It’s an alarming statistic: one in every three children in the U.S. is obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). What is even more concerning is that research shows obese adolescents are more likely to remain obese in adulthood. With this increase in weight comes many risk factors, such as prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, as well as high blood pressure and cholesterol – conditions previously known to affect older adults.

“Obesity takes a tremendous toll on the body affecting physical, mental and emotional health,” says Mary C. Friesz, PhD, RDN, CDCES, registered dietitian nutritionist and certified diabetes care and education specialist at Summit Health. “First there is the physical toll of childhood obesity, both as a cause of illness during childhood and as the main controllable factor associated with heart disease and other comorbidities later in life. There are also the mental and emotional costs, which can be very debilitating.

Obesity is by far the largest risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes. Therefore, it is no coincidence that as obesity increases among our children, so does the number of kids suffering from type 2 diabetes.

The number of adolescents diagnosed with type 2 diabetes increased by 95% between 2001 and 2017, according to the CDC. Studies also suggest that new diagnoses of type 2 diabetes rose by 77% during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the previous two-year, pre-pandemic period.

Obesity and type 2 diabetes can have a significant impact on a child’s health. Children with obesity are more likely to experience:

• Respiratory problems like asthma
• Orthopedic issues that affect the back and knees
• Heart disease
• Higher rates of cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure

Many children with type 2 diabetes are also malnourished. Even though they may be eating a high-calorie diet, their bodies cannot properly use the nutrients if their blood sugar is uncontrolled.

“As health care professionals, we need to provide practical strategies to parents and those who care for young people to help create healthy lifestyle behaviors for generations to come and lower rates of childhood obesity in this country,” she explains. “Fostering these strategies to combat childhood obesity promotes long-term health, reduces the risks of chronic diseases, and creates healthy habits that can last a lifetime.”

Here are 10 tips from her new book Food, Fun n’ Fitness: Designing Healthy Lifestyles for Today’s Youth.

1. Look at yourself first. Consider your attitudes toward food and weight and identify the ones that may be feeding into the child’s obesity.
2. Never make an issue of a child’s weight. Never refer to a child as chubby, husky or fat—not even jokingly.
3. Realize a child’s body is not yours. Everybody’s shape is different, and some kids are naturally bigger than others. Do not compare a child to other kids or siblings.
4. Never single out an overweight or obese child for special treatment. Don’t make them eat different meals from the rest of the family or allow different snacks for “normal weight” children.
5. Identify what cues entice your kids to eat when they’re not hungry. Eliminate those cues and substitute other things for food such as singing a song or encouraging them to write about their feelings.
6. Make a point of keeping very few, if any, highly processed snack foods around. Keep healthy tasty snacks including nuts and fresh fruit on hand. 
7. Limit “treats” to one a day. Do not make “treats” like candy or chips a completely forbidden pleasure but also avoid using them as a reward. Find non-food rewards, like a trip to the park or the zoo.
8. Find out if it’s hunger or thirst. Lots of kids don’t know how to tell the difference between hunger and thirst—they feel an urge for something and immediately think of a snack.
9. Step up the activity. If your child tends to hang around the house on screens, start setting some limits. If the neighborhood isn’t one in which you feel safe letting the kids run around, check the community for alternatives, such as a local park or ball field.
10. Never put a child on a diet. Not only are diets generally ineffective with kids, but they can also create health problems. Help them grow into their weight by teaching healthier lifestyle behaviors, proper nutrition and a good daily dose of physical activity.

Summit Health can help.

Regular checkups with your pediatrician are the foundation for a lifetime of health and wellness. When needed, our physicians can also refer you to the Pediatric Endocrinology team at Summit Health who specialize in diabetes care and management.