronic devices in their children’s bedrooms. Obviously this would not be welcomed by most kids, but sometimes good parenting requires making unpopular decisions. Enforcing policies like these often leads to having to deal with the dreaded “nag factor”, especially with adolescents.

Television, electronic games, the internet and other sedentary pursuits have gotten a lot of the blame for inactivity in children leading to obesity. However, in a study done by the Organization for the Prevention of Chronic Disease, time spent watching TV has actually gone down in children by 23% since 1981. Their research also shows a significant increase in the time children are spending away from the home that correlates with the period in North America that childhood obesity started becoming an issue. Children are now spending more time at school, daycare, and after-school programs and unfortunately many of these offer poor health related options. It is therefore important that you insure that the people in charge of your children while away from home have the same agenda for healthy living that you do. Even in our public school system, physical education and options for healthy eating are often neglected or even absent. One organization trying to put a stop to this is the Canadian Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance; they have a link to an online quiz that ranks the effectiveness of your school’s PE program.

Most Important – Do No Harm!

Obviously, if your child has a serious weight problem it is vital that you intervene. However, it is just as vital that your attempts do not end up causing more harm than good. First, understand that a weight loss program for children bears little resemblance to one designed for an adult. Because children need extra energy to fuel their growth and development, no child should be put on a traditional “diet”, especially one that isolates them from the rest of the family. Healthy living is a family affair and every member must participate. If a child is seen as having a “problem” they will associate food with fear and anxiety and this can cause an increase in emotional eating (such as eating in secret or binge eating) as well as lead to eating disorders such as bulimia, anorexia, and the use of cigarettes and drugs to suppress the appetite. 

If you feel your child might be suffering from obesity, it is best to get professional advice. Kids grow at different times and different rates and sometimes it isn’t easy to tell if a child is overweight or just in between growth spurts. Even BMI (body mass index) tabulations are different for children. This link for a BMI calculator is adapted for children; however it is not a 100% indicator of obesity. And remember, not all expert advice is the same; one study showed that when asked about weight loss for middle-school children, 85% of physical educators recommended a strict calorie reduced diet. You need to make sure that the person you consult knows that a thin child is not necessarily a healthy child and an overweight child is not necessarily an unhealthy one. They should also have an understanding of, not only of nutrition and physiology, but also the mental, social and spiritual needs of children.

Finally, if you and the rest of your family are trying to become healthier, be realistic; no one can be good everyday. So enjoy your Halloween treats and remember the absolute best thing you can do for your child is to love, support and accept them the way they are.

Back to School: What Every Parent Should Know!

Back-to-school is a time of uncertainly for students, parents, and educational professionals alike. Let’s face it; a new school year in many ways represents a new beginning with all the invigoration and anxiety that goes along with that. In this article, I’ve tried to touch on some of the “pearls of wisdom” that I’ve uncovered in my own professional research. Along with the information given here, many paragraphs will include links to some relevant sites on the various topics being discussed. Just click on the keywords in bold and that should connect you directly to what I hope will be a helpful resource on those subjects.

Worse Case Scenario: “I Hate School!”

Probably the # 1 fear for everyone involved in the back-to-school or new-to-school process is: what if the child ends up hating school. I’m not taking about first-day or first-week adjustment blues, but rather a situation where the child is intolerably unhappy with their day-to-day school life. Often when this happens, parents are confused about what the causes are or about which solutions are needed. When a child indicates that they hate and/or don’t want to attend school, you can be sure of one thing – that child has a cause of anxiety. The most common factors for this are: loneliness due to a lack of friends or separation from family; bulling either physical or psychological; undiagnosed special need (including lack of challenge for gifted children); shyness and the inability to become socialized; poor rapport or “fit” with the school or teacher; and finally a physical or mental ailment (not obviously evident) that is causing symptoms that may interfere with the child’s daily routine.  Each of the resource links given above may offer some help in determining if any of these situations apply to your child. As for solutions, there are many options available and since every child and family is different, there can be no stock answer. However, that being said, it is my personal and professional opinion that there is one thing that will help with any or all of these issues and that is for parents to become active and participating advocates for their children. Very often as parents and care-givers, we feel that our responsibility in our children’s education is limited to buying school supplies, checking the occasional homework, and attending the obligatory parent-teacher conference. We believe that schools are safe and nurturing places that are rigorously monitored by our government and school boards; and that any problems our children may have will be picked up by the ever diligent and all knowing school officials. Unfortunately, this is simply not always the case. Sometimes things that happen go unchecked, not because the professionals in charge are negligent, but because this is the reality with any large organization or intricate institutional system…sometimes things just fall through the cracks.  

