Teen Obesity: Small Changes Prevent Obesity by Connect with Kids

“As long as we concentrate on exercise, eating right, cutting out the sugar, I think we’ll be okay.”

– Tina Scott-Morgan, mother

For kids and adults, losing weight seems like an endless and insurmountable task: flavorless diet foods, gym memberships, hours of sweating and pain. But a new pediatric study reports that it really doesn’t have to be that hard.

To improve her daughter’s health and weight, Tina stopped buying carbonated drinks.

“We don’t drink sodas in this house,” says Tina Scott-Morgan, mother.

“They have too much sugar in them,” says her daughter, Marissa, 9.

Too much sugar and empty calories. According to a study in the journal, Pediatrics, children who walked an extra mile a day and cut out 100 calories daily showed a significant drop in their BMI (Body Mass Index) – an indicator used to determine healthy weight. One hundred calories equals one can of soda.

“When we cut that out and replaced it with water and milk, I could tell that there’s a significant difference in Marissa’s weight,” says Morgan.

“The fact is that you’re adding extra calories into your system that your body technically doesn’t need,” says Beth Passehl, Fit Kids coordinator, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

Experts say it’s all about small changes.

“Cut back gradually, cut back by 10 percent each day, cut back by one serving a day, and you may find that starts to make a difference. It’s small gradual steps that lead to life-long habits,” says Passehl.

Step-by-step, Marissa is working her way to a healthier life.

“As long as we concentrate on exercise, eating right, cutting out the sugar, I think we’ll be okay,” says her mom.

Tips for Parents

Eating breakfast is important for weight management. Research shows most people who have lost more than 60 pounds and kept it off for six years do eat breakfast. (Dr. Luke Beno, pediatrician)

Make a rule that no one in the family can eat while watching television. It’s hard for kids to realize how much they are eating when they’re absorbed in a television program. (Dr. Luke Beno, pediatrician)
Find ways to get the entire family more active. Have everyone in the family wear a pedometer, and compete to see who can take the most steps during the day. If the child wins, reward him/her with a fun activity. If the child loses, assign him/her an active chore. (Dr. Luke Beno, pediatrician)

Do not make your family give up foods they love. Instead, find healthier ways to prepare these foods. For example, frozen French fries can be baked instead of fried. Cheesecake or macaroni and cheese can be made with a low-fat cheese. Take a cooking class to get your family excited about healthy recipes. (Dr. Luke Beno, pediatrician)

Teach kids to use portion control when eating out. Since most portions at restaurants are double what they should be, encourage kids to take half home, or to share with another person. (Dr. Lonny Horowitz, bariatric specialist)
Calories are calories. It doesn’t matter where they come from. Keep portion size in mind, regardless of whether you’re eating a salad or junk food. (Dr. Lonny Horowitz, bariatric specialist)

According to The American Heart Association (AHA), healthy physical activity is defined as regular participation in activities that increase your heart rate above its resting level. However, physical activity doesn’t have to be strenuous to be beneficial. An active child plays sports, participates in PE class, does household chores, spends time outdoors and regularly travels by foot or bicycle. The AHA offers the following guidelines:

Encourage your kids to regularly walk, bike, play outside and interact with other children.

Allow no more than two hours per day for sedentary activities – TV, computers, video games.

Promote weekly participation in age-appropriate sports or sandlot games.
Ensure your child participates in a daily school PE class that includes at least 20 minutes of coordinated large-muscle exercise.

Make sure your child has access to school/community facilities that enable safe participation in physical activities.

Provide opportunities for physical activities that are fun, increase confidence and involve friends.

Organize regular family outings that involve walking, cycling, swimming or other recreational activities.

Be a positive role model for a physically active lifestyle.

References

Dr. Lonny Horowitz, bariatric specialist
The American Heart Association (AHA)

Parents Learn About Online Safety

By: TAMMIE SLOUP - www.mywebtimes.com


Parents, get with the times.

That was Sarah Migas' opening message during a presentation about online safety Thursday night at Ottawa Township High School.

Social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook and Internet chat rooms and instant messaging are becoming increasingly popular means for children and teenagers to socialize. While they have their positives, digital technology also can be dangerous.

"Kids are seeing the Internet as the wild wild West," said Migas, an Internet safety specialist with the Illinois Attorney General's Office.

Migas and Daniel Spillman, assistant attorney general with the high tech crimes bureau, talked to a handful of audience members, introducing what they referred to as a "travel guide" for parents to navigate their way through some of these social networking sites and learn the languages being used by children to communicate.

Migas said acronyms often are used amongst bloggers and instant messengers and are not always familiar to parents, who should be monitoring their children's online activities.

"It's like going to another country; you've got to learn the places and the language so you can keep up with the kids because predators know where the kids are," Migas said.

