Preventing Childhood Obesity | Your Health Journal

From Your Health Journal?..?A great local story from an ABC affiliate (wear-tv) about preventing childhood obesity. Sometimes, all the great things that go on at the national level are quite ineffective, but when organized at the local level, fighting childhood obesity can be quite effective. I have always found that planting the seed (fighting obesity) at the national level helps the flower grow (fighting obesity) at the local level. We know that childhood obesity is on the rise. The American Heart Association has reported that 25 million children in the US are overweight, which is one in three kids (one in seven are obese). The CDC has stated that the prevalence of childhood obesity has doubled in the last 20 years for children ages 5-11, and nearly tripled for teens ages 12-18. So, local pediatricians are stepping up to the plate and educating communities about healthy lifestyle. School menus are starting to get healthier, and the push for physical activity is growing. Please visit the ABC web site (link provided below) to read the complete article, as well as watching the newscast on the topic.?

From the article?..

It?s a growing problem across the country. The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention says childhood obesity has more than doubled in the past 30-years.

?Childhood obesity is a growing problem in the United States here in Escambia County one of the ways they are trying to battle that problem is starting here in the schools by changing the lunches.?

Pediatrician Doctor Michelle Grier-Hall says obesity at a young age raises many health concerns not only physical but mental.

Dr. Michelle Grier-Hall ?Heart disease and diabetes which we are seeing diabetes in our children not just in adults but we?re seeing diabetes in children who have obesity, so you have high blood pressure, cholesterol problems and this is not good of course the joint problems, back pains and other things you can see with obesity.?

The Escambia County Health Department says there is no increase in the total percentage of students who are obese or overweight.

This year data shows 63 % of the children measured are in the normal range for body mass index.

But CDC numbers nation wide show children ages 6 to 11 years who are obese increased from 7 % in 1980 to 18 % in 2010.

Adolescents ages 12 to 19 increased from 5 % to 18 %. Recently, schools have stepped in changing their lunch menus to healthier alternatives.

And removing friers from the cafeteria. ?There are five components in our meal whole grain bread, milk, fruit, vegetable, meat or meat alternate.?

Students say they appreciate the healthy change to their diets. And say the food isn?t so bad either.

?The quality of the food has gotten a lot better. We we?re pretty disappointed when it first started off and they were only going to do healthy food from now on and they got rid of the friers, but the fried chicken has got a lot better and the salads have gotten better.?

To read the full article?..Click here

Source: http://www.lensaunders.com/wp/?p=12790

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