Quiz

This quiz may help you determine if your child might develop a weight problem and/or Type II diabetes. Keep track of the points associated with each response.

1. One or more of his/her grandparents have or had:

• high blood pressure (1 point)
• adult-onset diabetes (1 point)
• a stroke (1 point)
• heart disease or atherosclerosis (1 point)
• cancer of the ovary, breast or uterus (1 point)

2. One or more of his/her parents have or had:

• high blood pressure (2 points)
• adult-onset diabetes (2 points)
• a stroke (2 points)
• heart disease or atherosclerosis (2 points)
• cancer of the ovary, breast or uterus (2 points)
• difficulty controlling their weight (2 points)
• undesirable fat levels in the blood (2 points)

3. My child:

• snacks between meals (1 point)
• often snacks at night (1 point)
• often chews gum or eats mints/hard candies (regular or artificially sweetened) (1 point)
• eats high-fat foods almost every day (2 points)
• usually includes at least one of the following in every meal: bread, pastas or some other starch, fruits, or sweets (4 points)
• often eats or wants to eat when he/she is not really hungry (2 points)

4. Choose one of the following:

• My child is very active
• My child is moderately active
• My child is not active (4 points)

5. My child is:

• less than 10 pounds overweight (2 points)
• 11 to 25 pounds overweight (3 points)
• 26 to 50 pounds overweight (4 points)
• more than 51 pounds overweight (6 points)

6. My child is:

• Native American Indian (4 points)
• African-American (4 points)
• Hispanic American (4 points)
• Asian or South Pacific Islander (4 points)

7. My child:

• has a skin problem called Acanthosis, which is characterized by velvety, dark-colored patches of skin (6 points)
• is addicted to sugar, starches and/or simple carbohydrates (4 points)

If your score is: (Total 64)

• 0-14: Your child is probably healthier than the national average
• 15-29: Follow the "Eleven Steps to Prevent Obesity in Your Child" and he/she will probably drop his/her numbers.

Take this test again in 6 months. If the numbers haven't gone down, follow the instructions below.

If your score is over 30:

• Take your child to your health care provider.
• DO NOT ask for a diet (unless you want his/her numbers to dramatically increase).
• Just get a check up
• Immediately begin to follow all of the recommendations in the "Eleven Steps to Prevent Obesity in Your Child."