What the U.S.

government is doing about childhood obesity

The acting Surgeon General of the United States, Rear Admiral Steven Galson, recently took part in an episode of the Dot Mil Docs podcast on Blog Talk Radio. The podcast covers health issues that are particularly relevant for members of the military, but this episode took on an issue that should be important to all Americans: childhood obesity.

What the Surgeon General is doing

Galson said that he has been traveling the nation learning what some communities are doing to prevent obesity locally to get ideas about whats already working. Were trying to help advance the progress thats already been made by harnessing the resources and ideas that are going to be different in different areas of the country, he said. He said the cause of childhood obesity is fairly straightforward, noting that its a combination of our young people not getting enough physical activity and then not eating right. A big barrier to getting physically active is that the average American youngster spends six hours a day in front of a television or computer. Starting out as an overweight child makes it much more likely that person will be overweight as an adult, Galson said, noting that about 80 percent of kids who are overweight at the age of eight to 10 will still be overweight at 25. He says parents who are worried about their children should check with the childs doctor to see if the childs weight is healthy, reduce sedentary behavior, increase physical activity and improve what the child and the family as a whole are eating because its enormously important to set a good example for kids, Galson said. The Surgeon Generals office website includes more information through its Healthy Youth for a Healthy Future initiative.

What other agencies are doing

Of course the Surgeon General isnt going it alone when it comes to trying to convince parents and kids to maintain a healthy weight. The government sponsors public service announcements with the theme Be a Player to encourage kids to get physically active and show them that its actually fun. We Can! is a program of the National Institutes of Health that particularly focuses on tips for kids around the ages of eight to 13 and their parents, including nutritional education, information on making smart choices and getting physically active and getting involved in helping others live healthier lives. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides grants for state-focused nutrition and physical activity programs, which have so far been started in 27 states, and the Food and Drug Administration has information on interpreting food labels and has an office of minority health that focuses on getting health information to members of minority groups.

But as Galson said, its not just up to the government to prevent or reverse childhood obesity; everyone can do their part. The key message is there is a role for every parent, every teacher, to help prevent childhood obesity. (By Sarah E. White for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News).