Healthcare providers educate parents on healthy lifestyle choices. They play a key role in the wellbeing of children. The health of a school-aged child will impact their life in the future. Healthcare providers take weight at a young age serious, so should parents.
Tips to parents from providers:
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make daily schedule that includes eating, sleeping, exercise, and homework
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Have 3 scheduled meals
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Eat meals as family
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monitor portion sizes
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read food labels
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reserve desserts for special occasions
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limit fast food and processed food
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avoid using food as a reward
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limit media use to less than an hour a day
(Stender, Burghen, & Mallare, 2015)
Healthcare providers like pediatricians should obtain genetic and medical history from their patients. If a child is overweight, they first need to determine if it is genetics or lifestyle factors. Some ethnicities have a higher risk of becoming obese. Providers need to routinely check BMI patterns. They need to see if the families eating patterns are balanced. Children should cut back on snacks, desserts, and pizza. The children should be screened for eating disorders and depression, because they could lead to binge eating (Stender, Burghen, & Mallare, 2015).
Text source: Stender, S. R., Burghen, G. A., & Mallare, J. T. (2005, October 18). The Role of Health Care Providers in the Prevention of Overweight and Type 2 Diabetes in Children and Adolescents. From http://spectrum.diabetesjournals.org/content/18/4/240
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