How can you help? The answer to this is to get involved. Don’t expect schools to take full responsibility for your children’s educational success; become an active participant in every aspect of their school life. If you can’t find the time to do this because of other obligations, then consider hiring an independent educational consultant. And for heaven’s sake, don’t take the attitude that school is a place to toughen your kids up; the only thing that “The School of Hard Knocks” will teach your child is that they are helpless and alone in a world of pain and sorrow. School is meant to be an enriching experience, not without its challenges or stresses, but certainly not a place to dread or fear. To be more proactive in this experience, consider the following:

• Spend time sharing the details of your days with all the members of your family. Be inquisitive and interested but not aggressive in your questions; often when children are reluctant to talk about their days this is an indication that something is amiss. However, grilling you child will probably only make them more reluctant to share what’s going on; try sharing some difficult experiences of your own, this may cause your child to feel more empathy with you and thus open up.
•  Get to know your child’s teachers and school counsellors. You don’t have to wait for formal occasions to schedule a meeting with these professionals. Letting them know that you are taking an active role in your child’s life at school and that you are open to any feedback they might have will most likely be received with enthusiasm as well as reduce the likelihood of your child slipping through the cracks.
• Talk to your kids about what they’re learning and try and find ways to share in that experience. If you child seems to be showing an interest in a certain subject, schedule activities like going to the library to find books or movies on the topic, etc. If your children see that they can get your attention by sharing in their learning with you, it will make a world of difference in their level of motivation.
• If your child is diagnosed with special needs or some type of learning difficulty consider getting a second opinion. At the very least research exactly how this will affect your child’s education. Children in some modified public programs don’t actually matriculate through school and may not even receive a high school diploma despite putting in the required amount of course time.
• If your child has some type of special needs, including not being challenged by the standard curriculum, consider enrolling them in after-school learning centers, enrichment programs, or hiring a private tutor. Most learning difficulties can be dramatically altered by this type of intervention. If your budget doesn’t allow for private help, look at available community resources; there are a great many organizations that offer free or subsidized help for children.
• If your child is experiencing behavioural problems especially related to violence and/or drugs, don’t think of this as typical childish pranks. Issues like this can lead to expulsion from school, a criminal record, addiction, involvement with gangs, and the development of a serious medical problems or even worse. Either through a private consultant or an individual within the school or public medical system, I highly recommend that you find someone with the ability to nip this very dangerous problem in the bud. 
• Finally, remember that you have a choice of where to send your child to school; you don’t always have to pick the default option. Many provinces in Canada allow parents to choose which public schools to send their kids to (so long as there is space). Do research on the schools in your city; look at the statistics offered on the Ministry of Education’s web site or other sites that review educational data (they vary from province to province); visit these schools and talk to the administration to find out what they excel at and what their philosophy is. If you can afford it, think about boarding and day schooling; these private alternatives often offer a much more personalized and specialised choice of academic and extracurricular programs. You may also want to consider home-schooling; with the electronic and online resources now available, this option isn’t just for rural living anymore.

