Childhood Obesity: Prevention With Pedometers,Technology And Exercise

By John E. Lewis, Ph.D.

Childhood obesity is dramatically rising and is now the most significant health crisis affecting children today. Physical inactivity and poor nutrition are the principle
causes of obesity, according to the United States Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA). Thus, children should be made aware of the severity
of the problem that their generation faces, and they also need to understand that being active, which was taken for granted by so many prior generations, is one of the
principal keys to being in good health. As the electronics age has consumed so many aspects of daily life in the last couple of decades, children of today are indoctrinated
into the technological craze at a very early age. Popular electronics are readily affordable by most families, so children grow up learning how to operate everything from
televisions to computers to video games to PDAs and cell phones. While the use of technology provides our society with enormous advantages in access to information and
convenience, with such freedom at least partially comes the price of good health due to the sedentary lifestyle that such electronic equipment promotes.

In considering how electronic equipment can help to promote a more active lifestyle in children, one of the obvious appliances is the pedometer. Pedometers, like most
electronics, come in a wide variety of models, styles, features, and options, but a simple pedometer that accurately measures steps is affordable for nearly everyone and
will allow children the opportunity to use a device that helps them to understand the importance of movement and activity. If money is no object, then some pedometers
also measure distance walked, approximate number of calories burned, and they have features like memory to record your activity for several days, times, a stopwatch, clock,
timers, and alarms. These features can further enhance a child’s interest in linking activity levels to some of the output. Nonetheless, any pedometer can be used as part
of a program that tracks steps in relation to amount of exercise performed in any given frame of time.

Typically, most people think in terms of walking so many steps per day, such as 10,000, which provides a benchmark to strive for. The pedometer can also be used to initially
determine the typical amount of steps taken per day, and then a goal can be established based on the child’s beginning fitness/activity level. Because walking is
a safe activity for virtually everyone, the pedometer can be an intimate part of success at increasing activity patterns through direct recording of steps everyday.

Then, tracking the amount of steps over time will allow the user to chart progress in achieving goals for weight loss, fitness, and general health and well-being.
Schools and day-care programs could utilize pedometers organizationally, as a way to create a game for participants, such as applying steps toward “climbing Mt. Rushmore,”
or “walking across Florida.” As an electronic device, the pedometer is a natural way for children to link what they know (technology) with something once taken for granted
as a way of life for youth in America (exercise). Because children of today are so focused on technology as a way of life, the pedometer can help to fill the gap that
exists in improving activity habits through a feedback mechanism that tracks steps and thus teaches kids to recognize a minimal threshold of daily exercise.

John E. Lewis, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor, Director of Research for Complementary and Integrative Medicine and 
Associate Director of the Medical Wellness Center at the Miller School of Medicine/University of Miami, Miami, Florida.

The above information is for education purposes only. Please contact your health care provider for any specific questions related to nutrition, exercise and or health.

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