IN THE MIX:Get kids healthy today

Have you heard the one about kids these days having a greater struggle with obesity? It gets worse. The growing weight issues have brought on growing diabetes rates and it’s hitting California hard.

I’m fortunate my children can take advantage of local sports programs and did not inherit the bad genes or bad habits that have me in an ongoing battle with the gym and skinless chicken breasts.

But even if they did struggle with weight issues, I know that with all the recreation programs in the city I would find a way to get them healthy. It’s not enough to know that obesity rates among children are rising. We have to look at our own kids and take action. Every parent needs to spend at least a little time focusing on the health of their children.

Enter the American Diabetes Assn. Lou Underwood is responsible for educating the young in our area about how an unhealthy lifestyle can lead to a life of diabetes. She says diabetes is growing in this country and while it used to be centralized in the Midwest, it has gained a strong foothold in California. She said the growing Latino and Pacific Islander populations along with the American Indian population are genetically more susceptible to the disease.

“An overweight Caucasian child is at risk of getting diabetes; an overweight Latino child is likely to get it,” Underwood said.

Underwood recently answered the call of Whittier Elementary School nurse Liza Mardoyan. Mardoyan wanted to get students focusing on taking care of themselves.

The event raised funds for the diabetes association and got dialogue about the disease going. But such an event is just the start for most kids.

This is not an invitation to give your kids the impression that if they are overweight you love them less or that there is something wrong with them. There is a balance to turning the home life into a healthy one without being obsessed with it.

Hopefully if you spend a lot of time after school with your kids you can subtly encourage active play and healthy snack choices. For those who aren’t home quite as much, things can be a bit more difficult.

My parents weren’t home after school. I took the bus home and if I was lucky my sister or cousins would be there, but likely not. I took full advantage of the chance to do nothing with my parent-free afternoons and used homework and the TV to keep me busy.

Along with lack of supervision for outdoor play, many low-income families can add transportation difficulties to the physical fitness limitations. Add to that the costs of many sports and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can get near impossible.

That’s when parents and children have to get creative.

Underwood suggests youngsters have competitions with their siblings or friends to see how many sit-ups they can do during each commercial break.

She also encourages children to grab a healthy snack at least some of the time.

“Next time, maybe grab an apple,” she said. “Of course you’re going to have a candy bar, just not every single time.”

Outside the home, options include after-school programs and organized sports.

The after-school programs at the elementary schools, run by the Costa Mesa recreation department, often include soccer, basketball or schoolyard games that can get the kids active.

City-run classes do cost money. Usually they are about $10 to $15 per class. The city doesn’t have a discount for low-income families, which would be nice, but still they provide a pretty impressive service for not that much money.

Organized sports like soccer and baseball can get pricey with the candy sales, pancake breakfast tickets, pictures and snacks, but the benefits children get out of teamwork, exercise and pride in their own accomplishments is worth it.

If the programs are out of reach it’s even more important to get your kids on the health kick. Underwood tells her teenage students that it is now up to them to make these decisions. She encourages them to take control of their bodies and futures through healthy choices.

City programs, health-conscious children’s programming and healthier fast-food menus are all good tools, but nobody has as much influence on a child as their parent. Use it wisely.