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Childhood Obesity
According to the CDC, childhood obesity is a serious problem in the United States, putting children and adolescents at risk for poor health. Dr. Nicole Conde, a Pediatrician with BayCare Medical Group, discusses the causes, symptoms and treatments for childhood obesity.
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Learn more about Nicole Conde, DO
Nicole Conde, DO
Dr. Nicole Conde is a board-certified pediatrician with BayCare Medical Group, serving Pasco County and sees patients from newborn to 18 years old. She completed her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. Dr. Conde then earned her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Suwanee, Georgia, followed by a pediatric residency at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. As a dedicated, passionate pediatrician, Dr. Conde knows the importance of a healthy childhood. She relays this message to all the families she treats. By educating patients and their families, she empowers them to make healthy decisions, maintain healthy lifestyles and strengthens their compliance with their treatment plans. Her cheerful nature, coupled with a genuinely caring attitude, make her patients feel at home. Dr. Conde is proactive, supportive, and believes in delivering appropriate care to each patient. She is certified in basic life support and pediatric advanced life support.Learn more about Nicole Conde, DO
Transcription:
Childhood Obesity
Intro: This is BayCare HealthChat, another podcast from BayCare Health System.
Caitlin Whyte: Welcome to BayCare HealthChat. I'm Caitlin Whyte. According to the CDC, childhood obesity is a serious problem in the United States, putting children and adolescents at risk for poor health. Dr. Nicole Conde is a pediatrician with BayCare Medical Group and joins us this episode to discuss the causes, symptoms and treatments for childhood obesity.
Now, doctor, it's an important topic that we're covering today. First, can you clarify what exactly is the definition of overweight and obesity?
Nicole Conde, DO: If we use some basic terms for being overweight or obese, it's a way to describe having too much body fat and we use the BMI or the body mass index to define that. And that takes a ratio of someone's height and weight to see where they are on the age chart and we call it their BMI percentile. So, for example, if you had a child that was at the 85th percentile, 85% of children would have a lower BMI than that child. And in the United States, we use the definition of overweight as a BMI greater than 85th to the 94th percentile and obese as greater than the 95th percentile.
Caitlin Whyte: So what would you say are some causes or some risk factors of obesity in children?
Nicole Conde, DO: I think the most common things that we're going to see in children are either too little activity, too many calories or a combination of both. But there could also be other factors that contribute to that. So even before a child is born, if there's a family history of obesity, if mom happened to have diabetes or smoked during pregnancy. Also, a lot of family stress can increase the risk of obesity. Genetic and hormonal conditions can do that, as well as medications.
Caitlin Whyte: So then on that same theme, what does diagnosis and evaluation of obesity and children look like?
Nicole Conde, DO: You’re going to go to the pediatrician and they're going to look at your growth charts and see your overall growth pattern, ask about your family history, eating habits and the activity level. And if we look at the chart and we see that BMI as being greater than that 85th percentile, you know, we're going to use that pretty much as the diagnosis of being overweight or obese. And then we may want to screen some things like a cholesterol test or a blood sugar test or even check your liver to make sure everything's healthy in that way.
Caitlin Whyte: Now, I'd also like to discuss complications of obesity in our children, both the physical and then the social and emotional aspects.
Nicole Conde, DO: Yeah. And so when we think about obesity, we're not just thinking about a number on a chart, right? We really want to think about what that means and what complications can come with that. And so some of the physical things would be type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure, and even things like joint pain due to the extra strain on certain areas of the body, like the hips, the knees, and the back. Another big one is snoring or what some people might call obstructive sleep apnea, as well as liver disease are things that we know we're concerned about. And then as far as the social and emotional, unfortunately, you know, children could get teased for their weight and then this could lead to self-esteem issues even depression and anxiety.
Caitlin Whyte: So then what can we do to prevent these issues and this weight gain from ever happening?
