Childhood obesity rates have tripled in California over the past
30 years and San Benito County is at the very forefront of this
troubling trend.
Childhood obesity rates have tripled in California over the past 30 years and San Benito County is at the very forefront of this troubling trend.
According to a five-year community needs assessment report published in 2005 by the county’s Health and Human Services Agency, San Benito County ranks No. 1 in the state for childhood obesity. The same report pointed to a “startling increase” in the number of young children here diagnosed with type-2 diabetes.
The relationship between childhood obesity and a host of adolescent and adult health problems – including diabetes, high blood pressure, early hardening of the arteries, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, stomach and pancreas disease, liver and gall bladder disease, increased cardiovascular risk factors, early arthritis and many more – is well-known. The long-term social and economic consequences of this problem are still being calculated.
A “report card” on health, education and family issues released this week by Children Now, an Oakland-based nonpartisan research and advocacy organization, points to obesity as one of the most serious problems confronting our children today.
The Children Now report cites multiple factors as contributing to the problem: Children’s increasingly sedentary lifestyles, extensive marketing of unhealthy foods, and, particularly for low-income children, limited access to healthy foods and safe places to play.
The report points to significant policy progress that could help turn the tide here in California. A plan championed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to provide $500 million in one-time funding for schools to purchase sports equipment was approved as part of this year’s education budget. Lawmakers also approved a bill that will bring more fresh fruits and vegetables to low-income communities. Stanford University’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital is developing a new Center for Healthy Weight to provide a comprehensive program to prevent and treat childhood obesity and the related medical fallout that comes hand-in-hand with excess pounds.
As with almost any problem that involves children, however, parents have a key role to play in preventing and solving childhood obesity. It’s not too late to make a New Year’s resolution to help improve the health of our children.
The American Public Health Association urges parents to set limits on the time their children spend watching TV and playing video and computer games. Encourage youngsters to enjoy at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day. Parents should also offer their children healthier foods – more yogurt and fruits and fewer cookies and chips. And let advertisers know that you don’t want them targeting your children with commercials that promote unhealthy eating.
