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SALT LAKE CITY -- A University of Utah clinic is trying to prevent childhood obesity by targeting teen mothers during pregnancy.
"Once a child is obese, chances are they are going to stay obese," said Joni Hemond, pediatric medical director at the Teen Mother & Child Program in Salt Lake City. "Let's target them as early as we can --in the womb." Hemond said 54 percent of the clinic's 400 teen moms and 28 percent of its 800 children are overweight or obese, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
Bluffdale mom Michelle Longman made the mistake of restricting her son's movement early because he had asthma, only to see him start gaining weight when he was just 4 or 5.
A pediatrician adjusted his medication, increased his activity and changed his diet.
But at age 8, he is still overweight and now being teased at school.
Program officials hope the new approach will prevent bullying before it begins by educating the mothers while their child is still in the womb.
Hemond said the program emphasizes the 5-2-1-0 guidelines for nutrition and physical activity.
That means eating at least five servings of fruit and vegetables, spending less than 2 hours watching TV or a computer screen, getting 1 hour of exercise and drinking no sweetened beverages.
The clinic is using those national guidelines in an unusual way - by interviewing teen moms about obstacles that stand in their way and how they could encourage others to follow healthy lifestyles.
Hemond said teen moms helped provide tips included in two pamphlets aimed at pregnant and postpartum teens.
"We went to the teens themselves to gather information on how we should talk to them in our office," Hemond said. "We hope they would set up a lifestyle and a culture in their homes ... (and) their children would grow up learning these things from the start."
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
