It’s More Than Baby Fat

Parents need not worry about that round tummy on their infant. Many healthy babies have extra fat as a normal part of their evolutionary survival kit. But it’s a different story when children enter their toddler years, and parents do need to start trying at that point to prevent lifelong obesity in their children.

Fourteen percent of children ages 6 to 11 are overweight, a 6% increase since 1980. New pediatric growth charts issued by federal officials last week should help parents spot weight problems before they get out of control. The charts revise the body mass index, a ratio of height to weight, to take into account a child’s age.

Federal officials should be doing more than issuing revised growth charts, however, to help Americans rein in an average daily caloric intake that has soared from 1,826 in 1977 to 2,002 in 1996. Public health researchers disagree about causes, but all acknowledge that part of the problem is more fast food and junk food, a situation driven by the $33 billion the food industry spends annually on advertising, trade shows and other promotions.

In a recent review of federal nutrition programs since 1980, Marion Nestle, a New York University nutrition professor, and Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, suggest specific steps like requiring fast food chains to provide calorie and fat content on menus or menu boards. Schools should ensure that physical education programs get enough status and funding and that cafeterias prepare healthful, attractive food that kids actually want to eat.

There may be nothing as effective as parental oversight of a child’s diet and exercise, but government and schools should take care not to make the job harder than it already is.