Emphasis: Exercise
OTs Help Overweight Children Engage in Healthful Activities
By Linda Childers
Monday April 13, 2009
Childhood obesity is on the rise, and occupational therapists are among the many medical professionals seeing an increase in pediatric patients who are overweight and have health complications such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and asthma as a result of carrying excess pounds.Recent research conducted in the Dominican University OT graduate program in San Rafael, Calif., investigated the relationship between obesity and activity patterns among fourth- through sixth-graders.“We gave journals to a group of 17 students and asked them to record their activity levels in three different areas: sedentary, moderate, and vigorous,” says Stacy Frauwirth, MS, OTR/L, assistant professor in Dominican University’s department of occupational therapy. “One of the trends we noticed was that children of a healthy weight enjoyed a more diverse group of moderate activities than their peers who were overweight.”The research found that children of a healthy weight spend more time doing activities and less time being sedentary, findings that reiterate previous research showing that lack of exercise is the main contributor to obesity in children.The Value of Play
A study conducted by researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, and San Diego State University, published in the April 2004 Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, found it may be more important to emphasize how much energy a child is expending each day rather than calorie intake. According to the study, the percentage of calories consumed from fat did not differ significantly between children of healthy weight and those who were overweight.Because play is the No. 1 occupation for children, Frauwirth sees the field of pediatric obesity as an emerging practice area for OTs.“It can be a huge jump for a child to go from a sedentary lifestyle to vigorous exercise, and it may seem daunting,” Frauwirth says. “OTs can help children and their parents make changes to their lifestyle and increase their activity levels.”Although vigorous exercise tends to encompass organized sports, moderate exercise can include playing with friends after school or even taking a walk. If cost is a deterrent to a child taking part in extracurricular activities, an OT can help identify free or low-cost ways to get a child using a jump rope, an outdoor basketball net, a tetherball, and more.At Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif., Anne Sinha, OTR/L, MOT, says young patients often feel that heavy homework loads cut into their after-school time.“I encourage all children, especially those with weight issues, to carve out what I call ‘anything time’,” she says. “This is time to take a walk, do a craft, or pursue an activity they enjoy.”Sinha also teaches coping strategies by identifying stress triggers and teaching children how to handle issues such as boredom, stress, sadness, and loneliness in ways that don’t involve food.“We don’t use the term overweight when we’re counseling kids,” she says. “Instead, we emphasize having a healthy lifestyle. It’s so easy to get out of balance in today’s society.”Sinha recommends that OTs work with a child’s family to encourage sitting down to dinners as often as possible as a family, taking walks together, and even joining a family gym such as the YMCA.“Our job as OTs is to help parents become more aware of how they can help their child lead a healthy and active lifestyle.” she says.Resource
Patrick K, Norman G, Calfas, K, et al. Diet, physical activity, and sedentary behaviors as risk factors for overweight in adolescence. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2004;158(4):385-390.
Linda Childers is a medical writer for the Gannett Healthcare Group.
To comment, e-mail oteditor@gannetthg.com.
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