Managing Our Weight Introduction

Weight management can be difficult. Being overweight or obese can lead to serious health consequences in children and adults. During the past 30 years the number of overweight children has doubled and the number of obese children tripled. Parents of overweight children are often overweight and have feeding practices that can contribute to children being overweight. African-American, Hispanic and Indigenous children are at particular risk. (From National Center for Health Statistics: Prevalence of Overweight, Obesity, and Severe Obesity Among Children and Adolescents Aged 2–19 Years: United States, 1963–1965 Through 2017–2018).

This chapter explores how to recognize, prevent and manage weight issues.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify appropriate weights for children and adults.
• Recognize attitudes, family traditions, habits and routines that may contribute to obesity and long-term consequences.
• Develop ideas for new routines, habits and traditions that will lessen the chances of obesity.