Posted on 04/28/2006 9:35:47 AM PDT by freemarket_kenshepherd
“How young is too young to start worrying about your child’s weight?” ABC’s Elizabeth Vargas asked, teasing a story by Lisa Stark about the World Health Organization’s new measurements for body mass index (BMI) on the April 27 “World News Tonight.”
“Under the new guidelines for the first time,” Stark announced, “the body mass index will be used for American children under two.”
Stark’s report, however, ended up a surprising departure from the media’s usual scaremongering.
“I don’t think that this is another one of the millions of things that Americans need to obsess about,” said Bill Gallagher, the father of a 15-month old boy. “Yeah,” added mother Anne Favret, “as long as children seem to be healthy and growing well, I think most pediatricians will tell you they’re fine.”
While Stark reported that “doctors insist” that “it’s never too early for keeping track” of a baby’s BMI, she also included some advice from Dr. Christopher Bolling of the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, who cautioned parents not to overreact by putting their toddlers on a restrictive diet.
(Excerpt) Read more at freemarketproject.org ...
I just heard from a teen that next year the local high school will be taking % of fat measurements of all students and posting this information on quarterly report cards.
What's missing here is what should be done... If your child is overweight, he or she probably needs to get more exercise. And you as the parent probably do too. So get outside and play a game of tag.
Yeah it's disheartening to see the low-fat mentality go crazy. Fats are nutritious. Fats help you lose weight. It's just a matter of eating real, nutritious food and participating in activity.
Video games, TV and pizza will make you fat.
I happened to see this report and was surprised it was well balanced and seemed to downplay this "crisis" of obesity some experts talk about.
How do you determine it for a TODDLER????
I mean other than the blatantly obvious 2 year old that weighs 80 lbs....
I mean kids tend to have a lot of fat anyway at these ages, and a pudgy toddler does not equate to a fat child or adult.
My nephew was an insane chunk as a toddler, now at 10 He's lucky if he weighs 60lbs sopping wet.
I don't see how you can use standardized BMI in this age range in any meaningful way... other than the morbidly obese. Kids at this age must consume fat, and large amounts to help their brains and other areas develop properly.. IE Whole Fat Milk up until 2 years old, etc etc etc..
The rules change once they are past this stage, but as toddlers/infants, I don't see how you can effectively set meaningful standards in all but the most extreme cases.
I assure you, doing this will cause much more damage than potentially realized as ignorant parents will try to adhere to this nonsense and feed - or NOT FEED - their child properly because they THINK they are too fat. This is insane.
Absolutley, when I was 15 my dad sat me down and said, "son, you're getting a gut and your're only 15". He told me to try out for a team or get out there and lose some weight. He was right and I'm glad I did. I'm in better shape at 34 than I was then.
But children are supposed to be a little on the chubby side. Two years of age is far too early to be giving them a complex.
they need government funding to extend their research. you think they care about children?
dude... uncool man ;)
There are some people who would go too far in the quest to limit the weight of their children. It's OK to limit junk food, but children under 2 are not supposed to be drinking low-fat milk.
Agreed. Problem is, the later in life you start exercising, the harder it is to get into the habit. Take it from someone who did not exercise much when I was younger... You should really thank your dad.
I have a 3 yr. old, and I believe most toddlers who are chunky are born that way. It’s a combination of personality and physical traits.
I can barely keep my child still for 10 minutes to sit down and eat, how anyone with that kind of energy can be fat is beyond my comprehension.
Most 2 year olds don't overeat. The ones who are fat don't move enough.
Gee... where was ABC when a girl was being beaten by her father as they videotaped????
hedge against famine PING!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.