My Overweight Child: CNN Profiles Latino Community's Efforts to Fight Childhood Obesity

Childhood Obesity - Do you have an overweight child? We offer tips to help your child lose weight and get fit!

The My Overweight Child blog will help you keep informed about the latest research, findings, and resources available to parents of overweight or obese kids. There are many knowledgeable people working on the increasingly dire problem of childhood obesity - and we want to give parents a place where they can check in regularly to see the latest studies and tips available to help you help your child lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

We invite you to add your comments - if you have feedback for the blog, would like some specific topics covered, or you just want to share your experience as a parent dealing with childhood obesity.

Friday, November 06, 2009

CNN Profiles Latino Community's Efforts to Fight Childhood Obesity

According to an Oct. 28 article by Debra Alban of CNN, members of the Latino community are facing an "uphill battle" in the effort to reduce rates of childhood obesity:

When she was about 8, Frida Sepulveda developed dark folds of skin around her neck. It's a well-known warning sign of type 2 diabetes. Frida's mother, Blanca Sepulveda, who has watched other family members struggle with diabetes and obesity, was "devastated" to see her daughter experience similar health problems.

The San Diego, California family is among a disproportionately high number of Latino-American families with overweight and obese children.

According to the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health, 16.6 percent of Latino high school students were obese and 18.1 percent were overweight. The corresponding national averages for high school students were 13.3 percent obese and 15.8 percent overweight.

Labels: childhood_obesity, latino, prevention