Nicole Conde, DO: So really, you know, just the main things are healthier choices and increased physical activity. So just small things even, like putting the fruits and the vegetables and the snacks that are lower calories like in a place it's readily available. So in the front of the refrigerator or on the countertop and keeping those higher calorie foods just out of reach and making sure that, you know, your children are eating three balanced meals a day, one to two snacks, really watching portion sizes, trying to avoid the second or third helping at each meal, and also not skipping meals. I think people think that if, "I skip a meal, that's better," but actually skipping meals can be associated with obesity as well. Cooking with your kids. Making the plate really colorful, because if there's more greens and yellows, that means there's more vegetables on that plate. And then getting 30 minutes to one hour of physical activity a day is super important. And sleep. Sleep, people don't think about that, but if children are not getting enough sleep, that can be an increased risk for obesity as well.
Caitlin Whyte: Absolutely. Now, doctor, weight gain is such a polarizing issue at really all age levels. So what would you suggest for treatment options when we're talking about childhood obesity?
Nicole Conde, DO: Yeah, sure. And we can break that up into kind of the overweight versus obesity categories. For overweight children over two, we're really just going to try to do a maintenance program, just try to get them to do healthy things, prioritize fruits and vegetables, whole grains, limit those sweetened beverages. Definitely avoid fast food. Lean protein, like chicken and turkey and fish are what we really want to see in addition to eggs, beans, nuts. And then also limiting the sweets, limiting snacks before bedtime and then really trying to get that physical activity 30 minutes to an hour and avoiding a lot of screen time. So definitely less than two hours a day would be our goal. And it's more of just, for that group, slowing the progress of the weight gain.
If we get into the obesity category for children six to eleven, we're going to want to do all those healthy eating habits and exercise changes. And we're looking for a gradual weight loss of no more than like one pound a month and, for adolescents, a max of two pounds a week.
Caitlin Whyte: Wonderful. Well, doctor, as we come to the end of our discussion, tell us about coping and support. What are some resources that parents and families can turn towards?
Nicole Conde, DO: Well, I think you should definitely use your pediatrician as a support system because, you know, it is our job to play a really important role in the prevention and treatment of it. And we're there to monitor their growth to, you know, guide you through those behaviors, provide education and that motivation. But also just doing it as a family. If you just start trying to change the behaviors in one individual, it's not going to be as helpful as if the whole family is trying to be healthier. And really avoiding negative comments about weight and just focusing on healthy eating and positive body images and praising your child's efforts, like even the smallest of changes. And then just, you know, reaching out to other parents who may be going through the same thing and asking how they kind of coped with that or were able to modify their children's behaviors.
Caitlin Whyte: Well, it's a difficult topic to talk about, doctor, but definitely important in these modern times. Thank you so much for joining us today.
To learn more about pediatric services at BayCare, visit BayCareKids.org. And please remember to subscribe, rate and review this podcast and all of the other BayCare podcasts. For more health tips and updates, follow us on your social channels. This has been another episode of BayCare HealthChat. I'm Caitlin Whyte. Stay well.
Childhood Obesity
Intro: This is BayCare HealthChat, another podcast from BayCare Health System.
Caitlin Whyte: Welcome to BayCare HealthChat. I'm Caitlin Whyte. According to the CDC, childhood obesity is a serious problem in the United States, putting children and adolescents at risk for poor health. Dr. Nicole Conde is a pediatrician with BayCare Medical Group and joins us this episode to discuss the causes, symptoms and treatments for childhood obesity.
Now, doctor, it's an important topic that we're covering today. First, can you clarify what exactly is the definition of overweight and obesity?
Nicole Conde, DO: If we use some basic terms for being overweight or obese, it's a way to describe having too much body fat and we use the BMI or the body mass index to define that. And that takes a ratio of someone's height and weight to see where they are on the age chart and we call it their BMI percentile. So, for example, if you had a child that was at the 85th percentile, 85% of children would have a lower BMI than that child. And in the United States, we use the definition of overweight as a BMI greater than 85th to the 94th percentile and obese as greater than the 95th percentile.
Caitlin Whyte: So what would you say are some causes or some risk factors of obesity in children?
Nicole Conde, DO: I think the most common things that we're going to see in children are either too little activity, too many calories or a combination of both. But there could also be other factors that contribute to that. So even before a child is born, if there's a family history of obesity, if mom happened to have diabetes or smoked during pregnancy. Also, a lot of family stress can increase the risk of obesity. Genetic and hormonal conditions can do that, as well as medications.
Caitlin Whyte: So then on that same theme, what does diagnosis and evaluation of obesity and children look like?
