Dunwoody writer addresses overweight children issue
Tuesday, July 6, 2004 2:32 PM EDT
One of the
major challenges American parents face today is that of overweight
children. A combination of poor nutrition and a sedentary
lifestyle is driving up the average weight of children, and has
been for the last 20 years.
"Overweight is now the most common medical condition of
childhood," claims the American Academy of Pediatrics. An
estimated 30 percent of children are overweight, with 15 percent
declared obese, and millions more termed "at risk."
Todd Hollander, who is a
Dunwoody resident and a market research consultant, decided to put
his research skills to work when faced with his own weight
problems. Hollander began developing research methodologies,
collecting data, analyzing results, and developing recommendations
much like he has done for 20 years managing strategic research for
Fortune 500 companies. The end result was the writing of "We're
Killing Our Kids: How to End the Epidemic of Overweight and
Sedentary Children," due to be released later this year.
Hollander writes not as a diet or exercise expert, but as a
concerned parent. He is the father of twin 13-year-old daughters
and a 9-year-old son. "This book is the result not only of my
extensive research, but also the experience of applying what I
learned in my own family," Hollander said.
The motivational and practical guidebook provides information
about the 10 leading causes of overweight children; the physical,
economic, and psychological consequences of obesity; myths and
facts about nutrition, exercise and weight loss; how to assess a
child's weight; and how to develop a step-by-step process to help
children with a lifelong plan for nutrition and exercise.
"I started my research by reading about nutrition. What I learned
was both shocking and liberating. It became clear that the low-fat
high carbohydrate diet was not only incapable of solving my weight
problem-it seemed to be causing it," Hollander said.
"I continued my research
and observed how my family was functioning. I recognized that with
the best of intentions, my wife and I had been serving our
children meals and snacks that were virtually guaranteed to make
them fat. Compounding this problem was the fact that we had
allowed their lives to become increasingly sedentary. The remedy
was not only to change our children's diet but also to increase
their physical activity," Hollander said.
A major change for the Hollander family has been the development
of an exercise schedule for all. Both parents and children offer
suggestions for healthy exercise options they can enjoy as a
family, such as nature walks and hiking trips.
"It's working. My kids will now tell me to park away from
attractions so we can walk there. Once you start thinking about
it, there are exercise opportunities everywhere," Hollander said.
"It is my sincere desire that this book will provide parents and
other concerned adults the information, tools, and motivation they
need to help children develop a lifestyle of healthy eating and
physical fitness."
"We're Killing Our Kids: How to End the Epidemic of Overweight and
Sedentary Children" will be available in October from online
bookstores and directly from the publisher, Worthy Press.
Reprinted with permission
