Looking for some tools to skyrocket your family to better health? Check out Children's Hospital of Wisconsin's 3-2-1-0 Blast Off to a Healthier Family! program that helps families like yours achieve better health. We know obesity continues to be an epidemic problem in both adults and children. And, as the obesity numbers in children rise, so do the number of children diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

Adult diabetes on the rise in kids

Historically, children were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, a condition that usually is due to genetics, in which the body does not produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes, formally known as adult onset diabetes, is more directly the result of unhealthy lifestyle behaviors. Usually, this condition would take years to develop, but with today’s access to fast food, sweetened beverages and highly processed foods, in combination with sedentary activities such as video games, cable and cell phones, type 2 diabetes has started to affect people at a younger age. Children are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes as young as 6 years old.

3-2-1-0 Blast Off!

Making better meal and snack choices, as well as being physically active, can help prevent obesity and potentially type 2 diabetes. 3-2-1-0 Blast Off to a Healthier Family! Can help launch healthier habits for your family. This program, developed by the NEW (Nutrition, Exercise and Weight Management) Kids Program at Children's Hospital helps families to make healthy choices every day.

3 - Eat three meals a day. Many families today are busy and look for quick and convenient ways to provide meals. This often means stopping at fast food restaurants or buying prepared, processed foods. These meals tend to provide inadequate fiber and are higher in fat, sodium and calories.

2 - Allow less than two hours of sedentary activity per day. Limit the amount of time children are involved in screen time activities. This includes watching television, playing video games, using the computer and talking or texting on the phone.

1 - Aim for at least one hour of physical activity each day. Encourage your children to participate in activities they enjoy. This can include riding a bike, playing tag, jumping rope, running, family walks and basketball. Make this a family event!

0 - Eliminate sweetened beverages. Choose beverages that have less than three grams of sugar per serving. Sweetened beverages can provide empty calories that add up very quickly.

Family Meals. Try to have as many meals as possible together as a family. This provides a great opportunity to learn about the events of the day and make you more conscious of how quickly and how much you are eating.



A new section of Children's Health Education Center's Bluekids.org Web site offers interactive games for kids, meal and activity tracking sheets, parenting information and more at www.bluekids.org. Introduce your kids to characters like "Skipper" (skips meals), "Hypnotica" (encourages kids to watch TV and play video games) and "Buzz" (cons kids into drinking sweetened juices and sodas). Fun, interactive activities teach kids how to battle these "aliens" to good health.

Fast Fact: About 151,000 people below the age of 20 have diabetes in North America.

Brian Fidlin, PsyD is the program director of the NEW (Nutrition, Exercise and Weight Management) Kids Program at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. Heather Fortin, RD, CD, CSCS, CLC is a registered dietitian with the NEW Kids Program at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.

Yes, it's that time again. After a long summer of sleeping late, playing outside and flexible schedules, children and parents can be overwhelmed adjusting to busy back-to-school routines. But every morning does not have to turn into madness. The tricks to a stress-free morning are planning ahead and sticking to schedules.

Keep these tips in mind as you get your kids ready for school:

• To avoid last minute scrambling in the morning, keep book bags, stocked with completed homework assignments and other school necessities, near the door along with coats and shoes.
• Give your child a bath and choose his or her outfit the night before. Have the clothing pressed and ready to go.
• Decide on breakfast and lunch foods ahead of time, and have those foods easily accessible for cooking or packing in a lunch box. You may even want to make your child’s lunch the night before and refrigerate.
• Avoid distractions such as TV or video games. They only will captivate your child’s attention and cause him or her to rush later.
• Build cushions into your family’s schedule so you don’t feel frazzled.
• Keep your child from being rushed by providing gentle reminders. For example, “The school bus will be here in 10 minutes, so you’ll need to put your shoes on.”
• Avoid unnecessary morning chores like emptying the dishwasher.
• Hang the family calendar in a place where everyone can see it. Older children can be proactive and place their musical instrument or uniform next to the door.
• When you feel stressed, your family can sense it. Wake up 15 minutes earlier so you can have some alone time to wake up and feel energized before the rush.
  

Taking these tips into consideration can make your mornings run more smoothly. Here's to a great school year!

FAST FACT: 55 million students across the nation are enrolled in grades K-12 this fall. They will be taught by 6.8 million teachers.

Colleen Schultz is the education manager at Children’s Health Education Center. She is a certified health education specialist with a bachelor’s degree in community health. She also has a master’s degree in education. For more information on parenting tips, or for information about community education classes, call Children’s Health Education Center, a member of Children’s Hospital and Health System, at (414) 765-9355.

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