I don't think it's that different. Part of it is probably an adult perspective (when you're a peer amongst them, it's more like some might have problems, but it just tends to feel like fewer). Another part is that stage lighting is not friendly to huamn forms or colours across the board. People can look a lot heavier on stage than they do up close and personal in real life.

When there are problems with weight, they are very personal and individual to the people who have them. Adolescents in particular are usually exquisitely sensitive about anything that may cause them to stick out in an unflattering way. This can keep them from participating in, or making any attempt to get help. People, even children can have problems which require medications which can cause weight gain. These kids will 'look' like kids who are just overweight or obese in a usual sense, but they can have serious underlying problems where the weight gain is an acceptable side effect. People can have lipodystrophies too, and those will produce symptoms which can look like 'overweight.'

It's a problematic issue because parents often feel like they can or 'should' be able to solve all their children's problems without outside help. Many maybe have tried a lot of things. There are genetic and biological factors which can predispose people to having specific problems. It may be very difficult to go to a doctor, or a dietician and consult with them seriously. Any changes would likely include the whole family and not just the isolated individual who seems to have the problem. (That's another factor that stops some people, even very sincere parents.)

I don't know if the problem is more prevalent or if it just gets more attention lately. People still feel the 'stigma' probably of seeking health advice and diet advice from professionals in those fields. It's a health issue, and should be treated like other health issues.

I dont think it is different at all. I know of few heavy kids is my step sons school or my bosses daughters school, baseball, friends etc... I think it is about the same as my school as a kid. Adults are a different story though, I think they are more overweight than as a child, me in
between thin and fat, chunky I call me.

I'll agree that some kids may have underlying conditions or
are on medications that may cause weight gain, but I disagree that 1/3 of them do. As far as perceptions, I looked through my old class photos and yearbooks and while there were certainly a few kids who were fat, there definitely were not as may as at DD's school. And I am not lumping all kids into one here - the 1/3 of the kids I am talking about were flat out obese - not chubby, not big boned, not hefty - quite a few of them were pushing 200+ pounds.

I agree with both of you...that while there are some genetic factors involved, generally speaking things like nintendo and other video games do nothing to keep a kid healthy. Some parents leave their kids in front of the TV all day as a babysitter instead of insisting that they get exercise. The rise in convenience foods also presents a problem (I know, McDonald's has been around for a long time...but it seems that it's no longer popular to have a wholesome, sit-down meal at home any longer). Too many Fruit Roll Ups and other processed foods.

I agree with Phyllis completely. Parenting (parents? one of those Mags) just did an article about the rise in childhood obesity- most of it blamed on computers, nintendos, videos, and fast food. 40 years ago kids didn't veg in front of the tv and computer all day with chips to snack on and frozen pizza or mc donalds for dinner. Children were much more active, and thus, much more fit.

I'm watching the Maury show right now. It's about over weight children. They just had on a little girl that weighs nearly 200 pounds at age 4. And another little girl, 2, who weighs 75 pounds and a two year old boy who weighs 110 pounds. How sad. And it sounds like the parents just keep letting the kids eat and eat.
I agree with Phyllis and sedwa, but I also think lots of parents condition their children to over eat.

Hi.
I am in total agreement with Pam. "According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 35 percent of all American adults are overweight. And as Mom and Dad get fatter, so do the children. [One new study states that] about 8 percent of all preschool-age children are overweight, and nearly double that are overweight between age 6 and 11." I firmly believe that children today are fatter. Just think about it. Fast food, TV, video games, etc. When we were children you would go out and play "Kick the Can", or ride your bikes for hours with your friends. Nowadays, most children can not find another playmate that is not in daycare. Recent trends in childhood obesity is constantly in the news. And, like Pam said, I would encourage activities that would keep them trim. Some parents are too busy to take an active role in keeping weight off their children, sad to say. It's often those parents that are overweight themselves.
Amy

When I was a little kid (1960s) I ate at McDonalds and watched TV alot. There weren't any video games, but the board games and electric football (anyone remember that?) I did play with weren't exactly physical workouts. I'm not fat. So it must be something else causing rampant obesity. (And yes, the percentage of obese children - and adults - has been on the rise of late, at least in the US). I did play sports, ride bikes, jog, and swim. Don't kids still do those things?

