Over the last couple of years the problem of childhood obesity had been getting better.
It was a shift Dr. Lisa Denike was excited to see.
"We were seeing some modest improvements in our rates of pediatric obesity," she said.
Dr. Denike is chief of pediatrics for Kaiser Permanente Northwest.
She explained how the rates of childhood obesity were on a downward trend until Covid came along.
"What we've noticed since the start of the pandemic is that our kids that are coming in for their annual well-child check ups, we're seeing a lot of weight gain over the past year for those children," she said.
Kids that had typically been in the average weight range, jumped into the 95th percentile, a range considered obese.
"The problem with that is, over time... that pushes them into the risk category for type two diabetes and heart and kidney problems in young adulthood which is what we're trying to avoid," Denike said.
There are obvious reasons for the shift. Not being in school and able to take part in all the related activities along with a lot more screen time leads to much more sedentary lives.
But there is another reason.
"Kids feel their parents' stress, they also may not have great coping skills and so they may be eating more if they are stressed and anxious," said Denike.
As for how to reduce that stress and over-eating? Denike has these recommendations:
- Set a scheduled bedtime and wake time.
- Eat scheduled meals. That will help your kids avoid grazing all day.
- Set up a time to get out and exercise.
"I think a lot of families that are home together can find 10 or 15 or 20 minutes at the noon hour to get outside and take a quick walk around the block," Denike said.
Family nutritionist Katharine Jeffcoat supports the scheduled approach.
"I mainly encourage families to work on getting back on a schedule," she said.
Since the pandemic, her referrals for eating disorders have skyrocketed. They are from teenagers fearful of gaining weight and younger children gaining too much.
Like Denike, Jeffcoat encourages parents to take control. Start with the small things.
"Stock your cupboards with lots of healthy fruits and vegetables and whole grains so they feel good about the snacks kids are eating," said Jeffcoat.
Over time those small steps will make a big difference.