She pointed to examples such as A/S/L, which means age, sex, location. Predators can easily find a person with just that bit of information. Also, she cautioned parents about the acronym POS, which means parents over shoulder.

Internet chat rooms, sites people can access to discuss various topics in real time, also present possible dangerous encounters with predators.

Oftentimes, children will stumble upon sites because they're curious about the titles, and find themselves looking at sexually explicit photos, or conversations, without meaning to.

"And if your child actually talks to you about it, they should be praised. Often they are scared to talk because they're scared their computer privileges will be revoked," Migas said.

Spillman stressed he and Migas aren't trying to give out parenting advice, but threatening to yank the child's computer time away often hampers the child's willingness to open up about their Internet activities.

Online predators often will use what is referred to as "grooming" techniques to establish a relationship with a child, often times offering compliments about the child's looks or sympathizing with their problems.

Predators also are taking advantage of Web cams, soliciting children to take off their clothes by blackmailing them with personal information the predator threatens to share with the child's school or parents.

"These guys know how to get a hook in them and reel them in," Spillman said.

According to statistics, one in seven children will be approached online for sexual content. In the majority of cases, the predators are men.

While law enforcement does have the power to criminally charge predators, and authorities constantly monitor possibly dangerous encounters, Migas and Spillman said that's not enough eyes to protect children.

"We rely on parents," Migas said.

Keep the computer in an open area. Ask children about their Internet activities and monitor their social networking sites. Parents also can check recent activities on the computer by accessing the Internet history account in the control panel of the computer.

Blogs also have grown in popularity.

"Basically a blog is an online journal," Migas said, warning, "If you wouldn't want your grandma to see the pictures or read the content, don't post it."

Digital technology also has spurred what is deemed, "cyberbullying."

Instead of bullies preying on their victims in the halls of school or at the park, the tormenting is taking place online -- where the threats and harassment can be seen by anyone around the world.

"It's easy because they feel anonymous, and they don't see the reactions of the victims," Migas said.

Children can no longer take refuge in their homes from bullies.

"It can happen anywhere, anytime," Migas said.

According to statistics provided, more than 40 percent of children are bullied online at some point.

When a child feels threatened or harassed online, Migas and Spillman said the incident should be reported to parents and-or police. Also, any evidence should be printed and saved, and children should not retort in any way, as it can worsen the situation.

While many of the social networking sites do have safety measures, predators often find a way around them. Law enforcement also continues to monitor the Internet, but Internet dangers will be an ongoing issue in which authorities need the help of parents to fight.

"Unfortunately, I don't think this bureau will go under," Migas said of the attorney general's high tech crimes bureau.


Internet acronyms parents should know:

AITR: Adult In The Room

P911: Parent Emergency

PAW: Parents Are Watching

PIR: Parent In Room

POS: Parent Over Shoulder

MOS: Mom Over Shoulder

MIRL: Meet In Real Life

S2R: Send To Receive (pictures)

CD9: Code 9 (parents are around)

E or X: Ecstasy (the drug)

ASL(R P): Age Sex Location (Race / Picture)

TDTM: Talk Dirty To Me

Parents get sobering Internet safety lesson by Ed Baker

Weymouth - Julie, 13, never had a friend who understood her so well until she went on the Internet and met Tom, who identified himself as a teenage boy.

For months, they talked about their hobbies, school, and career dreams by exchanging e-mails and instant messages, a computer program that allows people to send comments and receive replies almost instantly.

“I was 13 years old, and I needed somebody to talk to,” Julie said in a video shown to parents during a recent Internet safety forum at Chapman Middle School in Weymouth.

Julie and Tom’s friendship became more personal as the months went by.

Tom understood her better than anyone.
They chatted for hours online over a period of months.
“I trusted Tom more than anybody else,” Julie said.
Tom suggested it would be nice if Julie was with him all the time, and they decided to run away to Reno, Nevada.

“I kissed all my brothers good night,” Julie said while recalling Tom’s arrival in his pickup truck.

The adventure quickly turned into a nightmare when Julie realized Tom was not a boy.

“He did not act, or even sound like, a 56-year-old man,” Julie said.

Tom took Julie with him, and her parents notified police when they discovered she was missing.

The saga ended when a witness saw the truck and notified police.

Officers intercepted the truck and arrested Tom for kidnapping.

“He will be in jail for 25 years,” Julie said. “He sent me a letter saying he was going to kill me if he ever got out of jail.”

Daniel Feeney, director of juvenile programs for Norfolk County District Attorney William Keating, said that a story like “Julie’s Journey” does not usually have a happy ending.