Lee - that's kind of what I was getting at - something else must be at work here causing kids to get fat - but what? Maybe portion size? I know they keep saying that our portions have grown much larger recently, so maybe that plays a role. Also, although I do see kids out exercising and rollerblading and biking and such, perhaps some kids aren't allowed out of the house to play much anymore? I know as kids we were much freer to go wherever we wanted - we were constantly roaming the neighborhood and hardly came inside except for lunch and dinner and the occasional popsicle or something, but we were outside A LOT, even in the cold weather.

Maybe too, it's a regional thing - out here in the Pacific Northwest the weather is pretty rainy during the winter. I grew up in New York and although the winters were cold, it didn't rain quite so much.

But anyway, there were way too many really fat kids out there. If mine were one of them, I would do everything within my power to help them become healthy.

Pam

i was surprised to hear some people say that they didn't think things had changed over the years. I am working on a symposium right now about childhood obesity and will have to come back as i find out more, but the surgeon general has recently stated their is definately a problem with child obesity, and they want to get fast food resturants to cut down on deals with large sizes, and for schools to start offering healthier choices. i think alot of the problem is that moms are working, and the kids come home and watch tv instead of being outside playing like we used to/ kids are taking buses or being driven to school because of fears where we used to walk- some school no longer have gym classes. other problems include all the processed foods that we use today- our bodies are not made to process those kinds of foods and so they digest rapidly causing problems too.when we were kids we spent almost all our free time outside, you just don't see that anymore.

My freind 32 has a 10 year old sister. At age three this beautiful little girl had won numerous beauty pagents. I thought this little girl will have it all going for her. Now at age 10 this little girl is 180 lbs. Her mother worked at Mcdonalds and Jack in the Box and that is what she brought her daughter home to eat everyday. I blame this one on the mother. My friend is just heart broken to see her little sister. The little girl says that the kids pick on her and call her names. She is a very bright girl. She is excellent in writing and has just recently won two essay contests. But yes I blame it on the fast food. We had fast food when we were little but it wasn't everyday.

I agree with Pat - portion size probably has a lot to do with it. I forget where I saw it, but something was published about the size of portions typical of American meals - it's ridiculous. That and the type of food. People like Lee may have been eating fast food but he/she (sorry, can't tell) said they were getting regular exercise, like swimming and jogging. To some kids, exercise is taking out the trash or getting the Nintendo down from the closet shelf.

ALTHOUGH, to lend some credit to the genetic aspect of this, I did see on TV about a little girl who did have a condition that just didn't allow her to feel full, so she would keep eating. It was somewhere in Great Britain, and her parents were going to have surgery done to correct the problem. It was very sad. Although this condition is probably very rare and makes up a minute portion of the population. A key is to probably look at the parents and see that they pass their bad eating habits on to their children. Or when kids spend time with other kids, like after school, they are allowed to eat whatever they want and their parents don't even know it.

Is this phenomena regional?

Except for one child in my neighborhood my sons friends are ALL thin. And I don't mean normal, but thin. My kids are all light. It could be that my sons love to play street hockey or football and the kids they know all love to do the same so there are few fat kids here. I do wonder though if climate has something to do with it. We live in a climate where kids can play outdoors all year round.

In addition, you can't blame everything that you don't like about the world on working parents. Working parents are not the root of all evil. What else did working parents cause? The 9/11 disaster? The recession? The Enron bankruptcy? Come on. Let's not blame all the bad things in the world on working parents.

