As part of National Childhood Obesity Awareness month, we spoke to children’s health expert Professor. Stephen Virgilio, Ph.D. Dr Virgilio has been a children's health expert for more than 30 years and has served as a consultant to companies such as Fisher-Price, Sport-Fun, and Dannon Yogurt as well as to school districts across the country. He has been quoted in numerous publications, including the New York Times, LA Times, SELF Magazine, Chicago Tribune, and USA Today, as well as Child and Parenting magazines. He also has been a guest on several national broadcasts, including the radio program Parent Talk and ABC's 20/20.

His previous book, Active Start for Healthy Kids: Activities, Exercises, and Nutritional Tips, which focuses on children ages 2-6, provides a wealth of safe, inexpensive, and developmentally appropriate activities that parents, teachers, and caregivers can implement.  He says it is important to reach children in their formative years and help them develop positive behaviors that will last a lifetime.

  

In his latest published book, Fitness Education for Children: A Team Approach, 2nd. ed. (Human Kinetics 2012), Dr. Virgilio emphasizes the importance of collaboration to combat obesity and promote active lifestyles. He shows how you can combine the efforts of physical educators, administrators, classroom teachers, school volunteers, parents, school lunch personnel, health service professionals, and others in the community.

 Below are his three key suggestions to parents to prevent childhood obesity and create an active, healthy lifestyle.

1.  Be a Role Model  

Parents should practice what they preach---children are more apt to develop a parent's lifestyle behaviors by simply observing how the family lives in the day to day routine.

2. Plan to be Healthy  

 It just doesn't happen---plan activities to the park, beach or simple backyard games. Parents should also sit down and create a healthy meal plan each week--children may slip in an unplanned snack here and there but the significant portion of their eating behaviors will be healthy.

3. Practice Positive Parenting

 Try to build a child's self-esteem and body image with positive comments and actions. In addition, try to educate children about their bodies and the importance of health---saying "good job", or you" look great" will take on greater meaning if they understand that you are there to support them-- because you love them so much.