Dr Kiran Kumar Medical Officer for Health	Bethany Smith Community Dietician with the HSA

Recent observations by the Health Services Authority (HSA) point to a looming crisis of obese children in the Cayman Islands.

“From the annual health screening on school entry level children and those in transition from lower to middle school, the HSA discovered that 22 per cent of school children are overweight and 14.8 percent were at risk of becoming overweight,” said Community Dietician with the HSA, Bethany Smith.

Ms Smith said obesity starts children onto a path of health problems that were once confined to adults. The Cayman Islands with its urban setting is no exception.

She said the prevalence has increased at an alarming rate according to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO). “In 2007, an estimated 22 million children under the age of 5 years were overweight throughout the world. More than 75 per cent of overweight and obese children live in low- and middle-income countries,” she explained.

Cayman Islands Hospital Coordinator of Diabetes, Dr Anna Matthews, said “There may be many others who do not know of their diabetes status.”

She quoted international studies that have found overweight children carry a greater risk of developing chronic diseases like diabetes earlier in life, even in their young adult years.

“There are approximately 2,015 diabetics registered by the Cayman Islands HSA who attend the GP clinic and the district health centers.” says Medical Officer for Health Dr Kiran Kumar. He added, “Poor lifestyle is largely the result of the Type II diabetes. Approximately 22 per cent of this number (443) is below the age of 18.”

He said, it is estimated that, of this total amount, an equal number of patients seek medical care and management for Type II diabetes outside the HSA jurisdiction, and as a result they are not included in the official tabulation.

National Parenting Coordinator, Selena Dyke, says that children, unlike adults, need extra nutrients and calories to fuel their growth and development but they gain extra pounds when more becomes more than enough and leads to childhood obesity. It is easy to know that one is on way to the risk area for being obese if all the doctor has said is that one should cut down on intake of high calorie foods.

Ms Dyke says, “With our settings here in the Cayman Islands, where children do not usually go for long excursions or races, they are more likely to gain weight because they do not burn calories through physical activity. Parents should ensure that they limit the time spent on the house computer, video games and watching television, as this will contribute to childhood obesity.”

Ms Dyke says that normal children from birth to five years old need a minimum activity of 60 minutes per day so as to stay fit. It is recommended and encouraged that parents take their children along when going for a walk, walking the dog or even going for a swim.

In other cases, children can engage in activities such as football, volleyball skating, or helping mom in the garden.

Dr Mathews says, “Many times, Type II diabetes among children can be prevented by choosing a healthy lifestyle.”

Dietitian Ms Smith advises that a healthy lifestyle includes making nutritious food choices, developing sound eating habits, and engaging in physical activity on a daily basis. All three components together should result in maintaining a healthy weight-to-height ratio. Children can learn these habits from an early age and carry them into adulthood.

She notes that if a child comes from a family of overweight people, he or she may be genetically predisposed to put on excess weight. Introducing the correct diet format will be prudent for parents of such children. During adolescence most children undergo stress when they do not know how to cope with changes. She said studies have shown that some children tend to overeat to cope with problems or to deal with emotions; such could also include stress and boredom. Although this will be a problem with the children they could be borrowing from the parents. She notes that an apple does not fall very far from the tree.

Giving dietary advice to parents, Ms Smith said: “Stock your refrigerator and cupboards with snacks like fresh fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, low sugar breakfast cereals, granola bars, nuts, pretzels, baked potato chips, light or natural popcorn, graham crackers, unsalted saltines, low fat cheese/cream cheese, light yogurts, unsweetened juice.”

On the other hand she advised, “Limit the amount of high fat and high sugar foods/drinks kept at home. These include cookies, candy, sugarcoated cereals, pastries, sodas, sweetened drinks, regular potato chips, processed meat/cheese snacks, and fried foods.

“Parents and guardians should offer a variety of fruits and vegetables throughout the day. Pair together differently colored fruits and vegetables and cut them into interesting shapes. Send snacks for school from home instead of giving money for high sugar/high fat snacks. Limit the amount of times per week that meals are eaten outside of the home or food is ordered into the home.”

Ms Smith says that children should accompany their parents to the grocery store. “This is where food choices begin,” she said. “Look at food labels with your children and help them compare the fat, sugar, and sodium content of different food items. Practice choosing the foods with less fat, sugar, and sodium,” she said.