Mommabear

i wasn't nocking wrking parents-i am one myself but think about it- we don't have time like our moms did to make a good balanced meal everynight- we buy convenience foods- eat out alot more- etc. kids love fast foods,pizza etc...and will eat alot of it- when moms were serving pork chops and peas for supper the kids ate alot less because it didn't thrill them, another thing is soda pop-most kids nowdays drink it all day- at 160 calories a can, the calories can add up fast- my nieces and nephews drink nothing but pop- no water- no juice etc.- when i was a kid pop was a treat not an every day thing. even just 2 cans a day at 320 cals at 7 days a week is almost 1/2 pound a week of weight gain

Knocking working parents seems to be a favorite pastime in America (not just this board). It is my pet peeve. It makes me cringe every time I hear that whatever the problem of the day is you know it was caused by working parents. I AM a little touchy about it. Sorry.

My kids eat a balanced meal most days and I work. I assume most parents make sure thier kids eat balanced meals whether they work or not. Maybe I am wrong. It's true that it's not always gourmet food at our house, but sandwiches, soups, and pasta are quick, easy and NOT high in fat.

Also-I don't know any parents who allow thier kids to drink 2 cans of soda a day. 2 cans a week is more like it.

Mommabear

I think two cans a day is modest, compared to what I've seen. Now they have soda machines in schools so who knows how many times they visit it during their school day?

Actually, two in one sitting is more like it...with the "Big Gulp" drinks you can get at restaurants, movie theaters, gas stations, etc. you can easily fit at least two cans or more worth of soda in one cup alone. Something to think about!

Pam, I have noticed that too. I am 5' 8" and heavy boned. When I was in high school (1980's), I was one of the tallest girls in school and a size 13, which is the correct weight for my height & build. I was looked upon by others as being ENORMOUS (but I wasn't) and didn't really date until college, despite my shining personality (LOL). Now, I drive past the high school, and not only are all the girls MUCH taller (I would be average sized now) but they are all realllllyyyy big girls. Plus sized girls. And they have boyfriends! Wahhhhhh...

debbie5

Mommabear, I'm glad to here that as a working mother, you spend time with your family and feed them healthy meals, but unfortunately, you are absolutely in the minority. I am a new mother in my late twenties and the daughter of baby-boomer parents. This may make you and others cringe, but I love criticizing baby-boomers, because you know what, it is the baby-boomers fault. They are the ones who insisted that their children have the TV's, the phones, the video games, the fast food. And yes, children today are absolutely fatter! But it is regional as someone mentioned. I grew up in WV which has one of the highest rates of adult and child obesity in the country. Why is that? Because it is a poor state and a lack of education. When your family is poor, what are you going to buy to feed them, the 99 cent bag of potato chips or the 3 dollar bag of apples that go bad in a week? Also, I now live in Chicago and I have noticed that family income also plays a role in child obesity here in the inner city, which unfortunately is also tied to ethnic group. One more thing for everyone to keep in mind, the population of this country has increased significantly since the 60's. There are alot more people running around here (or I guess sitting around) so there are more of them to become obese. Another thing is that schools, particularly high schools do not emphasize gym class. When I gew up in WV, you were not required to take a gym class past the ninth grade. Also during junior high, it was very easy to just say, "I don't feel good" and sit out of class.

Alot of kids might be playing team sports in their spare time, but if they are being rushed to and from practices and shoving a Big Mac down their throats in between, obviously the exercise they get doesn't combat the fat and sugar they eat.

I think it is more of the popularaity of the fast food places than it is working moms or kids vegging out in front of the TV. Kids today are involved in much more activities as compared to when I was a child. When parents have that much running around it is much easier to run through a drive thru or get pizza on the way home (stay at home or working mom) then it is to make a meal, get everyone to sit down, clean up and get out the door. I know because I have four kids and it's not that they are in too much by themselves but with 4 kids it makes for a busy week. I am a sahm but I still struggle with getting them from school, getting homework done, and getting them a nutritious dinner. When we get home in the evening that is when the dishes are cleaned off the table. It is so tempting to just run to McDonalds. Also, did you ever notice how many kids have lunchables packed in their lunches? Those things are packed with sodium, fat, calories, and tons of preservatives. Plus my kids' schools starting selling snacks (like nutty buddies and ho hos for lunch) I tell my kids "no you eat the snack that I pack and you are not getting a ho ho" But of course their friends get them (12 fat grams in the pack of 2) and share some of it with them from time to time. Can you imagine the amount of fat grams these kids are getting? Over 30 at lunch with their lunchable and their nutty buddies and then 30 more at dinner if they eat at a fast food place... not to mention any cookies they might snack on through the day? That amount of fat will make an adult gain weight. I hear that some schools actually have fast food like McDonalds available to them. So even if the kids were active in sports and activities they are getting too many fat grams to offset it :( Also I heard that kids today are getting too much juice. There are a lot of calories in juice and a lot of natural sugars. It is better for them to eat the fruit than it is to drink the fruit juice. I always have OJ but after 2 glasses of it they have to switch to water. My kids would drink a half gallon of OJ a day if I let them (each one of them) So kids are drinking a lot more calories than they use to as well.

