Lazy habits lead to obesity

• Looking for simple, effective ways to help kids grow up bucking the national obesity trend?
• * Make sure kids eat healthfully, starting with a good breakfast every day.
• * Be a good role model for a healthy life.
• Those tips come from Ashley Crossman, a graduate student at Arizona State University's sociology department.
• She looked at data from national surveys of about 6,400 teens and young adults.
• Crossman presented her findings in Philadelphia at the American Sociological Association's annual meeting.
• Participants who grew up to have a healthy weight had some common traits.
• As teens, they ate breakfast, had good self-esteem, and were too busy to spend tons of time watching TV or playing computer games.
• Their parents also had some things in common: healthy weight, more education, and control over their kids' diets.
• Participants were in 7th-12th grade when the first survey was done in 1995.
• Participants with "bad television and eating habits are 33% more likely to become overweight or obese than those from families with good television and eating habits," writes Crossman.
• "This demonstrates the importance of encouraging adolescents to eat breakfast regularly and watch less television," notes Crossman.
• Childhood weight problems increase the likelihood of persistent weight problems as an adult.
• Physical activity is promoted as part of a healthy life (get a doctor's OK first).
• The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children at risk should be identified by virtue of family history of obesity, and other factors such as environment.
• Parents and caregivers should be encouraged to promote healthy eating patterns by offering nutritious snack such as fruit and vegetables, low-fat diary products, and whole grains; setting appropriate limits and modeling healthy food choices.