By: Andrea M. Aguirre
Graduate Student at SDSU School of Public Health

 Halloween is a fun time of year when children dress up as monsters, cartoon characters, princesses, or superheroes. It’s also a time of year when children get lots of candy as treats, which is not only bad for their pancitas but also bad for their teeth. With Latino children having one of the highest obesity rates of all ethnic groups in the U.S., limiting the amount of candy they eat will go along way to establishing life-long healthy habits. Here are some ideas that will help you and the children in your neighborhood have a fun and healthy Halloween.

Provide trick-or-treaters with alternatives to candy.

 A recent study showed that, during Halloween, children were just as likely to choose toys as candy. This means kids were just as happy to receive toys at Halloween instead of candy. Plastic spiders, Halloween erasers, glow-in-the-dark toys, Halloween pencils, and stickers can provide just as much fun as Halloween candy, and they are just as cheap.

Limit the amount of Halloween candy your child eats.

 Whether they are sweet, sour, purple, or red, most Halloween candy is loaded with sugar. This means children will be getting a lot more sugar than their systems can handle. It is essential to limit how much candy a child eats because if too much sugar accumulates in the bloodstream, over time, this can cause diseases like diabetes. Since Latino children already have one of the highest rates of diabetes among children, it is important to limit the amount of candy they eat, not only during Halloween but throughout the year.

 With close to one third of all children considered obese, it is important to remember how each of us can help prevent this problem. Having some of the alternatives to candy as listed above will help the children who knock on your door and say “Trick or Treat” eat less food that is bad for their health; and limiting their candy consumption will benefit their health.

If you would like more information or information on free exercise groups in Chula Vista and San Ysidro, please contact: Familias Sanas y Activas (619) 594-2965. This health tip is brought to you by the San Diego Prevention Research Center.