Diet and disease are related. Overweight and obesity, influenced by poor diet and inactivity, are significantly associated with an increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, joint problems and poor health status.

Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult onset diabetes, has become increasingly prevalent among children and adolescents as rates of overweight and obesity rise. A CDC study estimated that one in three American children born in 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime.

Overweight children and adolescents are more likely to become overweight or obese adults. One study showed that children who became overweight by age 8 were more severely obese as adults.

Early indicators of atherosclerosis, the most common cause of heart disease, begin as early as childhood and adolescence. Atherosclerosis is related to high blood cholesterol levels, which are associated with poor dietary habits.

Osteoporosis, a disease where bones become fragile and can break easily, is associated with inadequate intake of calcium. 

Overweight Among Youth
The prevalence of overweight among children aged 6-11 years has more than doubled in the past 20 years and among adolescents aged 12-19 has more than tripled. Schools, parents, and the community can solve this problem. 
 
Diet and Academic Performance
Research suggests that not having breakfast can affect children’s intellectual performance. The percentage of young people who eat breakfast decreases with age. While 92 percent of children ages 6-11 eat breakfast, only 75-78 percent of adolescents ages 12-19 eat breakfast.  
 
Eating Behaviors of Young People

  • Less than 40 percent of children and adolescents in the United States meet the U.S. dietary guidelines for saturated fat.
  • Eighty percent of high school students do no eat fruits and vegetables 5 or more times per day. Only 39 percent of children ages 2-17 meet the USDA’s dietary recommendation for fiber found primarily in dried beans and peas, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
  • Eighty-five percent of adolescent females do not consume enough calcium. During the last 25 years, consumption of milk, the largest source of calcium, has decreased 36 percent among adolescent females. Additionally, from 1978 to1998, average daily soft drink consumption almost doubled among adolescent females, increasing from 6 oz to 11 oz, and almost tripled among adolescent males, from 7 oz to 19 oz.
  • A large number of high school students use unhealthy methods to lose or maintain weight. A nationwide survey found that during the 30 days preceding the survey 12.3 percent of students went without eating for 24 hours or more; 4.5 percent had vomited or taken laxatives; and 6.3 percent had taken diet pills, powders, or liquids without a doctor's advice.

Reference:  Division of Adolescent and School Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Resources

Speak Up

Speak up if you have questions or concerns, and if you don't understand, ask again. It's your body and you have a right to know.

Pay attention to the care you are receiving. Make sure you're getting the right treatments and medications by the right health care professionals. Don't assume anything.

Educate yourself about your diagnosis, the medical tests you are undergoing, and your treatment plan.

Ask a trusted family member or friend to be your advocate.

Know what medications you take and why you take them. Medication errors are the most common health care errors.

Use a hospital, clinic, surgery center, or other type of health care organization that has undergone a rigorous on-site evaluation against established state-of-the-art quality and safety standards, such as that provided by Joint Commission.

Participate in all decisions about your treatment. You are the center of the health care team.

There are many people involved in ensuring that you or your family member get good medical care. The most important member of the team is you. You need to be an active participant in the healthcare process. By “Speaking Up” for yourself and your family members, you become the center of the healthcare team. Credit The Joint Commission here.

Before I go to the doctor
Before you go to see your doctor, think and plan in advance for the things you need to ask or bring. 
  
Talking with your doctor
Working with your doctors and other healthcare staff as part of the healthcare team will help improve your care and your level of satisfaction. Here are some tips to help you and your doctor become partners in improving your health care.  
 
Ask 3
The Partnership for Clear Health Communication (PCHC) is a national, non-profit coalition of organizations working to build awareness and advance solutions to improve health literacy and positively impact health outcomes.  They recommend asking 3 simple questions of your healthcare provider.

  • What is my main problem?
  • What do I need to do? 
  • Why is it important for me to do this?    

