Childhood Obesity: When are we going to do something about it?

Childhood obesity is a serious problem in North America today.  Children to adults alike are becoming more sedentary with each passing generation.  In the past 30 years we've sat back and theorized as the statistics go up and up and up.  Why?

Over half the children in North America are classified as "overweight".  Of which 1 in 5 are rated as "obese".  Children have gone from playing outside to inside; sedentary lifestyles involving free time (nearly 4 to 6 hours a day) being spent in front of TVs, computers, and video games.   Food portion sizes, low nutritional grade fast food, and lack of education are some of the cited reasons for this epidemic's rapid spread, but I think the problem goes much deeper than that.  We point our fingers at everyone but ourselves - we, the parents, are more to blame than anyone else.  Its our responsibility to be the positive role models for our children and show them what it is to be healthy and live the lifestyle that exemplifies that each and every day - for a lifetime.  It all starts at home.

The below recently published article cites many of the issues that will come to be if we don't make changes now.  In reading it ask yourself the following question: What do you think you can do today to impact the children of tomorrow?

[toggle title="Doctors Sound Alarm On Childhood Obesity"]

Crystal Goomansingh, Postmedia News :  Wednesday, September 15, 2010

WINNIPEG — In a first-of-its-kind survey doctors are speaking up and saying they don’t have the resources to tackle the growing problem of childhood obesity, and warn that if nothing’s done soon the problem will overwhelm the health-care system in the long-run.

National numbers speak for themselves: one in three kids is either overweight or obese.

And if the trend continues, by the time they’re adults, 70 per cent could be carrying unhealthy weight.

To assist them help children reach a healthy weight, physicians want more access to dietitians, therapists, educational materials and trainers.  “Doctors are the first ones to see children so they play a big role, but they’re not the only piece of the puzzle,” says nutrition researcher Dr. Meizi He.

More than 800 family physicians and pediatricians participated in a survey focused on childhood obesity management.

Among the top recommendations physicians listed diets with more fruits and vegetables and greater physical activity.

But the physicians also pointed to barriers in treatment, including a lack of government-funded dietitians for referrals.

Dealing with the problem begins with an acknowledgment that many kids are overweight, says Dr. Yoni Freedhoff of the Bariatric Medical Institute: “Kids haven’t changed . . . our environment has changed and we need to start helping kids by adding resources.”

But only about 13 per cent of Canadian children meet daily activity guidelines of 90 minutes.

Phys-ed rules vary across the country. For instance, in Manitoba gym is mandatory from grades 1 to 12. In Alberta, there is a 30-minute activity policy for grades 1 to 9.

Studies show overweight children do not grow out of it but tend to become overweight adults and are at greater risk for a series of health problems.

Gathering in Newfoundland this week, Canada’s ministers of health issued a joint plan to combat the expanding waistlines of the country’s youth over the next decade.

The provincial and territorial health ministers, along with federal counterpart Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq, released a “framework for action” on childhood obesity at their annual meeting.

The agreement on childhood obesity outlines a number of strategies that the ministers said they would pursue collectively. Policies they will work on include increasing the accessibility of nutritious foods, taking aim at the marketing of junk food to children, creating environments that are more conducive to physical activity, regularly reporting on what the scales say so it is known whether programs are working or not, looking at what foods are sold in schools and the quality of physical education.

“While there are no quick fixes to the obesity epidemic, as ministers of health we recognize that our leadership and collective actions can have a significant impact on improving the eating habits and increasing the physical activities of Canadians,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Minister Jerome Kennedy.

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