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

The United States Department of Agriculture is offering $40,000 in prizes to developers who can create video games to help children lose weight, or design electronic applications that will assist parents in their efforts to make better food choices for themselves and their families.

The contest is part of First Lady Michelle Obama's campaign against childhood obesity.

"Maybe you've seen those dance video games or exercise games that families are playing together at home," Mrs. Obama said in a March 10 Associated Press article. "Those are the kinds of games we are talking about."

Regarding the types of tools for parents that contest organizers are looking for, Mrs. Obama explained, "say you're at the grocery store and you are trying to figure out whether one food is healthier than the other, then you can pull up that answer on your iPhone."

Entries are due June 30, 2010.

Labels: government, prevention, awareness

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

An article in the March 2010 edition of Health Affairs Journal identified another culprit in the childhood obesity epidemic: U.S. food policy. The article states that "cheap food policy" has led to the creation of calorie-rich, nutrient-poor food.

Chris Fleming's March 2 post on the Health Affairs blog reported on ways that experts are advising the government to play a more positive role in preventing childhood obesity:

Kelly D. Brownell, of Yale University, and coauthors call on policymakers at all levels of government to help Americans make healthier choices by regulating food ingredients, labeling, and marketing; and by taxing unhealthy foods and beverages.

Thomas R. Frieden, the new director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says reversing the epidemic will require multiple policy changes, including taxes on unhealthy foods and beverages, new incentives to promote healthy crop production, a ban on advertising that fosters bad eating habits, and sustained efforts to increase physical activity among children.

"If we do not act now, the epidemic of childhood obesity will become increasingly difficult to address," says Frieden. "From the federal to the state and local level, in the public and the private sector, from Fortune 500 companies to families around their kitchen tables, there are simple things each of us can do to encourage physical activity, improve nutrition and help our kids live healthier lives. It will take us all working together to meet this challenge."

Labels: causes of childhood obesity, government

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

In a Feb. 10 statement, the American Nurses Association (ANA) expressed its support of First Lady Michelle Obamas campaign against childhood obesity:

As the largest nursing organization in the U.S., ANA stands ready to assist the First Lady to address this significant health problem through her program, Let's Move America's Move for a Healthier Generation.

"Nurses see first hand the devastating effects of obesity," said ANA President Rebecca M. Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR. "Obesity can increase the risk of stroke, diabetes, heart disease and hypertension as well as many other illnesses. ... ANA recognizes the effects of obesity and pledges its ongoing support of programs that serve to address the issue."

The only full-service professional organization representing the interests of the nation's 2.9 million registered nurses, the ANA describes its mission as "fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the rights of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public."

Labels: government, prevention, awareness, campaign

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended that doctors screen children for obesity and give them treatment if they need it.

Treatment would be once or twice a week for at least six months, and include diet, activity and behavior counseling. Just five years ago, the task force said there were few benefits in treating overweight children because most treatment plans do not work. Insurance companies often will not pay for pediatric obesity treatments for the same reason.

However, the Task Forces new guidelines indicate that even slight progress  such as not gaining more weight or losing a few pounds can be extremely beneficial to children.

• For example, just losing two pounds can move a very young child out of the "overweight"category and into "normal."
• About 32 percent of American children are overweight
• About 20 percent of American children are obese.
• The panel did not recommend that doctors prescribe diet drugs to children.
  

This report appeared in the journal Pediatrics.

Labels: government, screening, treatment

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Across the country, parents, teachers and health professionals are weighing in on the best ways to prevent childhood obesity. Recently, the Obama Administration offered 70 recommendations aimed at reducing childhood obesity.

“Missing from the plan are any proposals to raise taxes on sugary drinks or snacks. But the strategy does include specific benchmarks for making progress toward cutting the obesity rate, including a goal of increasing the breast-feeding rate from 30 percent to 50 percent. Breast-fed babies are less likely to become obese, according to research.” (Source: Des Moines (IA) Register)

The plan also calls for more families to apply for food stamps, adding five million kids to federal school meal programs, and increasing incentives for farmers to produce more fruits and vegetables.

 

Labels: childhood_obesity, government, prevention

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 1 Comment

A recent White House report stated that obesity is estimated to cause 112,000 deaths per year and that one-third of children 10-years-old are expected to develop diabetes at some point in their lives. The report also stated that the current generation of children, because of childhood obesity and related issues, may not outlive their parents.

“The White House report offers recommendations related to early childhood, parenting, food in schools, access to healthy and affordable food and physical activity. Taken individually, none of these is a silver bullet. Also, communities and families looking for solutions must realize that their goals need to be long term and their efforts must be sustainable.” [Source: Des Moines Register]

Unfortunately, the issues of childhood obesity and health didn’t develop overnight. They won’t be fixed overnight either. But comprehensive, long-term plans that include physical exercise and a balanced diet can very quickly start kids on the path towards a long and healthy life.

 

Labels: government, prevention, awareness

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

IBM’s Almaden Research Center in San Jose, California, is known for innovation, but most of its work is focused on databases and disk drives. Now, however, the tech savvy crew is teaming up with health care providers and government policymakers to tackle complex health issues.

“The first target will be childhood obesity, a growing phenomenon that has been declared a national concern by first lady Michelle Obama. Experts say excess weight in childhood is linked to a host of expensive health problems in adulthood, including heart disease and diabetes.” Source: Contra Costa (CA) Times]

The overarching, and very aggressive goal of the Research Center’s efforts is to answer the question: “If you have extra money to spend, would it be better to spend it on building another park, or having another part, or having more physical education in schools, or improving school lunch programs?”

All of these strategies have been proven effective, but rarely are they compared to each other. Experts hope this type of comparison will help both government and the private sector put their limited resources to the best use.

Labels: childhood_obesity, government, prevention, computers

Posted By: My Overweight Child 0 Comments