In conclusion, it is my sincerest wish that none of what I’ve spoken of above will apply to you. Hopefully your child enjoys or at least is OK with going to school each day. For those of you for whom this does apply, or for anyone who has any comments, please feel free to contact me directly (scroll down to the bottom of this page for my bio and email information) or to include your remarks here.

A Marriage Made in Heaven?

On April 27 of this year, the Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, announced a new program that would allow international students studying at some post-secondary institutions to be eligible for permits allowing them to work up to 20 hours a week during the school year and full-time during study breaks. This would affect approximately 100,000 foreign students studying in Canada this year.

This, as well as other work/study programs offered by the CIC, couldn’t come at a better time for BC industries, such as retail, looking to fill entry-level positions. An article on May 2, 2006 in the Vancouver Sun reported that, with BC’s unemployment rate at an all time low and other industry sectors, like construction, dipping into it’s traditional labour pool, retailers in the province are finding it more and more difficult to fill their growing need for workers and are now looking at “under-utilized sectors” to fill the gap.

Sounds like a marriage made in heaven to me!

International students contribute about $4 billion each year to the Canadian economy and are an important source of future skilled labour needed by Canada’s business to function competitively in the global economy. Those who leave Canada after their studies often act as ambassadors and help forge business and community links that benefit our nation on many levels such as in increased tourism, international trade, and humanitarian projects, just to name a few. 

I’ve had the pleasure of working and interacting with foreign students over the past 15 years and I can’t say enough about their level of motivation, openness, and energy. I would encourage anyone who is thinking of hiring these individuals to do so. In my opinion, most international students:

• Adapt quickly to new situations

• Have good English skills

• Are extremely loyal and willing to commit to a job or project

• Possess multiple language proficiencies

• Have a very strong work ethic

• Contribute creative and fresh ideas that enrich the workplace

• Have high technical skills

• Approach entry-level positions with enthusiasm and pride 

If you are recruiting part-time or summer workers, why not consider hiring an international student? These individuals are eager to apply the skills they’ve learned at school to the workplace, earn some money to defray their educational cost, make new friends, and become part of the community.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this subject; if you are an employer who is interested in hiring a foreign student; or a student able to obtain a valid work visa looking to find a job.

Please scroll to the bottom for a profile and contact information on the author of this article.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

For many of us, this familiar phrase may induce nostalgic feelings of childhood ambition and wonderment; however, this is probably not the case if you’re the parent of a 16 year-old whose standard response is, “ah…I don’t know.”  

Sometimes we have a hard time understanding why our children don’t seem prepared for life beyond the school yard. What might make it even harder is the fact that career and life planning is an integral part of the official school curriculum in British Columbia (and most other provinces in Canada) beginning in Kindergarten! Standard K to 7 learning objectives include; identifying personal hopes and dreams; relating work habits to transferable skills; identifying the talents of positive role models in a variety of occupations and careers; identifying and classify occupations in the local, regional, and global communities: building networks of resources to support educational, career, and personal goals, etc.

By grade 10 students in BC get a minimum of 115 hours of class time dedicated exclusively to career and education planning. They cover things like job seeking & job keeping skills; workplace standards & safety; financial planning including budgeting for post-secondary education. They get a list of all available scholarships & bursaries or at least information on where to find them. They take aptitudes & personality tests and learn how personal skills and values relate to career planning. They go to trade, education and career fairs; practice writing resumes and filling out admissions forms; get labour market and career trend information; they meet with guidance counsellors; are given quizzes, tests, projects, oral & written reports and are evaluated, observed and critiqued… So with all this preparation, why don’t our kids seem more prepared? 

Well that’s what I’d like to explore here. I have my own ideas, but I’d also like to hear from you. I prefer if we didn’t point the finger or lay the blame, either on our overworked school professionals, our sensory overloaded kids, or on ourselves (since we are probably both overworked and overloaded!) Instead, let’s try and focus on some positive solutions. Please scroll down this page to find my contact information, or feel free to leave a comment here. 

 I look forward to hearing from you.