Here are a few tips you can try:

  • I will ask the 3 questions.
  • I will bring a friend or family member to help me at my doctor visit.
  • I will make a list of my health concerns to tell my doctor or nurse.
  • I will bring a list of all my medicines when I visit my doctor or nurse.
  • I will ask my pharmacist for help when I have questions about my medicines.

Your doctor, nurse, and pharmacist want you to get the information you need to care for your health. 
 
Create a List
Are you visiting your health care clinician or pharmacist? It is important to be prepared. Create a personalized list of questions that you can take with you.

Use these handy forms - check the boxes that apply to you to help you "Create a List" to bring with you to your health care provider.

Know Your Medications
Knowing which medications you take and why you take them is one of the easiest ways for you to avoid any problems with them. You can work as part of the healthcare team, along with you doctor and pharmacist, on ensuring that you medications are working for you.

Medication Safety
Using medication safely is important - these check lists will help you avoid potential problems.

Medication Minder
List all of your prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, herbs, dietary supplements, and homeopathic remedies, include the amount of alcohol you consume on a daily or weekly basis, and any recreational drugs you take.

It’s important to include all of this information in case of emergencies. Include the dose or amount of medication that you usually take and how often or what time of day you take it, even if you take it only occasionally.  Carry this list with you and share it with your pharmacist, doctor or other caregiver.

 

Cancer prevention and treatment
You can take important steps at every age to minimize the chances of developing many types of cancer. By protecting your skin from sunburn in your teens, you can minimize your chance of skin cancer. By making sure you receive age-appropriate health screenings such as colorectal cancer screenings, you have your best chance of detecting colorectal cancer in its early, most treatable stages. Use these links to learn more about what you should do to prevent cancer at any age:

Prostate Cancer Screenings: If you are considering having a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test and digital rectal examination (DRE), talk to your doctor about the possible benefits of prostate cancer screening.

Colorectal Cancer Tests: Have a test for colorectal cancer starting at age 50. Your doctor can help you decide which test is right for you.

Dental Health
Brush your teeth and don't forget to floss. Simple daily habits such as these can help prevent a mouthful of dental problems over your lifetime.

Depression
If you've felt "down," sad, or hopeless and have felt little interest or pleasure in doing things for two weeks straight, talk to your doctor about whether he or she can screen you for depression.

Diabetes
Early detection and treatment of diabetes prevents later complications from the disease. Health tip: make sure to get screened for diabetes if you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

Environmental Health Issues
Environmental health issues range from air and water pollution to exposures to hazardous chemicals at work and at home. Learn what you can do to minimize health impacts from environmental health issues.

Heart Health
Heart healthy behaviors pay off in increased vitality at every age. For sports performance and endurance in young athletes to the ability to manage the multi-tasking lifestyles and the active leisure of adults to longevity in seniors - a healthy heart is one of life's great benefits. Make your heart the best  it can be.

  • Have your blood pressure checked
  • Cardiovascular Disease Risk Assessment - talk to your doctor if you are older than age 20.
  • Have your cholesterol checked regularly starting at age 45. If you smoke, have diabetes or if heart disease runs in your family, start having your cholesterol checked at age 20.
  • Should you take medicines to prevent disease? Talk to your doctor about taking aspirin to prevent heart disease if you are older than 40, or if you are younger than 40 and have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or if you smoke.

Resources for a healthy heart:

Immunizations
Not for kids only. Teens and adults also need immunizations. Keep your life on track with timely immunizations and avoid being sidelined by vaccine-preventable diseases.

Nutrition and Physical Activity
Stay at a healthy weight. Balance the number of calories you eat with the number you burn off by your activities. Remember to watch your portion sizes. Talk to your doctor if you have questions about what or how much to eat.

Eat a healthy diet. Eat a variety of foods including fruit, vegetables, lean animal or vegetable protein like meat, fish, chicken and eggs or beans, lentils and tofu and grains like rice. Limit the amount of saturated fat you eat.

