Childhood obesity link to back pain

Being overweight as a child and adolescent can lead to poor postures linked to back pain, according to new research by Curtin University’s School of Physiotherapy, the Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute and the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research.

The research team compared the Body Mass Index (BMI) of 1,373 children from the long-term Raine Study over a period of 12 years (from the age of three to 14) with specific standing postures measured at age 14.

Results showed there was a clear relationship between BMI and posture. Four main posture groups were defined – neutral, flat, sway and hyperlordotic. These were categorised by angular measurements of the pelvis and spine of the teenagers photographed from side on.

 Dr Anne Smith, Senior Lecturer at the School of Physiotherapy says: “We found that teenagers with higher BMI were more likely to stand with non-neutral postures, placing more strain on the spine and increasing the risk of back pain.

“This relationship between BMI and spinal posture is concerning, as it suggests increasing load on the spine over the growth period may change the structure of the spine.”

The findings also indicated that BMI tracks fairly steadily from early life through to adolescence. “We found that in terms of BMI for most teenagers where you are at three is where you are at 14,” Dr Smith said. “There was just one group out of the six that had a pattern of increasing BMI. 

"This is an important study, because it highlights obesity as an important factor for bone and joint health and development, in addition to being a risk factor for many other well known health problems. Our findings emphasise the importance of preventing obesity as early in life as possible.”

Atlas Performance Shopping List

Hey Guys and Girls,


Sean here. Just in a very good mood and thought I would share one of our little tools our clients use to keep there nutrition in check.


A Shopping List!


This little gem is priceless as well as simple. Make sure you can't bugger it up, its easy to manage and it is cost effective. Our Shopping List is all of the above and now you get to take a little bit of Atlas Performance home with you.


If you save, download or use it, could you please leave a comment and tell me how well it worked for you. Would love to hear your success stories.

Committed To Your Success,

Sean Connolly - MS (ExSc)

Director

Chief Performance Officer

BioSignature Practitioner 

Captivating Speaker on Human Performance

Overweight Kids Can't Jump

Overweight children believe they have poorer movement skills, such as throwing, catching, running, jumping and hopping, compared to their leaner counterparts, a new study has shown. And their parents agree.

The study featuring in the November 2010 issue of The Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport (JSAMS), published by Sports Medicine Australia, examined whether children’s actual and perceived physical ability and their parent’s perceptions differed by weight status.

Results showed parents of overweight children perceived them to be less able than non-overweight children. Overweight children had the same perception. Despite these perceptions being accurate, such beliefs influence motivation to participate in physical activity.

It is therefore important for parents of overweight children to tell their children that they are quite able to participate in physical activity, to help in increasing their levels of activity.

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Editor, Professor Gregory Kolt says: “This study has shown that overweight boys and their parents perceive them as being less competent at sports, less proficient in outdoor games and prefer watching sports than actively participating compared with their leaner friends. Similar trends were identified in girls."

The study highlights that understanding these differences is important because physical activity levels are significantly lower among overweight children and children’s motivation to participate in physical activity is influenced by their perceived and actual competence.

Need help learning how to motivate your kids to exercise? Post your comments below and our experienced trainers will offer some suggestions to help. 

Easy Dinner Idea

Are you stuck for dinner plans tonight? Here's a really simple meal you can make that is healthy and tastes great.

Start with around 180g per person of a fish like salmon or trout. Place the fish on a piece of foil big enough to wrap the fish completely, spraying a little big of olive oil onto the foil first.

Add some flavour to the fish with some fresh thin slices of tomato or fresh herbs like coriander, parsley, garlic or grated ginger. Add some pepper to taste. Bake the fish in a hot oven until the fish is white and flaky. Serve with brown rice or steamed pumpkin and green beans.

What's your favourite healthy recipe? Hit comment below to share your fave recipe with other Atlas fans.

Why you Shouldn't Skip Breakfast

You remember the other day when we said you shouldn't skip breakfast? If the fitness and nutritional benefits weren't enough to convince you, take a look at this.

A world first study conducted by Menzies Research Institute Tasmania has shown that skipping breakfast over a long period of time may increase your risk of heart disease and diabetes.

This new study was recently published online in the international journal American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Skipping breakfast is a fairly common practice with 23 per cent of adults and 10 per cent of children reporting they did not regularly eat breakfast in the 1995 National Nutrition Survey (Australia) and there is evidence that skipping breakfast is becoming more common.

Previous studies have shown eating breakfast is good for weight management.

