Summer weight gain in children: Why it happens and how to prevent it

For most kids, summer break is the most wonderful time of the year. Who wouldn’t want three months of endless relaxation and free time?

However, with each generation, the concept of summer fun is drastically changing. While Gen X-ers and Millennials spent those warm days outside, riding bikes and shooting hoops, modern-day kids largely prefer to stay inside, where they have access to video games, social media, snacks and a comfy couch. This limited physical activity, paired with increased screentime and poor nutrition, is causing today’s youth to gain weight at a rapid pace during summer break, which can have long-lasting impacts on their overall health.

“Childhood obesity is increasing significantly, and it has a lot to do with how kids recreate,” says Kanika Trehan, MD, a general and bariatric surgeon at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital. “They’re more indoors now. They’re on the computers, tablets and iPhones. It boils down to the basic calories in and calories out for most kids. They’re not as physically active and there’s a component of diet to it as well.”

While in school, explains Dr. Trehan, it’s easier to maintain a healthier lifestyle. Kids can enjoy nutritionally balanced meals provided by the school that they might not have access to at home, regular movement during recess and sports, and limited access to screens beyond what’s required for learning in the classroom. For many students, all of this goes away once summer hits.

Weight gain at a young age can have several impacts. Psychologically, it may impact their confidence, which, in turn, negatively affects their social skills and ability to make friends. It may also make them the subject of bullying, which can have long-term detrimental effects on their mental health.

Physically, childhood obesity is like adult obesity in that it increases an individual’s risk for certain diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease and more.

“The difference is that it’s easier for a child who is overweight to lose weight than the average adult. If they’re able to lose that weight at some point in the near future, it honestly may not impact them that much physiologically,” says Dr. Trehan. “But they have to get that guidance from the adults around them to be able to lose weight. Depending on the age of the child, they are sometimes fully dependent on their parents and the adults around them to build a lifestyle in such a way that they are burning the calories.”

Weight gain at a young age can have several impacts. Psychologically, it may impact their confidence, which, in turn, negatively affects their social skills and ability to make friends. It may also make them the subject of bullying, which can have long-term detrimental effects on their mental health.

If not addressed in a timely manner, excess weight can affect a child’s development. Not only does it put extra pressure on their joints, which can impact growth, it can also affect their hormones.

“Especially for girls, it can raise their chances of developing female reproductive cancers or breast cancer,” says Dr. Trehan. “Kids who are overweight go into puberty earlier, which increases lifelong exposure to estrogen for girls, which can increase risk of certain cancers.”

Still, adds Dr. Trehan, childhood weight gain isn’t something that parents need to panic about, as long as there is a plan in place to help them build a healthier lifestyle. First, she recommends looping in their pediatrician to ensure there isn’t an undiagnosed medical condition that is causing the weight gain. Next, the same rules that apply to overweight adults should be followed.

“Eating high protein, high fiber, whole foods that aren’t processed and being physically active. Joining a sports team is a great way to do it, but it can be just a kid spending time outdoors with their friends for a few hours every day,” says Dr. Trehan. “It doesn’t have to be a strict regimen, just getting it to be part of their lifestyle where they’re not sitting indoors all day. I think if most kids can do that, they’ll be okay.”

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