Local family hoping healthy choices, new guidelines help curb childhood obesity

By Sharon Chen

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    BLUE SPRINGS, Missouri (KCTV) — t’s not the kind of answer you’d expect from an 11-year-old girl, when asked what’s your favorite food.

“Chia seeds. I really like chia seeds,” said Joy Laws.

Joy is learning to make healthier choices.

“I grew up overweight when I was little and it’s always been a struggle,” said Rachel, Joy’s mom.

It’s a struggle Joy has now inherited. Rachel said it’s been a fight from the beginning.

“I was very strict; like she didn’t have sugar for the first year of her life and no matter what I did she was always in the 95th percentile,” said Rachel.

According to the CDC, overweight for children and teens is defined as Body Mass Index or BMI at or above the 85th percentile. BMI at or above the 95th percentile is considered obese.

Obesity affects nearly 15 million children and teenagers in the United States.

“For us, we have been giving Joy medication that curbs her appetite,” said Rachel.

The medication is part of Joy’s treatment at the Center for Healthy Lifestyles and Nutrition at Children’s Mercy Hospital. Dr. Sarah Hampl is Director.

“So we know that 1 in every 5 kids in the U.S. and in our area are struggling with the disease of obesity,” said Dr. Hampl.

According to the CDC, the rate of weight gain nearly doubled in 2020, compared with pre-pandemic years.

Enter the new guidelines to treat obesity from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Published in January, it’s the first comprehensive update in 15 years. Dr. Hampl was co-author along with 20 other experts in her field.

“It does take into account all these other factors that can influence a child’s weight and their ability to be successful,” said Hampl.

For the first time ever, the guidance suggests medication for kids as young as 12 and surgery for teens 13 and older.

“Sometimes for kids depending on the severity of their obesity and the other health risks that they’re facing, they may need intensive treatment,” said Hampl. “We know that obesity tends to track into adulthood as well as many of the complications of obesity.”

Hampl said complications can include a risk for bone and joint problems, diabetes, heart disease, sleep apnea and more.

She said it’s important to understand obesity is a complex, chronic condition with no simple fix, but it should begin with a healthy diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes.

“We focus on the not the child alone, but helping families make these healthy changes together,” said Hampl.

“We a lot of a lot of salad kits every night for dinner,” said Rachel.

The Laws family is working hard to incorporate changes now.

“This isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon, so we just have to take it one day at a time,” said Rachel.

They hope the path to healthy living now will avoid the one to surgery later.

”I don’t want that to be the first choice for us, but for sure it’s something I would be open to in the future,” said Rachel. “But that’s not my first choice.”

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