Dietitian
recommends giving healthy message to family
This week's National Nutrition Month article features an interview with
one of MUSC’s dietitians, Amanda Bailey.
Bailey received a bachelor's degree in nutrition and food science from
Georgia Southern University. She completed her dietetic internship in Augusta,
Ga., at the Augusta Area Dietetic Internship. She has been employed at
MUSC as the pediatric endocrine dietitian for more than two years. During
that time period she received the “Young Dietitian of the Year Award.”
What, in your experience counseling families
with overweight/obese youngsters are the largest contributing factors to
childhood obesity in our region?
The biggest contribution to obesity that I see from patients and families
in our area is a large intake of sugared beverages, a lot of high cal/high
fat snacking and an overall very inactive lifestyle.
If you could make one nutrition recommendation
that you were sure every family would follow, what would you recommend
to reduce incidence of childhood obesity?
If I could only get families to follow one recommendation my first
choice would be to limit the use of sugared beverages that include sodas,
sport drinks, and sweetened juices. Families could greatly benefit from
replacing these high calorie drinks with items like water, sugar-free liquids
and skim milk.
What advice do you have for health professionals,
other than “refer them to a registered dietitian,” who want families they
see to have some nutrition education regarding childhood obesity?
My advice to health professionals is to give healthy messages to the
whole family. We can’t ask that only our children eat healthier and become
more active. I would advise health professionals to drive home the mportance
of the entire family's involvment. It’s also important to remind families
that it does not all have to be accomplished today. Start with a
goal of one change every six months. It can be as simple as reducing fast
food from once a week to once every two weeks.
Do you have any suggestions for professionals
who are concerned that weight control counseling may spark eating disorders
in some children?
Obese children unfortunately are one of the populations who often have
low self-esteem and suffer from depression. Low self-esteem only
fuels the desire for an unhealthy lifestyle and sedentary activity. So
when addressing issues such as nutrition and exercise it is crucial to
always be supportive, caring, and uplifting to the child. We should focus
on eating “healthier,” which for children does not mean telling them no
chips because they are bad, but rather encouraging healthier choices like
low fat chips and even throwing in a fruit or two. We can help our children
be healthier without causing an eating disorder by continuing to support
them and making them feel good about themselves, the same way adults can
accomplish so much more when they are supported and loved.
Any other thoughts on childhood obesity?
Obesity is frustrating from the standpoint of the patient and the health
care provider. I would like for families and health care professionals
to take an active role in fighting childhood obesity. Many of us think
children will just “grow out of it.” But the facts are that 80 percent
of obese children become obese adults, which means they can expect higher
risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some cancers. We all know
how hard dieting and exercise is, so why not help our children grow up
with healthier habits. It is important for us, as health care providers,
to educate those families, provide them with support, and help them meet
their goals with success.
For more information on National Nutrition Month, visit its Web site
at http://www.eatright.org.
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