Reversing The Childhood Obesity Trend A Necessary Long Shot ...

From The Dallas News?..

A coalition of educators, health care providers, community advocates and business leaders has set a highly ambitious health care goal for Dallas County: ending childhood obesity by 2020.

Yes, highly ambitious. Dallas County kids have a weight problem. Federal statistics show 36 percent of them are overweight or obese. Just in the 10-to-17 age category, 20 percent are obese.

Obesity has been increasing in the nation for 30 years, and only a few places have managed to slow the rate of increase.

Reversing the trend is harder still.

?We?ve looked at 51 school programs that had tried to prevent and treat obesity. The long-term results of all 51 were negligible,? said Richard Atkinson, editor of the International Journal of Obesity. ?The idea that they are going to be able to do it in Dallas is zero. ? It pains me to say that, because I?ve spent my entire life working on this issue, but the things we?re doing are not working.?

Susan Hoff, chief strategy officer with United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, is a member of the coalition. She said the goal of eliminating obesity is bold but necessary.

?Compelling goal?

?One of the things that we in the steering committee agreed is critical is to have a single compelling goal that everybody can rally around,? she said.

Whether the goal is achievable remains to be seen. But the need is overwhelming.

Obesity can lead to more than 20 chronic illnesses, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some types of cancer.

Children who are obese miss more school, do worse academically and are more likely to be bullied and drop out of school than their lighter peers.

This increases health care costs, and insurance and productivity costs for Dallas businesses. Four years ago, the Texas Department of Health estimated obesity would cost the state $39 billion in health care and productivity costs by 2040. The Trust for America?s Health this fall said Texas was facing a much higher obesity bill ? $51.7 billion by 2030.

Texas Comptroller Susan Combs has tried to warn the state?s business community that many of these costs will fall on them.

?What I think is still missing is sort of a sense of urgency,? Combs said in a recent interview.

The Committee for the Improvement of Child Health and the Eradication of Childhood Obesity in Dallas County is a powerful group of more than 60 community leaders. The co-chairs are Dr. Eduardo Sanchez, chief medical officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, and George Manning, partner-in-charge of the Texas region with the law firm Jones Day.

Leaders from the Cooper Institute, the Dallas Regional Chamber, Children?s Medical Center, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and Parkland Health & Hospital System are steering committee members.

It seems easier to attack the problem among children than adults, because kids spend most of their time in school.

Two-thirds of Dallas County children are eligible for free or subsidized school lunches. In the Dallas Independent School District, it?s 84 percent.

To read the full story?..Click here

Source: http://www.lensaunders.com/wp/?p=7526

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