Weight Matters

Why are kids so fat these days? It's not what parents feed them,
according to new research -- it's how.

Barbara Dennison, Ph.D., a pediatrician and research scientist at
Bassett Healthcare Research Institute in Cooperstown, New York, was
inspired to learn more about parental attitudes on childhood obesity when
her tough job of informing parents that their child was overweight -- and
therefore in danger of myriad physical and emotional problems -- yielded
some unexpected results. Dennison and colleagues found that parents
frequently responded to the news with disbelief or denial; some even said
they thought their obese child was underweight. Dennison went to work to
root out the source of the discrepancy, which no doubt contributes to the
one-third of all U.S. kids who are now considered obese.

After interviewing 1,180 parents of overweight children, the
researchers discovered that they treat mealtimes differently than parents
of healthy children, often allowing the child to choose the meal -- usually
something less nutritious -- or using sweets as a reward for finishing
dinner.

"So many adults have a hard time choosing a balanced diet,"
Dennison explains, "it's no wonder kids are asking for unhealthy foods."
She also believes that as more children become overweight, the perception
of obesity changes -- and the image of what makes a baby cute is
distorted.

Dennison's study is one of several she will do in conjunction with
the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
in New York State. Already, WIC officials have decided to distribute 1 percent
and skim milk instead of whole milk to families with children over 2
years old. "We're still working out what changes need to be made, but
recognizing the obesity is the first step," Dennison says.