Americans are obsessed with weight and it appears that concern extends to our children. And with good reason. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals startling figures regarding the rise in child and teen obesity. Recent data indicates that 17% of children ages 6-11 are obese.
It’s clear we have a problem, but the question is what do we do about it? Many schools have eliminated soda machines and begun to offer more nutritional lunches, but while this is a step in the right direction, it hasn’t made a noticeable difference (yet) in reducing the number of children who are seriously overweight.
It’s pretty clear that today’s young people spend their lesiure time differently than past generations. While plenty of children still participate in sports, the days of playing outside until dark have frequently been replaced with time spent on the computer or playing video games. With the exception of many Wii games, neither of these activities includes any physical exertion.
Is there a way to encourage kids to get their bodies moving and make it fun? The folks at MyPedz.com think so. MyPedz makes pedometers especially for children. Their target demographic are kids 5-12. The devices are shaped like frogs and come in cheery, bright colors. They count steps, miles, kilometers and calories.
What’s more, they have built a fun website where kids can register to track their progress, play games and engage in competition to be the Leading Pedz Steppers.
All sounds good – right? Well, probably yes, but a reasonable argument can be made that young children should not be counting and tracking calories. Further, as anyone who has tried to keep up a regular workout routine knows, if exercise becomes just a means to an end – be it a number on a scale or on the pedometer – the commitment is often short-lived. Lastly, we have to remember that all children experience body image issues at one time or another. The problem can be quite acute with girls just entering their tween years. Parents need to tread carefully in this area, I believe.
What do you think? Would you buy this gadget for a child in your life? Do have any concerns about it or do you think it’s a cool way to introduce the importance of physical fitness to youngsters?
Tags: CDC, Childhood Obesity, exercise, nutrition, Pedz, teen obesity, Toys, Wii
I would not have bought this pedometer for my sons but there was no need to. They were pretty active and outside playing all of the time. They had a group of neighborhood boys and they played touch football, baseball, street hockey and basketball non stop. They also played organized sports.
I would think very carefully if I had a young child today before buying such a product. It sounds great and I am sure it can be motivating but I would have concerns over the message being sent when asking a child to use such a product. I think it would be fine if the parent used it and the child participated in daily walks with the parent. The emphasis would need to be on a healthy lifestyle and not the pedometer and weight loss itself.
I did find an interesting article about children wearing pedometers. It is about children who fooled the researchers in a study they participated in. They were required to wear pedometers and several of the obese children were caught putting their pedometers on their dogs.
“About 200 children in east London were given pedometers to automatically count how many steps they walked and ran. Mile End Centre for Sports and Exercise Medicine was surprised by the activity levels recorded in some obese children. Professor Nicola Maffulli said: ‘Then we realized they were attaching the pedometers to their dogs’ collars.’ The pilot study in Whitechapel required 11 and 12-year-olds to clip a pedometer to their waists, with researchers at the centre collecting the readings by satellite.” BBC says.
Smart kids, Pam!
I don’t know that I love this idea. I think calorie counting and exercise monitoring can be useful (and sometimes necessary) for adults trying to lose weight, but it seems to me that with children, it would be infinitely better to introduce them to healthy choices in a more organic way. Kids – generally – like to play. They like physical activity. They have all that energy! I think if a parent encourages natural, healthy physical activity, it’s more likely that exercise will be seen as a habit, rather than a chore.
I agree. That study also proves that the kids know what the “right answer” for the pedometer is: high numbers. They must have felt like failures on some level to recruit their dogs. I am smiling about how clever that is though.
Recent data indicates that 17% of children ages 6-11 are obese.
I would see this as a medical tool, not as a toy, for those children that fit in the above class. I can see that it would be a fun motivation and help them along. Other than that, I see it as another useless item in the store.
I agree that parents need to be very careful. I remember being obsessed w/how much I weigh and feeling that was all that would be perceived about me. My friends and I saw our mothers doing it as children and we carried into our teens. What you weighed was everything. It wasn’t until my 30’s and after that I took a much healthier attitude. I’m so much more about a health and about fell over when my 5yo started asking me if she was fat. It was from television that she picked it up, like Hanna M or something. I did see a trend in my older sons’ peers that some had done away with these perceptions and weren’t concerned. I find that encouraging.
Pam, that’s pretty funny about the kids hooking it up to their dogs.
I don’t think I would buy one for my Children. The best solution is for the parents to stop buying fast foods, and junk foods. Don’t over fill their plate with food, and then make them clean up their plate. As long as the whole family eats healthy, so will the Children. Now days so many parents are tobusy, they fail to sit down at the evening meal and eat together. Wouldn’t it be nice as a family to eat and walk together in the evenings, instead of setting in front of the TV, computer, OR texting?? Simple solution!! Giving thirty minutes of your time, not only for your Children, but for you. In most cases!! If your Child has a weight problem so do you. Oh I forgot!! Leave the dang cell phone in your pocket and talk to the Children, not someone the phone!! Make your walks enjoyable!! Sorry!! Didn’t mean to preach!!
I just get so upset over all this technology now days. I go out to lunch with friends, and they talk on the cell phone. I should have stayed at home!! No time for me!! I am sure the Children feel the same?
I have a pedometer and my daughter used to steal it all the time- she is 6. She loved to clip it on and see how many steps she could take. She literally ran laps around the living room. Watching the numbers tick up was a fun game to her. I wouldn’t buy her one on my own- and I certainly wouldn’t expect her to hit a certain number each day! But if she wanted one I would get it bc she enjoyed mine so much.
Samantha, I think that’s great. It’s one thing if it’s meant as fun and something the child enjoys, and they aren’t associating it with weight loss or calorie counting.