Nicole Conde, DO: You’re going to go to the pediatrician and they're going to look at your growth charts and see your overall growth pattern, ask about your family history, eating habits and the activity level. And if we look at the chart and we see that BMI as being greater than that 85th percentile, you know, we're going to use that pretty much as the diagnosis of being overweight or obese. And then we may want to screen some things like a cholesterol test or a blood sugar test or even check your liver to make sure everything's healthy in that way.
Caitlin Whyte: Now, I'd also like to discuss complications of obesity in our children, both the physical and then the social and emotional aspects.
Nicole Conde, DO: Yeah. And so when we think about obesity, we're not just thinking about a number on a chart, right? We really want to think about what that means and what complications can come with that. And so some of the physical things would be type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure, and even things like joint pain due to the extra strain on certain areas of the body, like the hips, the knees, and the back. Another big one is snoring or what some people might call obstructive sleep apnea, as well as liver disease are things that we know we're concerned about. And then as far as the social and emotional, unfortunately, you know, children could get teased for their weight and then this could lead to self-esteem issues even depression and anxiety.
Caitlin Whyte: So then what can we do to prevent these issues and this weight gain from ever happening?
Nicole Conde, DO: So really, you know, just the main things are healthier choices and increased physical activity. So just small things even, like putting the fruits and the vegetables and the snacks that are lower calories like in a place it's readily available. So in the front of the refrigerator or on the countertop and keeping those higher calorie foods just out of reach and making sure that, you know, your children are eating three balanced meals a day, one to two snacks, really watching portion sizes, trying to avoid the second or third helping at each meal, and also not skipping meals. I think people think that if, "I skip a meal, that's better," but actually skipping meals can be associated with obesity as well. Cooking with your kids. Making the plate really colorful, because if there's more greens and yellows, that means there's more vegetables on that plate. And then getting 30 minutes to one hour of physical activity a day is super important. And sleep. Sleep, people don't think about that, but if children are not getting enough sleep, that can be an increased risk for obesity as well.
Caitlin Whyte: Absolutely. Now, doctor, weight gain is such a polarizing issue at really all age levels. So what would you suggest for treatment options when we're talking about childhood obesity?
Nicole Conde, DO: Yeah, sure. And we can break that up into kind of the overweight versus obesity categories. For overweight children over two, we're really just going to try to do a maintenance program, just try to get them to do healthy things, prioritize fruits and vegetables, whole grains, limit those sweetened beverages. Definitely avoid fast food. Lean protein, like chicken and turkey and fish are what we really want to see in addition to eggs, beans, nuts. And then also limiting the sweets, limiting snacks before bedtime and then really trying to get that physical activity 30 minutes to an hour and avoiding a lot of screen time. So definitely less than two hours a day would be our goal. And it's more of just, for that group, slowing the progress of the weight gain.
If we get into the obesity category for children six to eleven, we're going to want to do all those healthy eating habits and exercise changes. And we're looking for a gradual weight loss of no more than like one pound a month and, for adolescents, a max of two pounds a week.
Caitlin Whyte: Wonderful. Well, doctor, as we come to the end of our discussion, tell us about coping and support. What are some resources that parents and families can turn towards?
Nicole Conde, DO: Well, I think you should definitely use your pediatrician as a support system because, you know, it is our job to play a really important role in the prevention and treatment of it. And we're there to monitor their growth to, you know, guide you through those behaviors, provide education and that motivation. But also just doing it as a family. If you just start trying to change the behaviors in one individual, it's not going to be as helpful as if the whole family is trying to be healthier. And really avoiding negative comments about weight and just focusing on healthy eating and positive body images and praising your child's efforts, like even the smallest of changes. And then just, you know, reaching out to other parents who may be going through the same thing and asking how they kind of coped with that or were able to modify their children's behaviors.
Caitlin Whyte: Well, it's a difficult topic to talk about, doctor, but definitely important in these modern times. Thank you so much for joining us today.
To learn more about pediatric services at BayCare, visit BayCareKids.org. And please remember to subscribe, rate and review this podcast and all of the other BayCare podcasts. For more health tips and updates, follow us on your social channels. This has been another episode of BayCare HealthChat. I'm Caitlin Whyte. Stay well.