Growing Healthy Futures: Why Childhood Obesity Awareness Matters More Than Ever

September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. It’s a time to learn more about childhood obesity and find ways to help children live healthier lives. Every child deserves the chance to grow healthy and thrive, but for many families, achieving a healthy future can be hard.

Childhood obesity is a complex, chronic disease. Many factors can play a role, including genetics, family routines, access to healthy food, and the places where they live, learn, and play.

More than one in three children in Louisiana have overweight or obesity.

Researchers at Pennington Biomedical Research Center are working to better understand how to prevent and treat childhood obesity. Through Greaux Healthy, we’re helping put the research into action by sharing evidence-based tools and resources with families, educators, healthcare providers, and communities across Louisiana.

Childhood Obesity Is About Health, Not Appearance

Talking about a child’s weight can be uncomfortable. Childhood obesity is not about how a child looks or the number on a scale. It’s about supporting the child’s overall health to reduce their risk for health problems in the future. Children with obesity may have a higher risk of health problems, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, fatty liver disease, and sleep problems.

Seeing obesity as a chronic disease can help move the conversation away from shame and blame. It can also help families find support and treatment sooner.

Healthy Habits for Kids Start with Small Changes

No single habit determines a child’s health. Healthy growth can be supported by everyday habits like:

• Eating a variety of healthy nutritious foods
• Choosing water more often  
• Being active
• Getting enough sleep
• Setting healthy screen-time limits
• Spending time together as a family

Families don’t need to change everything at once. Replace one sugary drink each day with water. Take a walk together after dinner. Add a fruit or vegetable to a meal or move bedtime a little earlier. Small changes can become healthy family routines when you practice them often.

Healthy environments matter, too. Parents don’t have to support their children’s health alone. School, healthcare providers, communities, and organizations all have an important role in creating spaces that make healthier choices easier for children and families.

When Healthy Habits Aren’t Enough, Treatment Can Help

Healthy routines are important for every child, but childhood obesity is not simply caused by eating too much or not exercising enough. Some children with obesity may need evidence-based treatment and getting help early can support better health. New research involving Pennington Biomedical researchers shows that treatment can work in a place families already know and trust: their healthcare provider’s office.

Amanda Staiano, PhD, Director of the Pediatric Obesity and Health Behavior Laboratory at Pennington Biomedical, was one of the investigators for the TEAM UP clinical trial. The trial included more than 700 children with obesity across 4 states, including Louisiana. It looked at whether including family-based behavioral treatment in a primary care setting would lead to better outcomes for reducing childhood obesity than enhanced care alone.

The results were encouraging. Children who participated in family-based treatment achieved weight and quality of life improvements that were sustained several months after the trial ended.¹ The findings show that families may be able to access effective, evidence-based childhood obesity treatment through the primary care settings they already use for their child's healthcare.

Evidence-based treatment can include family-based intensive health behavior and lifestyle treatment. For some adolescents, medications or metabolic and bariatric surgery may also be appropriate.²

For more information about the study results, you can listen to Dr. Staiano featured on the Conversations about Care Podcast.

The right treatment is different for every child. Families should work with a healthcare provider to choose a plan that’s best for their child’s age, health, needs, and family situation.

Turn Childhood Obesity Awareness into Action

National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month reminds us that healthier futures for Louisiana children take all of us.

For more than 35 years, researchers at Pennington Biomedical have studied obesity, nutrition, physical activity, metabolism, and the factors that affect health. That work includes research focused on preventing and treating childhood obesity. Research can have the greatest impact when it reaches the people who can put it into practice. That’s where Greaux Healthy comes in.

Powered by Pennington Biomedical Research Center in partnership with the State of Louisiana, Greaux Healthy turns research into action through evidence-based tools, resources, and programs that support healthier children and families across Louisiana.

We all have a role to play:

• Families can start with one small, healthy shift at home.
  Educators can help make healthy choices part of a child’s school day.
  Healthcare providers can identify obesity early and connect families with compassionate, evidence-based treatment.
• Communities and organizations can help bring proven programs and resources to more Louisiana families.

Together, we can help more Louisiana children grow healthy today and build healthier futures for tomorrow.