Public-Health Crisis & Our Children

It is common knowledge that childhood obesity has swept the United States. First Lady, Michelle Obama has made it a personal mission to help put a stop to this epidemic. Her recent campaign, Let's Move! has made a large impact across the nation. By providing families with crucial nutritional information, and promoting physical activity, the campaign hopes to raise a healthier generation of kids.

But what impact does obesity have upon the children? To sum it up, the article Childhood obesity: public-health crisis, common sense cure provides a great visual to properly see the potential health issues associated with obese children.

Psychosocial - Poor self-esteem and depression eating disorders Pulmonary - 24 Sleep apnea and asthma exercise intolerance Gastrointestinal – Gallstones and steatohepatitis Renal - Glomerulosclerosis Musculoskeletal – Slipped capital femoral epiphysis, Blount’s disease, forearm fracture and flat feet Neurological - Pseudotumor cerebri Cardiovascular – Dyslipidaemia, hypertension, coagulopathy, chronic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction

Now, what as a society can we do to help the children? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strive to inform the public that maintaining a healthy weight is not a diet but rather a lifestyle. Some suggestion made in the article Tips for Parents – Ideas to Help Children Maintain a Healthy Weight are the following:

Provide plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole-grain products. Include low-fat or non-fat milk or dairy products. Choose lean meats, poultry, fish, lentils, and beans for protein. Serve reasonably-sized portions. Encourage your family to drink lots of water. Limit sugar-sweetened beverages. Limit consumption of sugar and saturated fat.

Childhood obesity: public-health crisis, common sense cure Cara B Ebbeling PhD,Dorota B Pawlak PhD,Dr David S Ludwig MD The Lancet - 10 August 2002 ( Vol. 360, Issue 9331, Pages 473-482 ) DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(02)09678-2