Over the past three decades, the childhood obesity rate has more than doubled for preschool children age 2 to 5 and adolescents age 12 to19, according to the Institute of Medicine. The rates for children age 6 to 11 have more than tripled. Nine million children in the United States are identified as obese. Obesity related annual hospital costs for children and youth more than tripled over two decades, from $35 million in 1981 to $127 million in 1999.Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions, and has led policy makers to rank it as a critical health threat.Millions of dollars have been spent in research studies to determine the causes of childhood obesity. Contributing factors include urban and suburban designs that discourage walking and other physical activities, pressures on families to minimize food costs and preparation time, decreased physical activity in schools and sedentary free time – watching TV and playing video games as opposed to outside play.The obesity epidemic transcends age, sex and ethnic origins. However, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, poverty is a major contributing factor. Mississippi, Alabama and West Virginia reported the largest increase in obesity in 2004 while Colorado ranked the healthiest. The southeastern part of the United States is home to many poor communities, where cheap, unhealthy convenience foods are the norm and inexpensive sports opportunities are few. Colorado’s culture of physical activity – hiking, camping, skiing – is a boon to its healthy ranking.Kelly Brownell directs the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale. “The problem is the huge amount of money to be made from a fatter population,” Brownell said. About 72 percent of our nation’s schools have exclusive contracts with beverage companies that supply them with calorie-ridden soft drinks. Schools are rewarded from the sales of sodas with cash awards or donations of equipment and supplies. Many high school cafeterias across the country now look like mall food courts.The federal government has taken a step in combating childhood obesity by enacting The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004. Section 204 requires that “all public schools beginning no later than the first day of school … after June 30, 2006, each local educational agency shall establish a local school wellness policy.”Michelle Lang, nutritional services director for School District 49, detailed, at the December board of education meeting, what the district needs to do to be in compliance. The district must have a written policy addressing nutritional education, physical activity and other school-based activities designed to promote student wellness. The policy must also include a plan for measuring implementation.An obese child faces numerous health care risks – both emotional and physical. Diabetes is on the rise, and hypertension, sleep apnea and orthopedic problems can plague an obese child, according to the Institute of Medicine. An obese child may suffer from low self-esteem, a negative body image, depression and anxiety, some of it caused by peers who tease and bully overweight kids.Prevention of childhood obesity must incorporate parents, families, schools, health care professionals and state and federal governments committed to solving what has become a national epidemic.
