Childhood obesity¹：What parents can do

儿童肥胖父母怎么办？

　　Over the past 30 years，the rate of obesity in the United States has more than doubled for preschoolers and adolescents，and it has more than tripled for children ages 6 to 11.

　　在过去的30年中，美国学前儿童和青少年患肥胖症的比例翻了不只一番，6到11岁的儿童超过了3倍。

　　Obese² children get a hard start on health problems such as diabetes³ and heart disease，often carrying these problems into an obese adulthood⁴. If this trend continues，obesity may soon top smoking as the nation's most preventable cause of death.

　　患肥胖症的儿童已开始健康状况就不容乐观，容易患糖尿病或心脏疾病。通常这些问题可以一直延续到他们肥胖的成人时期。如果这一趋势持续下去，肥胖症可能将会超过吸烟而成为美国最可预防的导致死亡的因素。

　　The reasons for a child's obesity are complex. But the most common factors combine too much screen time - including television，computers and video games - with too much junk food. And the best solution is to reduce your entire family's intake⁵ of both.

　　儿童罹患肥胖症的原因比较复杂。但是最普通的因素是太长时间面对显示屏，像电视、电脑、电视游戏等，和过多摄入垃圾食品。最好的解决办法是减少你整个家庭在这两方面的投入。

　　Good for everyone

　　对每个人都有好处

　　Don't single out the overweight members of your family for lifestyle changes. Eating healthier foods and getting more exercise is good for everybody. Children tend to mimic⁶ their parents，so it pays to be a good role model. If you don't want your children eating french fries，don't eat them yourself. Play basketball with the kids after dinner，or take a family walk. Organize family outings that involve physical activity - such as bike riding，skating or hiking.

　　不要仅仅让你家庭成员中超重的成员改变生活方式。吃健康的食物和多做运动对谁都有好处。孩子易于效仿他们的父母，所以你得做好榜样。如果你不想你的孩子吃炸薯条，那你自己也不要吃。饭后和孩子们一起玩篮球，或者一家人出去走走。组织一些有体育项目的家庭旅游，比如骑自行车，滑冰或者徒步旅行。

　　Parents have control

　　父母主导

　　Parents are the ones who buy the food，cook the food and decide where food is eaten. Even small changes can make a big difference in your family's overall health.

　　买食物的是父母，做饭的是父母，决定在哪吃饭的还是父母。即使是最小的孩子，他们也能从你全家的健康状况得益。

　　“When buying groceries，choose fruits and vegetables over convenience foods high in sugar and fat. Always have healthy snacks available. And never use food as a reward or punishment.

　　在买食品的时候，挑一些水果和蔬菜，而不是那些高糖分、高脂肪的方便食品。一定要准备一些健康的零食，据不用食物作为奖励或惩罚的手段。

　　“Limit sweetened beverages⁷，including those containing fruit juice. These drinks provide little nutrition in exchange for their high calories. They also can make your child feel too full to eat healthier foods.

　　限制加糖饮料，包括那些含有果汁的饮料。那些饮料除了提供高热量外没有太多的营养价值，并让你的孩子感到很饱而不愿意吃健康的食物。

　　“Select recipes and methods of cooking that are lower in fat. For example，bake chicken instead of frying it.

　　选用低脂肪的烹饪方法和菜系。比如说，我们用烤鸡儿不用炸鸡。

　　“Put colorful food on the table：green and yellow vegetables，fruits of various colors，and brown（whole-grain）breads. Limit white carbohydrates：rice，pasta，bleached bread and sugar（desserts）。

　　选用色彩丰富的食物：绿的或者黄的蔬菜，不同颜色的水果，褐色的面包（全麦的）。减少含碳水化合物的白色食物，如米饭、意大利面、白面包或者是食糖（还有点心）。

　　“Sit down together for family meals. Make it an event - a time to share news and tell stories. Eating in front of the television fosters mindless munching⁸.

　　全家坐在一起吃饭。可以将聚餐弄成一种分享新鲜事和讲故事活动。在电视前面吃饭让人漫不经心的咀嚼食物。

　　“Limit your children's recreational screen time to fewer than two hours a day.

　　把孩子面对显示屏娱乐的时间限制在一天2小时以内。

　　“During your child's physical exams，ask the doctor to show you the growth curves giving percentiles for height，weight，and body mass index（BMI）。These allow you to compare your child with the norms for age and sex.

