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behaviors and any “food sneaking and/ or hiding behaviors.” The physician may also assess the family’s mental health and social history, Taylor adds. A treatment plan Taylor says treatment plans provide a road map for making changes (see “What to ask the doctor”). Behavioral changes and developing healthy habits are as important as diet. “Treatment plans are more than the number on the scale, and include strategies for improving day-to-day functioning,” she says. An effective treatment need not be complex. “Several simple changes incorporated over time will help most families,” Taylor says. These changes Body mass index The words “overweight” and “obese” depend on the body mass index (BMI), a percentile growth curve that measures weight over height squared for Get involved Ask your doctor for help with specific goals and behaviors. “Eat less and exercise more is not a specific plan,” Taylor says. “If your child ‘hates vegetables,’ a goal can be trying two new vegetables per week for four weeks or trying one new vegetable three different ways in the next two weeks. New habits take several months to develop, but reassessing progress every few weeks builds momentum.” Prout suggests parents examine the child’s social environments to see if there are areas in eating, exercise, screen time or sleep that can be modified. Work on developing a regular sleep schedule for your child without screens, and make time for daily active play for younger children and weekly exercise as a family. “Obesity management is a marathon,” Taylor cautions. “It can take months to establish new habits. Focus on building healthy habits that can be maintained and praise those efforts.” © RUSLANA / STOCK.ADOBE.COM It’s important to get your child to a doctor, who can evaluate what steps to take, whether dietary, physical or even psychological. © KLEBERPICUI / STOCK.ADOBE.COM may include limiting calorie-containing beverages, limiting the second or third helping of food to vegetables only or getting more physical activity. “A treatment plan driven by the family with small, specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely goals is critical,” Prout adds. If you, your child and the rest of the family drive the goals, everyone is more likely to stay motivated. W H AT T O A S K THE DOC TOR Ask your doctor these questions to lay the groundwork for a plan: Support. How can I support my child and be a better role model of health? How can our family support the changes? Medical concerns. Is my child experiencing medical or mental health problems that may be weight related? Do we need any additional screening tests? Treatment plan. How do we start? Do we need to see other specialists? How often should we follow up with you? Treatment goals. Should my still-growing child be gaining, maintaining or losing weight?—DLM Debbie L. Miller is a health writer in Brooklyn, New York. the child’s age and sex. A BMI between the 5th and the 85th percentile is considered healthy; greater than the 85th but less than the 95th percentile is overweight; and the 95th percentile or greater is considered obese. Experts caution that it’s important to rephrase how we describe weight so people feel respected rather than criticized or judged. For this reason, they suggest saying, “a child with obesity” rather than “an obese child.”—DLM JANUARY 2022 Costco Connection 55 USp54_55_SS_FYH_ChildhoodObesity_DS.indd 55 12/10/21 10:00 AM

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