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It used to be that easy. I know city parks that probably had scheduled refills of their sandboxes to accomodate the amount that came home in my son Kyle's shoes and hair. Now, however, we have to take weight issues a bit more seriously. Michelle Obama had the wake up call when her daughters were 6 and 8. Like many working parents, she used fast food when her schedule did not allow time for a home cooked meal. Her pediatrician pointed out some weight fluctuations in her kids.
At first she did not know what to do....but now she does...and she has launched the "Let's Move" campaign to eliminate childhood obesity in a generation. Ambitious? Absolutely!
The timing is perfect. According to recent statistics, 32% of our children and teens are overweight or obese. This puts them at risk for diabetes, high cholesterol and hypertension and gives this generation a life expectancy of 2-3 years less than their parents. These statistics are not a surprise to us, we have been monitering weights and checking body mass indexes for years now. We have also seen very little impact in our society with this new awareness.
It is time to take this campaign to a new level. Her agenda includes tackling this issue outside the pediatric office. She is constructing rigorous standards for the quality and nutrition of food offered in school. She is also working to increase the level of physical activity in the schools. Current recommendations are for 60 minutes of activity which will only put a small dent into the 7 hours the average child spends 'plugged in' to tv, videos or computers.
This is not going to happen overnight. The campaign to recognize the dangers associated with smoking did not take effect immediately but we have seen a dramatic decrease in smoking in the United States. We can do this too. Working together, we can save a generation.
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