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Childhood obesity increases during summer break
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Obesity in children is likely to spike during the summer months, according to a recent press release.
“The problem appears to be greater in low-income, minority girls,” Lara R. Dugas, PhD, MPH, physical activity epidemiologist and assistant professor in the department of public health sciences at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, told Endocrine Today. “The reason we are interested in this is because there are studies that indicate when children, especially adolescents, finish the school year in May and June, they are a couple of BMI percentage points lighter than when they return after summer break.”
Lara R. Dugas
The increase in weight is attributed to 12 weeks of unstructured schedules and unlimited access to food, according to Dugas. The long-term effects can escalate the rates of overweight and obesity as well as the cardiometabolic disorders associated with them, she said.
In a recent study, researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health found that 1,339 children aged 6 to 19 years consumed an additional 3 oz of sugar-sweetened beverages per day (P = .016), ate fewer non-potato vegetables (0.2 cups less per day; P = .016) and watched 20 minutes more of TV during summer break. Survey results also showed that the amount physical activity was mostly unchanged.
Dugas told Endocrine Today that summer programs are an effective strategy in reducing these unhealthy behaviors.
“If you’re in a camp, even if it’s not a physical activity camp, then you’re still on a very structured time line,” she said. “It might be music or reading camp, but having that schedule is keeping them from sitting around and having unlimited access to food.”
Dugas, along with Loyola University Chicago colleagues Amy M. Bohnert, PhD, associate professor of clinical and developmental psychology, and Rebecca L. Silton, PhD, assistant professor of clinical psychology, and others conducted a study to determine whether summer programs reduce sedentary time among children, particularly minority girls from low-income backgrounds who are at a higher risk for overweight and obesity.
“They are already at a disadvantage because we know that low-income minority groups have higher BMIs compared to other race groups,” Dugas said.
The cohort included 46 girls (52.2% black, 36.1% Hispanic, 4.3% Asian, 2.1% white) aged 10 to 14 years enrolled in a physical activity summer program, Girls in the Game. During a 4-week duration (6 hours per day), the participants increased the amount of time they spent engaged in light, moderate and vigorous physical activity by 2.5 hours per day and moderate-to-vigorous bouts lasting at least 10 minutes by 18.8 minutes per day (P < .001 for both), according to the results. In turn, sedentary time decreased by nearly 2 hours per day (P < .001).
However, the expense of summer programs may deter access to children from low-income backgrounds, Dugas noted. In this case, she suggests that physicians encourage parents to seek resources within their community, such as park district activities and local libraries.
Another potential solution is the implementation of a quarter system, which would substitute 12 weeks of summer vacation with 6 to 8 weeks of vacation as well as a 2- to 3-week break every 3 months.
“I’m a huge proponent of the quarter system,” Dugas said. “This is something that could address high poverty [because] kids are provided with lunches when they are kept in school. Not only are they safer and eating properly, but they’re actually less at risk for the development of overweight and obesity.”
Aside from summer programs, Dugas recommends that physicians urge parents to “keep unhealthy foods out of the house, stock up on more fruits and vegetables and replace sugar-sweetened beverages with water — all of which work but are hard to do.” – by Stephanie Viguers
Disclosure: Dugas reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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