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Thursday, 05 July 2007 23:32

Childhood Obesity A Major Problem Despite Government Programs

slide20Childhood obesity numbers have tripled since the 1970’s and is now officially the fastest growing disease in the United States. Nine million children across the nation are overweight or obese, according to the California Center for Public Health Advocacy. In California, 28 percent of kids in 5th grade, and 7th through 9th grades struggled with their weight. Experts say if a child is obese and doesn't get a handle on the problem, more than likely he or she will grow up to become an obese adult. The chain can be broken according to psychologists and pediatricians by creating programs that help to change the environments overweight children live in. This means programs that work are the programs that require parents to come with their children to weekly nutrition classes.

slide23 slide26 Because many parents are unsure where to start in adjusting their children’s diet, the nutrition classes that start with the basics are a must, including often, the families being given grocery lists to help them when it's time to go shopping. Nutritionists who teach the classes also encourage families to weed out fast food from of their diets. Doctors who treat obese and overweight kids say parents are the children’s biggest key to success. The Leading Causes of Childhood Obesity are Poor Nutrition, eating Processed Food and Fast Food, eating Bigger Meal Portions high in Sugars and Refined Flours. Eating Irregular Meal Patterns combined with Inactivity is also a major contributor.

slide27 Children now spend more time in front of the television or playing on the Internet or videogames than spent on anything else, besides sleeping, which means Less physical activity during and after school, including the traditional walk home from school with Many kids now used to being driven instead of walking. A difference in the life of an obese child includes Better Nutrition. This meansAnother piece of advice- remove the TV from your child’s room. This year the federal government will spend more than $1 billion on some healthy snacks and nutrition education. According to the Associated Press, a review of scientific studies examining 57 such programs found mostly failure. Just four showed any real success against the growing epidemic of childhood obesity. making kids breakfast everyday, limiting juice drinks, sports drinks, and sodas, Offering five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Family time is also important according to experts who recommend families eating meals together at an early time. Also experts recommend that children should play hard for at least 30 to 60 minutes per day which can also be achieved by a family walk.

slide28 "Any person looking at the published literature about these programs would have to conclude that they are generally not working," said Dr. Tom Baranowski, a pediatrics professor and nutrition researcher at Houston's Baylor College of Medicine. The results have been disappointing, to say the least: Last year a major federal pilot program offering free fruits and vegetables to fifth-graders showed the children became less willing to eat them than they had been at the start. Apparently they didn't like the taste. In Pennsylvania, researchers went so far as to give prizes to schoolchildren who ate fruits and vegetables. That worked while the prizes were offered, but when the researchers came back seven months later, the kids had reverted to their original snacks: Soda and chips. The medical consequences of obesity in the U.S. - diabetes, high blood pressure and even orthopedic problems - cost an estimated $100 billion a year.