Have you ever received the e-mail with a list of reminders of what it was like to be a kid back in the 1980’s? It’s a funny e-mail! Here are a few highlights:

We ate pastries, white bread and real butter and drank soft drinks with sugar in it, but we weren’t overweight because…… 

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!

We would spend hours repairing our out-dated bicycle and scooter out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes.  After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem. 

We did not have PlayStation, Nintendo, XBox, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms……..! 

WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. 

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

Obviously times have changed but there are a few things to take from that e-mail. Most pointedly is that kids back then were generally more active than they are today.  Kids today are still eating the pastries, white bread, butter and soda, but they are also more sedentary, which is why childhood obesity is a growing concern in our country.  Take a look at these obesity statistics and facts:

• Nearly one-third of children and adolescents in the United States are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). 
• Nearly half of the children in North and South America will be overweight by 2010. (International Journal of Pediatric Obesity).
• Childhood obesity is one of the most critical public health problems today and threatens to reverse the last half century’s gains in reducing cardiovascular disease and death. (American Heart Association, 2005) 
• Children who are overweight are at greater risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as stigmatization and poor self-esteem. (National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion) 
• Fast food consumption has increased fivefold among children since 1970. (Pediatrics Magazine, 2004)

To reverse these trends, we need to reduce sedentary time, remove calorie rich temptations and encourage healthy eating habits.  Don’t assume that children will grow out of it because many do not.  Further, excess weight on a child can affect how he or she grows and develops, and that can have long-term repercussions. 

The important thing is to encourage children to lead a healthy lifestyle that includes good eating habits and plenty of activity.  Have fun with it!  This is the perfect excuse for parents to act like children and play Kick the Can or Capture the Flag outside!  WebMD has a great list of activities for children based on age groupings.

For information and ways to help children lead healthy lifestyles, check out these websites.

Healthy Kids Challenge

National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's “We Can!”

School Nutrition Association

Junior Leagues’ Kids in the Kitchen

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