Family Obesity

So...

Two weeks ago I was involved in a conference that our office hosted on family obesity. Seven leading scholars came from prestigious eastern universities to join with five of our faculty to discuss the social implications of obesity on family life. It was fascinating! My capable assistant Bryan and I were in charge of making the conference happen under the direction of the conference committee. We picked up the visitors from the airport (yes, we were the dorky ones standing there with the name signs) and drove them to Sundance resort, the location of the three day conference. The weather couldn't have been better. In addition to the meetings, we took our guests on a short hike along the trail to Timp and they thoroughly enjoyed the location for the conference. Six of the seven had never been to Utah before and they were stunned by the beauty of the place and the setting of our campus. I realized once again how much we take for granted living in this beautiful location. We had our wrap up session in the new Hinckley building and it was a great place to conclude the conference. It was interesting to answer the questions of our guests about the state, the valley, the university and our religion.

Each of the 12 presenters took some time to present their research on the topic of family obesity. I now know more about the reasons behind the obesity epidemic that I ever thought possible. Twelve different perspectives on various topics were presented by professors in social work, economics, sociology, psychology, public policy, dietetics, marriage, family and human development, human movement sciences, marriage and family therapy and family medical and community health. They pretty much left no stone unturned. Bryan and I took notes on their presentation on a lap top and we also recorded the sessions with a camcorder. They will reassemble next year and share their research with the campus community and eventually they will publish their findings. The goal is to raise awareness of the social implications of obesity and to try make a difference in the fight against this epedimic.

It would be impossible to share all I learned, but I want to share a few interesting points from off the top of my head:

• the American culture has been hit by an obesity epidemic in the last 30-35 years...basically in one generation
• the long term health implications are staggering
• the causes are many but basically boil down to a couple of things - we're not moving enough and we're eating the wrong food
• BMI - body mass index is a fairly good measure of fitness, but not the only measure that should be considered
• obesity rates among children are skyrocketing. Even many infants are overweight. These trends have huge implications for future generations and for the medical services needed now and in the future.
• Obesity causes a range of health problems, most notably Type 2 diabetes, coronary problems, asthma and breathing problems and many social problems
• Obesity causes a loss of self esteem and causes feelings of self loathing
• Overweight people are often treated with disdain by others and are thought to have little if any self control
• Glossy magazines do more harm than good and present an inaccurate image of what the human body should look like
• our culture puts too much emphasis on looks and appearance and perfect body proportions which can't be achieved by the vast majority of the population
• Obesity is caused by environmental factors, inactivity, personal choices and by genetics
• Two of the main culprits in causing this epidemic are too much screen time (which includes TV, computers and the Internet, video gaming, texting, cell phones) while sitting around and not getting outdoors to exercise, work, play and just move. The second culprit is that we have changed the way we eat. It's all about fast and convenient now.
• fewer and fewer families eat dinner together. (this topic was mentioned repeatedly by many of the presenters.) With more women working out of the home, families are turning to fast food and frozen food to feed their families. They don't have time or knowledge on how to cook a meal from scratch anymore.
• the family dinner hour is very important for a myriad of reasons, not the least of which is simply serving the family healthy foods and watching what and how much is consumed by individual members
• families in the inner city don't have easy access to grocery stores. They buy their food from convenience stores and fast food establishments.
• it's cheaper to eat healthy foods than to eat convenience, pre-packaged and fast foods
• obese people become more isolated as they age. They generally don't like to go out and it is harder for them to literally fit into chairs, movie theater seats and such. So they stay home and watch TV and eat to comfort themselves.
• Who is going to take care of obese parents when quite often obese children in the same family have their own health issues to deal with?
• Obese people live shorter, poorer quality lives
• large girls will often sell themselves short on their goals for life and the future because of poor self image. They do not think they can control anything in their lives, so they settle for less because they think that is all they deserve.
• most people give up too early on trying to lose weight. Being successful takes time and dedication and a complete change of eating habits for life.
• some girls and women will resort to drastic measures to get to the ideal size for important occasions in their lives such as prom, quinceanos, weddings and graduations ceremonies. They will often resort to extreme measures to lose weight and then become dependent on those measure to continue to look acceptable.
• Too much emphasis on eating quantities (either small or large) can lead to eating disorders. Sometimes children with obese parents get caught in eating disorders because they don't want to end up like their parents.

The list could go on and on, but I think you get the idea.

The goal should be to find your individual best weight with the help of a professional (doctor if necessary) and then to come up with a program to maintain that healthy weight. Some ideas to consider:

• turn off the TV and get moving by walking at least a half hour a day. Limit screen time and replace it with other activities that will promote movement and exercise. (I totally agree with this important step because I am NOT a fan of TV...but that's a topic for another day.)
• shop around the edges of the grocery store, purchasing the real food items like dairy, meat, bread, fresh fruits and vegetables. Avoid as much packaged food as possible.
• establish a family dinner hour. (I have a testimony of this one :) Serve real food and enlist the help of all family members to prepare, serve and clean up the meal. This time fosters good communication and bonding time for the family. The statistics of children who avoid drugs and other anti-social behavior is HUGE - all based on who has a family dinner hour and who doesn't.
• if your family has bad eating habits, work on a plan to change those habits as a family.
• introduce new food into the family menus and keep trying to eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables
• introduce children to participating in sports teams. Be careful not to overwhelm the family schedule with these activities, but get the kids moving and find something that they love to do
• find a life sport that you enjoy and can do for the rest of your life. Enlist friends and family members to join you. Group activities are so much more fun than an individual fitness program. You're much more likely to achieve success with exercise if you have a buddy.
• Drink water. Lose the soda. All the additives in soda are causing people to get fat, especially the diet types. Ironic but true.
• Women generally buy the food, so they need some education on what to buy, how to store it and how to prepare it. Education is key to successfully feeding a family a healthy diet, but everyone should be responsible to learn and follow healthy eating practices.
• Teach children healthy eating habits from early in life. It's a lot easier to prevent weight gain than to initiate and sustain weight loss.
• Consider quality of life issues as an overweight person and a normal weight person. You'll still be living, but under what circumstances and restraints? Which type of life do you want for yourself and your family?
• We have to MOVE and we have to BE CONSCIENCE of every bite we consume, especially as we age. Portion control become a must as weight begins to accumulate.

Check out this video and this video on the BBC to illustrate the point.

And what did we eat at the conference? Lots of good healthy food! Sundance food is amazing.

What are your thoughts on this topic and what to you do to maintain a healthy lifestyle? How can we help each other?