“Cases like this are not solved in an hour like they are on ‘CSI Miami,’ complete with commercials,” Feeney said. “The myth TV shows says to kids is that adults will save the day, just like they see the guys on TV do. If a kid is taken by an Internet predator, the chances are great he or she will not be seen again, and he or she will disappear.”

He said this stark reality is occurring in the United States despite the nationwide Amber Alert system and displays of missing children on the sides of milk cartons.

“There will not be a happy ending,” Feeney said. “I really wish there was a happy ending.”

He said the Internet has spawned a need for parents to protect their children from online predators, cyber bullies, and accessing pornography.

“There needs to be communication between parents and children,” Feeney said. “Kids do have a way of getting under our nerves, but we have to make sure that kids have an adult they can go to share their fears or concerns if a parent can’t deal with a youngster or is unwilling to do so.”

He said if his message on Internet safety seems scary, it is because the threat of online predators is very real.

“Young girls for some reason are our biggest case victims,” said State Trooper David McSweeney, who specializes in online crime investigations for Keating.

He said youngsters seem to let their guard down while talking with somebody they don’t know online because they don’t feel endangered while communicating in the comfort of their home.

“They will then go ahead and set up a meeting with their online friend,” McSweeney said.

Feeney said that middle school children are often susceptible to online predators because they are going through an awkward stage.

“They may be sensitive to criticism,” he said. “Kids can be critical and cruel to other kids at certain ages.”

Feeney said that online predators will gain the trust of a potential victim by flattering them.

“The online predator will find the right button to push,” he said. “Remember the old adage that if something seems too good to be true, it usually isn’t.”

Feeney said that teens can be vulnerable to a predator by posting a picture of themselves along with their identity, the school they attend, and their hometown.

“My space.com is fertile ground for online predators to look at,” Feeney said. “On My Space, kids often create a profile of themselves. Anything a kid puts online is accessible to somebody.”

He said parents should not allow their child to have an online profile to diminish their exposure to would-be predators.

“We used to say, be careful about what you post in an online profile,” Feeney said. “Now we believe kids are better off to not have an online profile at all.”

Some parents said that not allowing their child to have an online profile is practical because the kids can post details about themselves on a friend’s computer.

“You need to get to know the parents of other children,” Feeney said. “If this is a problem, you should try to meet with other parents to see what can be done to have a joint effort to discourage online profile postings.”

He added that a child should not arrange to meet an individual he or she is talking with online.

The forum gave details about cyber-bullying to parents.
This type of intimidation occurs when a youth sends a threatening e-mail to a peer or distributes embarrassing details about an individual to his or her classmates.

“Do not respond to messages that are threatening,” Feeney said. “If you feel uncomfortable with the message, print a copy of the message and give it to the police. Save these documents. You should also place the computer in a common area of the home such as a den or a family room. A computer should never be in a child’s bedroom.”

He said electronic threats are considered criminal harassment under Massachusetts law and prosecutors do charge youngsters regardless of how old they are.

“A judge won’t buy the line, I was just kidding,” Feeney said. “They will look at just the letter of the law when deciding the matter.”

He said that threatening notes can be traced back to the sender by law enforcement with computer forensic technology.

“Using a computer is like taking a walk in the snow and leaving behind footprints,” Feeney said. “Your son or daughter needs to realize they have to take these legalities seriously.”

He said a youngster who makes a threat to a classmate or against a school can be expelled by the principal.

“A kid that is kicked out of school will say they have the right to be in school,” Feeney said. “However, the law gives principals the right to kick a kid out if they feel the kid is a threat, and the principal can prevent the student from attending school until the courts decide the case, and that can drag on for months.”

He said teens should realize the legal consequences of sending pornography online by e-mail from their computer or cell phone.

“Some girls will send revealing pictures of themselves,” Feeney said. “If they are under age 18, they can be prosecuted even if the picture is of themselves. They will then have a permanent (criminal) record.”

He said a criminal record is not something a youth should have these days because employers are doing more extensive background checks on applicants to prevent workplace violence.

“Kids need to realize they must take responsibility for their actions,” Feeney said.

He said the best way to keep kids safe online and out of legal trouble is to talk with them and be involved in their lives.

“You don’t have to understand the latest computer technology to keep them safe,” Feeney said. “The important thing to do is to communicate with them.”

The presentation by Feeney and McSweeney was part of an outreach by Chapman educators to inform parents and students about Internet safety.

“All of our students heard the presentation,” principal Sheila Fisher said after the forum. “We had all of our fifth graders learn about Internet safety as a part of our curriculum.”

She said getting 75 parents to attend the program on a cold night was impressive.

“We always want to have more parents attend, but having 75 people here tonight is good,” Fisher said.

Additional information about keeping children safe on line can be obtained at the following websites; www. Netsmartzkids.org, , and www.ncmec.org., (National Center For Missing And Exploited Children)