Health Officials Up in Arms Over Childhood Obesity
Nov 28, 2006 02:18 PM MST
With the threat of childhood obesity looming more than ever before, state health officials are acting fast to stop its spread.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, one-in-five children fall into the category of being obese. In New York State, the rate is even higher; as many as one-in-three kids in some areas.
But experts at a landmark summit meeting held in Colonie Tuesday are hoping to lower those numbers.
"Shake your scarves in the air like this!"
They are adults who are practicing what they preach - that children need to take a break from all their sitting around, by moving around. In this case, 400 experts are juggling with scarves, breaking up their first ever summit on childhood obesity.
"It's really dramatic," says Dr. Gus Birkhead, with the New York State Department of Health. "If this was an infectious disease epidemic sweeping across the state, people would be up in arms."
State health officials are already up in arms, so they gathered people from all across the state, involved in healthcare, childcare, schools and communities, to talk about the problems, and discuss solutions.
"There are a number of different activities and initiatives that schools have taken on, from adding cold vending machines, to bringing in things like low fat milk and salads," Kyle Restina, with the NYSDOH, says.
But nutrition is only part of the problem. The other key is physical activity; and as you might expect, your television plays a huge role.
Families consume 50 percent of their meals while watching TV. About a quarter of a child's food intake happens in front of the tube as well. Throw in all those ads geared toward kids, and the outcome seems pretty clear.
"There seems to be a direct relationship of television advertising, the consumption of foods advertised on TV, and the likelihood the child will be overweight," says Dr. William Dietz, with the Centers for Disease Control.
The solution to that problem? Less television and video games, and more "juggling with scarves," or other physical activity.
Childhood Obesity Problems
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