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It’s crept up and launched a sneak attack on some of this country’s most valuable assets. Childhood obesity is a power-
both preschool children and adolescents. And it’s worse for kids 6-11-years-old. Their rate of obesity has more than tripled.
ful enemy that threatens millions of innocent victims — our children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one out of every three children is overweight. An even more sobering statistic is the 16% — over 9 million — of children aged 6-19 years old in this country that are obese. Over the past 30 years, the childhood obesity rate has more than doubled for
Unfortunately, Colorado is not immune. While our state continues to be ranked by the CDC as the leanest state for adults, the rankings are much different for Colorado’s children. In 2003, In 2003, nearly 10% of our children were overweight. Just four years later, 14.2% of Colorado please read on >>>
To learn more about this and many other topics for children, go to
www.RockyMountainHospitalForChildren.com
Chief Medical Officer at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children and a nationally recognized expert in the field of childhood obesity.
Colorado ranks 23 out of the 50 states in terms of overweight children.
children were overweight. As a result,
The Casualties of Childhood Obesity With obesity comes a myriad of serious health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. Currently, our country spends $150 billion a year to treat obesity-related illnesses, and that figure is rapidly rising. Obesity also claims the lives of more than 300,000 children every year. Overweight children are at higher risk of developing serious physical and mental health conditions that create lifelong problems including:
✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿
Type 2 diabetes Hypertension (high blood pressure) Elevated cholesterol levels Sleep Apnea (interruption of breath while sleeping) Liver diseases, orthopedic problems and asthma Depression, low self-esteem and bullying
Unless we combat childhood obesity now, our children’s lives will be much shorter — and unhealthier — than our own.
A Full Scale Attack “There have been a lot of individual efforts to control childhood obesity, but none of them have been very successful,” says Dr. Reggie Washington,
“One example was just taking soft drinks out of school vending machines. Even though the intentions were good, it was determined a year later that this effort had little effect on overweight children.” Dr. Washington explains, “It’s important to realize that obesity is caused by many different things — a lack of physical education time in schools, increased computer and TV time, larger portion sizes and more homework, cell phone and texting usage.
In order to combat this disease, we must address all of these factors with equal diligence and vigor.” In this example changing the items offered in vending machines would have a greater benefit if the effort was coupled with increased PE in schools.
A United Front According to Dr. Washington, it’s critical that everyone gets involved in attacking the issue of childhood obesity, on all levels, starting now. The piece-meal approach simply won’t work to address a problem of this magnitude. In order to affect change, childhood obesity must be addressed by individuals and families, by health professionals, by school systems and by the government. Our war on obesity must begin with early and continual prevention strategies.
Dr. Reginald Washington, a Colorado Springs native, has practiced pediatric cardiology in Denver for more than 25 years. An expert in pediatric obesity, he serves on several national committees, including the American Medical and the American Academy of Pediatrics. He is a former two-term member of the national board of the American Heart Association and a recipient of the AHA’s Physician of the Year award. With countless medical presentations, publications and position statements through the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Washington has and continues to make an indelible mark on improving the heath and fitness of America’s children.
For more information on parenting, health tips and more, please visit www.RockyMountainHospitalForChildren.com or ParentsPages.com.
Take Action First Lady Michelle Obama recently announced the “Let’s Move” initiative, “I have set a goal to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation so that children born today will reach adulthood at a healthy weight.”
“Let’s Move” focuses on four strategies: ✿ Informing parents about nutrition and exercise ✿ Improving the quality of food in schools ✿ Making healthy foods more affordable and accessible for families
✿ Focusing more on physical education “Let’s Move” is a comprehensive, collaborative and communityoriented approach that provides promise, hope and awareness. The change must begin at home and continue 24/7.
energy, growth and development of child — not as a bargaining tool.
✿ Get your children involved. They can learn important nutrition lessons while having fun helping with grocery shopping and meal planning.
✿ Always keep nutritious snacks handy. Low-fat cheese, fruits and vegetables (fresh, frozen or canned), frozen fruit juice bars, yogurt or low-fat ice cream, vanilla wafers, graham crackers, fig bars and gingersnaps are tasty alternatives to high-fat junk food.
✿ Alter eating habits and activities gradually. Once developed, these habits will help your child to maintain good health throughout his/her lifetime.
✿ Include five fruits and vegetables daily. They’re easy to add into meals and snacks.
✿ Limit television and video games. Screen Here’s a quick way to get your family started: ✿ Set a good example, first and foremost. ✿ Keep moving! Your family activities should involve physical exercise whenever possible. Think beyond traditional exercise and try gardening, washing the car, playing in the yard or bowling with the family. Choose activities that are easy and that your child will enjoy.
✿ Eat a healthy breakfast. People who skipped breakfast are more than four times more likely to be obese than those who ate breakfast daily.*
✿ Dine together at the table. Never dine in front of television.
✿ Do NOT put your child on a calorierestricted diet and never consider food as a punishment or a reward. Food is important for
time should be limited to less than two hours a day.
✿ Cut back on unhealthy choices. Limit sugar-sweetened drinks, fast food, takeout food and eating out. You can make better food choices at home and save money, too. *according to American Journal of Epidemiology
Want to share your own tips for healthy eating and more exercise for your children? Visit www.rockymontainhospitalforchildren.com with your suggestions, and we will post your ideas for other parents to read. For more information about “Let’s Move,” visit www.letsmove.gov.
Physician Resources Guide Physician Referral Line: 1-877-752-2737 pslmc.com Reginald L. Washington, MD
Jack HT Chang, MD
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