Originally published July 30 2005
Exercise and fun foods can help children be healthier
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Children enrolled in activity-oriented food and exercise programs have proven to be a tad healthier then their inactive counterparts.
Children enrolled in kid-oriented diet and exercise programs are likely to adopt healthier eating and activity patterns, according to an updated systematic review.
Although the youngsters did not experience significant weight loss during the studies, most of which lasted a year or less, the reviewers note promising trends.
"If those children could sustain the changes in food and physical activity then that would make a [weight] difference in the long term," says lead author Carolyn Summerbell, a professor of human nutrition at the University of Teesside in England.
"They don't want the boring old sports and training that are often in the curriculum," she says.
Likewise, diet change can be accomplished through fun, social events such as healthy eating clubs and interesting food preparation.
The Cochrane Library is a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research.
Systematic reviews draw evidence-based conclusions about medical practice after considering both the content and quality of existing medical trials on a topic.
Nineteen studies analyzed school-based programs, one was a community effort aimed at low-income families, and two were family-based interventions targeting normal-weight children of heavy parents.
Summerbell notes that a number of larger, more rigorous studies are currently underway, many funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
Childhood obesity has become an international health priority, as fatty diets and sedentary lifestyles spread across the globe.
Severely overweight children suffer a variety of physical and social ills, and they face increased risk of many health problems throughout life even if they grow up to be normal-weight adults.
Obesity prevention is "a very complex issue that requires attention to all sorts of variables," observes Sylvia Moore, director of the Division of Medical Education and Public Health at the University of Wyoming.
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