Taking Summertime Seriously
In a new blog post at CLOCC.net, Dr. Amy Bohnert and Carolyn Bates, of Loyola University Chicago, discuss the obesity implications of the "summertime slide" and explore preventative steps that can be adopted by parents and CLOCC partner organizations alike. An excerpt appears below. For the full post, click here.
Evidence suggests that summer programming that offers structured activities for extended periods of time appears to protect against weight gain. In fact, in a recent study, adolescents whose summers involved regular participation in organized, structured activities were found to have significantly lower BMIs than youth whose summer care arrangements consisted solely of parent care without organized activities and care by other adults.6 Moreover, summertime arrangements that include involvement in organized activities appear to have long-lasting positive effects on youth, including lower BMIs and increased social-emotional functioning the following school year.7
Family rules and routines are additional forms of structure that are essential to maintaining a healthy weight over the summer months. During the school year, schools impose some degree of structure over meals and activity, and families may impose regular bedtimes for children who need to wake up early for school. During the summer, on the other hand, families may relax rules about bedtimes, mealtimes, and snacking. However, these very rules and routines have been shown to promote health and serve as protective factors against the development of obesity.8,9 In the absence of such rules and routines, children sleep for shorter amounts of time,10 eat less healthfully,11 and engage in significantly less physical activity,12 all of which serve as major risk factors for weight gain.
Click here to read the full text of the blog.
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