by Kavitha Cardoza
Doctors may need some education too
Even when obese children finally make it to the doctor’s office, however, their physician might not have all the answers.
“Most physicians are up a tree when asked what to do about a heavy child,” says Dr. Jack Yanovski, a pediatrician and researcher at the National Institutes of Health.
Many pediatricians haven’t been trained to treat children who are 300 or 400 pounds, he says. A doctor might suggest exercise, but it isn’t that simple.
“Because of their extra body weight, they reach their maximum exercise at an earlier stage,” says Yanovski. “So that means for very heavy folks, exercise programs have to be designed to involve a very slow progressive rise in the amount of exercise so that they can learn to tolerate more and more physical activity.”
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In search of sustenance in D.C.’s ‘food deserts’
What aggravates the situation further is that his healthy food options are limited because he lives in the District’s Ward 7, which has been designated a food desert. With so few grocery stores selling fresh produce in the area, fruits and vegetables aren’t easily accessible.
“If your choices are taking two or three buses and then paying someone $20 to get home to go to the grocery store versus a couple of dollars to eat in your own neighborhood, the choice is obvious for someone operating on a very limited budget,” says Kristen Roberts with D.C. Hunger Solutions, the group that authored the food deserts study.
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Neighborhoods can hinder exercise
Saquont’e knows on top of eating healthy foods he should be exercising as well. But he isn’t sure how much, or what calories actually mean.
Saquont’e signed up for martial arts classes, but he had to take two buses and a train to get there so he stopped. And walking around his neighborhood after school isn’t a safe option. Just a few months ago, there was a shooting right inside the apartment complex where he lives.
“A black van pulled up and just shot up this whole area trying to get this one person,” says Saquont’e. “My mom was there but ran to the laundromat.”
No one was killed, but people were hurt. Now, he stays indoors after school, either sleeping or playing video games. That’s the reality for many children, but some groups are trying to provide more options.
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https://wamu.org/news/11/04/29/for_teens_a_healthier_life_is_not_always_in_reach.phpoldId.20110501200916598