Where I live there aren't too many over-weight kids. My oldest leans that way but I'm very careful what food comes into our house. You won't find cookies, chips or pop. My younger two are thin (my middle is downright skinny!) and very active.

Amy, I run into the same problem...other kids having tons of junk in their lunches and my kids envying them. They want to know why they can't have pudding or cookies or often chocolate bars and pop. I stick to my guns but I'm not naive enough to think their friends don't feel sorry for them and share their treats.

Debbie,

I had to laugh when I read your post because it was EXACTLY what I was thinking when I saw all those heavy kids at the concert -- you and I must have very similar body types - I'm about 1 inch shorter than you, but I remember being weighed in the 8th grade and the nurse would call out everyone's weight to a kid in the class who was recording it. The nurse called out "128 lbs." and I almost died from embarrassment, but today I think I would be considered perfectly average. And I didn't date much till I was a junior in high school because I always felt so "fat." Looking back now I was not fat at all - all those wasted years!

Pam

GretchenH:

I assure you that I am NOT in the minority. What experiences have you had that indicates that working mothers feed their kids any less healthy than non-working mothers?

Mommabear

Hush..hush! Y'all just calm down now! There are sweeping generalities and exceptions to every rule. I am a married, working mom: I hold down two jobs. My life is nuts. My kid eats GREAT. Are they always home cooked? no. Are they nutritious?? Yes. Does she drink lots of juice? No.She doesn't eat lots of chips, cookies or junk..hates soda. Fruit, veggies, applesauce, graham crackers and fig newtons rule in our house.
I have been a sahm & a working one...both have good points & bad points. But no: not all working moms are food cretins, just like not all sahms are "soccer moms". (sigh)

Debbie:

I am sorry if I offended you, but I will NOT stand by and let people blame all the evils in the world on working parents. So I guess I will NOT calm down. Sorry but I just can't I am tired of the self righteous nonsense about how working mothers are ruining the world.

Mommabear

Well, unfortunately, they don't blame it on working parents; they blame it on working mothers! Ladies, we need to support each other as mothers, whether working or not. Sorry - OT, I know.

If my kids were fat I would definately look for ways to change it. I would try to get them involved in sports and/or put lower calorie foods on the table.

Are kids today fatter than they when you were a kid?

I am afraid the answer is yes. I have seen it, and I have heard and read from experts that it is true.
Just think about it. Children 20-30 yrs ago and less use to go Out to play at home. They would entertain themselves by playing ball with friends, younger children would swing, long ago when it was safer riding bikes around the community. Just running and playing games outside was a normal way of Life. If it was a pretty day, (sunny) many times you were outdoors.

Fast forward to today where some children never go outdoors. There are video games (they didn't have those in the past) and of course there is the television (which is more inviting now with cable stations and videos you can watch). The computer which can be stimulating but can not take the place of needed physical activity.

Mother's years ago would have homemade meals made. Snacks were not readily heard of as much. You could always get an apple from the refrigerator, or sometimes you just might be lucky that mother had bought some oatmeal cookies, which was a treat, and something special. Potato chips were for parties or special occasions and not bought and eaten readily. French fries was a treat, and not brought in from the local fast-food place. Fried foods were served but also cooked vegetables too.

Not exercising, eating fatty or food with lots of sugar I think contributes to so many of the overweight children that are seen today. When growing up seeing an overweight child was something you just didn't see that often.