First author and chief investigator of the paper, Menzies’ PhD student Kylie Smith says results from our new study show that not only is breakfast good for weight management, but it is also good for reducing other risk factors for heart disease and diabetes such as blood insulin and cholesterol levels, independently of weight.

“People who reported skipping breakfast both during childhood and adulthood had more risk factors for diabetes and heart disease than their peers who ate breakfast at both times in the study,” she said.

The investigation was part of the national Childhood Determinants of Adult Health (CDAH) study. Over 2,000 participants were involved with the breakfast skipping study. “We used data from a large nation-wide study with a 20 year follow-up from childhood to early adulthood," Kylie said. “Compared to those who ate breakfast both as a child and an adult, those who skipped breakfast on both occasions had a larger waist circumference, and had higher fasting insulin, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol), which are all risk factors for heart disease and diabetes."

Healthy Weight, Heart Foundation national director Susan Anderson added: “We’ve always known that eating breakfast helps with concentration, weight control and good nutrition, but this study provides further evidence that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If parents wanted to do just one thing to help ensure the good health of their children now and into the future, it could be to make sure that no-one leaves the house in the mornings without breakfast."

Vitamin Water: Friend or Foe?

We've been long frustrated that many people believe they can substitute a healthy nutritional diet for vitamin-enriched water. Now CHOICE, the independent community interest watchdog, is advising consumers not to buy into the hype saying vitamin-enriched waters are "essentially expensive lolly waters with hyperventilated health claims."

According to a release issued by CHOICE, some of the drinks, which go by names such as 'Nutrient Water', 'Smart Water' and 'Vitamin Water' and retail for between $2.50 and $4.00, contain enough sugar in one 500ml bottle to provide the average woman with a third of her recommended daily intake.

CHOICE spokesperson Ingrid Just says it's time to get tough on potentially misleading promotions and labelling such as 'nature approved ingredients' and 'natural flavours' which mean nothing.

"This type of labelling creates the impression that the drinks can be used as a safety net for a poor lifestyle when grabbing an apple and a glass of water will provide you with far more nutrients for a fraction of the cost," Ingrid says.

When CHOICE complained to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in 2008 that Coca Cola Amatil's Glaceau Vitamin Water made a mockery of food labeling laws, the complaint was rejected. Since that time the market has been flooded with similar products.

"It's time to take another look at the way vitamin enhanced waters are being marketed; these drinks are leading consumers up an imaginary garden path to health and vitality," Ingrid says. "Treat them like any other sugary or artificial drink; enjoy occasionally, not as a means to any kind of wellbeing whatever the label or pretty pictures might suggest.”

Our advice? Steer clear of packaged drinks and get your water from the tap. Make sure you always take a bottle of water out with you, but use a BPA-free bottle!

Keeping your stomach safe

With the festive season and warmer weather here, you really need to be taking care when preparing and storing food.

Director of Environmental Health Jim Dodds says people should follow proper food handling procedures to ensure that barbecues, social functions and the traditional Christmas lunch don't become a source of illness.

"The rate of food-borne illnesses such as gastroenteritis often increases over summer because bacteria grow more quickly in foods if they are left out of the fridge," he says.

People can avoid food-borne illness by following some basic food handling principles such as:

• storing foods such as meat, dairy products and other perishable goods in the fridge until needed and not leaving leftovers out for longer than two hours
• covering food to prevent contamination by dust or insects
• throwing away higher risk foods such as those containing meats and dairy products which have been left out of the fridge for longer than four hours
• cooking all meats thoroughly, taking special care with chicken and minced meat products
• always having an esky with ice or ice bricks to keep meats and other foods cold at barbecues and picnics
• checking date marking on food before purchasing or using
• washing hands thoroughly with soap and water before handling food
• avoiding cross contamination – prepare and store raw meat separately from cooked and ready to eat foods such as salad and cooked chicken. Items such as tongs, chopping boards and knifes used on raw meats should be washed before being used to handle ready to eat foods
• placing left over food to cool in the fridge soon after cooking
• keeping leftovers for a maximum of three days and if reheating, reheat until steaming hot
• washing fruit and vegetables in clean running water before consumption

Jim says people should also be aware that most food poisoning bacteria do not produce an "off" smell or taste, so it may be hard to tell if something should not be eaten.

"In many cases food poisoning symptoms can take a few days to appear, so people should not assume it was the last meal they ate that made them sick," he says.

"If you think you have become ill from eating contaminated food and are unwell enough to seek medical care, you should consult your doctor as soon as possible and make a list of food eaten in the previous 48 hours.

"If the food was eaten at a restaurant or takeaway, you should also notify the local government's environmental health branch and any leftovers should be frozen or refrigerated for examination."