　　在孩子体检时，向医生索要显示孩子体重和升高增长的百分比的成长曲线和体质指标（BMI）。通过这些数据你可以把你的孩子与同性别同年龄的孩子正常的身体情况进行对比。

　　Don't make it a battle

　　不要做过了

　　Parents often must balance on a tightrope⁹ between giving too much and too little attention to their child's obesity. Because many overweight children already feel bad about themselves，you should make sure they know you love them unconditionally¹⁰.

　　父母通常必须在过于关注孩子的肥胖问题和关注不足之间找一个平衡点。因为往往很多超重的孩子自己应经对自己的体型感到不满了，所以你应该让他们知道无论怎么样你都爱他们。

　　Offer healthy food to your children，but don't force it on them. Avoid fad¹¹ diets. In many cases，simply maintaining a child's present weight is good enough - providing the opportunity for the child to grow into his or her pounds.

　　给他们提供健康的饮食，但不要强迫他们接受。避免流行的时尚食物。在很多的情况下，保持现在孩子的体质就足够了，应该给他们机会让他们长到他们适当的体重。

　　Minorities at higher risk、

　　少数民族的压力更大

　　Although the obesity rate has increased dramatically for all U.S. children，certain ethnic¹² minorities - blacks，Hispanics and American Indians - have been experiencing the highest rates of increase. Nearly 25 percent of children in these ethnic groups are obese by medical standards.

　　尽管所有的美国孩子肥胖症发病率急剧增长，但某些特定的少数民族像黑人、西班牙人、印第安人等，他们的增长率一直是最高的。根据医学标准，这些种族中大约有25%的儿童有肥胖症。

　　Poverty is another risk factor. Between 1986 and 1998，the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables increased substantially more than did the cost of carbonated drinks，meat，sweets and snacks. So it's literally¹³ cheaper to eat unhealthy foods.

　　贫穷是导致肥胖症的另一个原因。在1986年到1998年间，新鲜水果和蔬菜的价格增长明显超过了碳酸饮料、肉、糖和零食的价格。所以吃不健康的食物显然比较便宜。

　　Improve school food

　　提高学校的餐饮质量

　　To help make ends meet，some schools have installed vending¹⁴ machines selling soft drinks and snacks. The schools typically receive a percentage of the sales from these machines. Parents can request that their local school boards require all food and beverages served or sold at school to meet accepted nutritional¹⁵ standards.

　　为了平衡收支，一些学校在学校里安装了出售软饮料和零食的自动售货机。学校一般都会从这些售货机收出的食物中提成。家长可题要求当地的学校委员会命令所有的学校内售出的食品和饮料达到公认的营养标准。

　　Parents also can advocate for daily physical education（PE）classes for all students. PE classes have been reduced or even eliminated in many schools because of budget constraints¹⁶. Latchkey children often aren't allowed to play outside their homes until their parents get home，so exercise time at school is even more important.

　　家长也可以要求开设所有的学生参加的每天的体育课程。由于经费紧张，很多学校已经压缩甚至取消了体育课。孩子们经常都被锁在家里，不能外出活动，一直到他们的父母回家。所以学校的体育锻炼就尤为重要。

　　Worth the time

　　花时间是值得的

　　Many families feel they don't have the time it takes to prepare healthier meals and exercise more. Shopping，cooking，sharing a meal and cleaning up do take longer than zipping into the drive-through lane at a fast-food restaurant.

　　很多家庭都觉得他们没有给孩子提供更加健康的食物和陪孩子锻炼的时间。去商场买菜、做饭、一起吃饭和饭后洗涮肯定要比去一家快餐店的取食物的穿梭通道更花时间。

　　But the dangers of childhood obesity are real，and they are starting to take a toll¹⁷. Helping¹⁸ set your kids on the path to a healthy future is one of the most important things you can do for them. Your investment in time will pay big dividends¹⁹ throughout their entire lives.

　　但是，孩子们面临的肥胖症的危机就在眼前，这些危机已经开始给他们造成了不良的影响。引领你的孩子走上一条通向未来的健康之路是你能为他们作的最重要的事情之一。你在这方面的时间投资会使他们获益终生。

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