Do’s and Don’ts for Helping Children Avoid Obesity

In September, we at Goldsmith Podiatry recognize National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. It’s estimated nearly 20 percent of our children and teens are now obese. It is a serious problem for our Manhattan families with serious long-term effects on your child’s feet and overall health.

Your feet carry the weight of your entire body. Obesity in childhood greatly increases the likelihood of being obese as an adult. It increases the risk for foot and ankle pain, plantar fasciitis, arthritis, diabetes, and heart disease, as well as mental health issues that can be the result of bullying and an inability to enjoy many physical activities. Below are some do’s and don’ts to help steer your children away from excess weight gain.

Do: educate your child on the basics of good nutrition and healthy eating. Choose My Plate is a USDA website that offers much information about what constitutes a healthy diet and has fun games, information graphs, recipes, videos, and more. Click here to visit.

Don’t: try to change your child’s entire diet overnight. Instead, focus on small changes that can be made relatively painlessly and incorporate one or two at time. Switch to flavored seltzer instead of soda, low-fat yogurt for full fat, etc.

Do: be physically active as a family. Children learn by what they see. Explore different fitness activities such as kayaking, hiking, biking, or rollerblading, and find the ones you all enjoy. Plan active outings on the weekends. Add a walk after dinner or first thing in the morning before online lessons begin.

Do: reduce the amount of screen time your child has. The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates kids 8-18 spend, on average, 7.5 hours a day in front of a screen for entertainment! Add distance and virtual learning to the mix and that number will shoot up even further. Set firm limits on-screen entertainment time and encourage children to log more hours being active. Consider a device that tracks miles or active minutes and host a friendly family competition.

Don’t: hesitate to make an appointment at our Upper Westside office by calling (212) 877-1002 if your child says walking and exercising hurts his or her feet or ankles. Our podiatrists, Dr. Howard Goldsmith and Dr. Rosanna Troia will examine your child’s feet and diagnose any problems that may be interfering with their ability to enjoy physical activity.