Don't Put Your Baby on a Diet
One of the most frustrating aspects of reviewing research studies that at the end of them, when the data is reported--either in journals or the media--one has to wonder, "What is a person supposed to do with this data?"
Here is one more study where this is obviously true: as reported in the Chicago Tribune, rapid infant weight gain is linked to childhood obesity. This study published in the recent issue of the journal Pediatrics says that packing on the ounces (and the pounds) in the first six months of life increases the chances the child will be overweight at age 3, much more than other factors such as birth weight, parents weight, or how much the mother gained during the pregnancy.
While this is incredibly interesting information to learn, the real question I have to ask is: so what? Are new parents supposed to sit around and wonder about every ounce their newborn gains in the first six months? And what is the acceptable range of weight gain for infants, anyway?
Studies like these drive me crazy because they really only serve to create a group of worried parents who will do ridiculous things like put their babies on "string bean baby food" or "vegetarian only" baby food diets to prevent them from being obese later in life. While the author says in the Trib article, "parents should not put their chunky babies on diets", some parents will not be able to resist worrying about and changing the diet of their son or daughter if they happen to look like the Michelin baby.
Don't get me wrong, learning about the roots of childhood and adulthood obesity is important. But scaring parents that their rapidly growing babies are going to shortly become obese is not the goal of research. Nor was it the goal of this research. However, the unintended consequences of the way research can be reported in the media and how it can be relayed by researchers can be just as important as how the research is conducted in the field or in the laboratory.
Summer Johnson, PhD
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It seems to me that is is not so much of an issue of what to "do" with the research, but how to influence the dissemination of the findings. We have results from relatively basic research being reported by ill-informed reporters who have no idea of the significance of the data. Just yesterday, my local paper had a front page article with a large headline reading, "Hot beverages may increase throat cancer risk." Who knows where this research will lead? What we do know is that it is not something that should immediately alter our behavior--to cause us to put babies on diets or lead us to limit our coffee and tea intake; these are each but one piece of thousand-piece puzzles. One thing we might begin doing is writing and reporting on the misrepresentation and potential misapplication of the actual findings. Perhaps a bit of education about research itself.
- by Steve on Mar 30, 2009 at 9:50 AM | link
Sometimes I wonder if there is a point in reporting studies like these to the general public. At least it's science reporting, I suppose. Thanks for bringing up the problem. I do have to quibble about your use of vegetarian diets as an example of ridiculous legnths. Children brought up on a balanced plant based diet, including a reasonable amount of eggs and dairy, do very well.
- by Anastasia on Mar 31, 2009 at 1:47 AM | link
The topic of Diet against obesity, in both kids and adults, is often in the discussions, but it shouldn't be topic to anyone that more people than ever are overweight. Among adults in the United States, two-thirds are overweight, and 30.5 percent are obese.
A little more surprising is that, although being overweight has been increasing in kids too, only 15.3 percent of 6- 11-year-old children and 15.5 percent of 12- 19-year-old adolescents were overweight in 2000. Although 15 percent is a lot, at least it isn't as high as the two-thirds of adults who are overweight. Hopefully that means that some intervention can be made so that more of these kids don't become overweight adults, and that is the goal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy statement, Prevention of Pediatric Overweight and Obesity.
While it may seem like this policy statement doesn't go far enough in helping pediatricians or parents in preventing obesity, just getting more people thinking about the problem is a very important first step in getting kids to a more healthy weight.
What can you do as a parent to ignore putting baby on a diet?
* schedule an appointment with your pediatrician if you think your child is becoming overweight
* ask about your child's bmi and whether he or she is overweight or at risk of becoming overweight at your child's yearly well child exams
* encourage your child (and the whole family) to have healthy eating habits and regular physical activity
Regards
Weight Loss
- by John Deo on Jul 29, 2010 at 9:10 AM | link