Be physically active. Walk, dance, ride a bike, rake leaves or do any other physical activity you enjoy. Start with a small goal and work up to at least 30 minutes of activity most days of the week.

Sexual Health
If you are sexually active, talk to your doctor about being screened for sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV.

Tobacco and Alcohol Use
Don't Smoke. If you do smoke, talk to your doctor about quitting. You can take medicine and get counseling to help you quit. Make a plan and set a quit date. Tell your family, friends and co-workers that you are quitting and ask for their support.  

"It's My Healthcare" is a joint initiative of Westchester County and representatives of the county's medical community. It's all about understanding health care quality.

For Patients
Research has shown that science-based measures can be used to assess quality for various conditions and for specific types of care.  For example, quality health care is:

  • Doing the right thing - getting the health services you need
  • At the right time - when you need them
  • In the right way - using the appropriate test or procedure
  • To achieve the best possible results

Find out what you need to know to get the best care.

For Providers
Providing quality health care also means striking the right balance of services by:

  • Avoiding under use - e.g. not screening a person for high blood pressure
  • Avoiding overuse - e.g. performing tests a patient doesn't need
  • Eliminating misuse - e.g. providing medications that may have dangerous interactions

Find out what you can do to provide the best care.

Physical activity can make the connection. Experience active family fun. Time together is time that’s treasured. Try these activities:

Family Adventures
See the sights of your community. Try hiking, fishing, canoeing, and berry-picking. Discover the public parks. Visit the zoo. Explore outdoor tourist attractions.

Family Fitness Vacations
Plan an active get-away. Swim at the beach or bike on a scenic trail. Hike or camp in the mountains. Explore state and national parks. Raft down a river. Take a walking tour of a city. 

The Gift of Physical Activity
Give a present that encourages activity. Outfit that special someone with a swimsuit or pair of athletic shoes. Select toys that make kids move, such as a basketball or bicycle. 

Seasonal Celebrations
Welcome each one with fun.

  • Winter: Go sledding or build a snowman.
  • Spring: Play whiffle ball or fly a kite.
  • Summer: Run through the sprinkler or jump rope.
  • Fall: Play Frisbee golf or hike through a pumpkin patch.

Community Service
Benefit others while benefiting yourself—volunteer as a family. Do litter patrol on a nearby road, help neighbors rake their yard or team up to clean up a favorite park. Find the right fit.

Organized Activities
Lessons, clubs and teams can be a positive experience if they match your child’s interests and personality. Before signing up, check out the program and answer the following questions. A majority of “yes” answers suggests enjoyment for your child.

  • Does my child’s skill level and size match the rest of the group?
  • Are the challenges and expectations appropriate for my child?
  • Are all children given meaningful opportunities to learn skills and participate fully?
  • Is there a focus on development of fair play, teamwork, sportsmanship and having fun?
  • Does the activity leader provide encouragement and positive feedback?
  • Are all children treated with respect?

It’s not just an action, it’s a lifestyle.

Walk and Talk
Instead of sitting at the table to do homework, take a walk with your child while practicing spelling words, multiplication tables or geography facts.

Household Jobs
Encourage responsibility and home maintenance skills by having your children help vacuum, scrub floors, mow the lawn, walk the dog,wash the car and more.

Indoor Fun
Designate a space where kids can roll, climb, jump, dance and tumble. Garages—without cars—can become an activity zone on rainy or snowy days.

Traveling Locker Room
Stash a box in the family car that holds balls, baseball gloves, a jump rope, Frisbee and kite. You’ll always be ready for fun.

Physical activity builds a great foundation for a healthy life. It’s a win-win event for you and your child. Physical activity can:

  • Increase self-esteem and capacity for learning
  • Help kids handle stress
  • Build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints
  • Help control weight
  1. Preventing Injuries
  2. Providing the Best Care
  3. Raising Safe and Healthy Kids
  4. Staying Healthy: For Kids Only