C H I L D H O O D O B E S I T Y:
A W I N N A B L E B AT T L E !
DECEMBER 6, 2012
M A X I N E H AY E S , M D , M P H
S TAT E H E A LT H O F F I C E R
WA S H I N G T O N S TAT E D E PA R T M E N T O F H E A LT H
We Have A Crisis!
We Need Everyone’s Attention/Help
The Battle is Winnable!
Shocking Statistics: In 1970, less than 5% of
American Children were obese. By 2010 that
figure more than tripled to 17%
•1 in 3 children born in 2000 will develop diabetes at some point in
his or her lifetime. Among African-American and Latino children,
that number is one-in-two.
•Being overweight or obese increases a child’s risk of developing
asthma by as much as 52%
More Statistics from 2011 National Youth Risk
Behavior Survey
•
13 % were obese
•
6% did not eat vegetables during the seven days prior to the survey
•
11% drank a can, bottle or glass of soda three or more times per day during
the seven days before the survey.
•
71% were physically active at least 60 minutes per day on less than seven
days during the week prior to the survey.
•
69% did not attend physical education classes daily when they were in school.
•
32% watched television three or more hours per day on an average school
day.
•
31% used computers three or more hours per day on average school day.
•
Almost half of obese teenage girls become severely obese by age 30.
Source: Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
• Obesity among children is not something we can
continue to hope our children will outgrow!
• Solutions: We have to change the way we live, the
choices we make and focus on individual/community
environments
• Getting it right in the beginning means getting it right for
life!
The Public Health approach
must be taken to reverse these trends
How did we get here?
INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY
The choices we make are shaped by
the choices we have!
SOCIETY RESPONSIBILITY
Kids and Families need help and
support from policies and systems
We don’t know everything but we
know enough to act!
DETERMINANTS OF OBESITY
Access to Health Care
Environment
Genetics
Health Behaviors
Counseling
Screening (EPSDT)
Urban design
Food availability & cost
ACEs
Child care settings
Obesity gene(s)
Metabolic disorders
Physical Activity
Healthy Meals
Sleep
Focus on the Environment
Preventing and Treating Childhood Obesity
Home
School
Urban design
Healthy meals
Physical activity—limit TV
Mandatory physical education
Healthy lunches and snacks
Protect open spaces
Build pedestrian zones, bike paths, parks
Marketing and
media
Subsidize healthy foods
Require nutrition labels on fast food
Health care
Improve insurance coverage for effective
obesity treatment
Regulate political contributions from the
food industry, farm bill subsidies
Politics
TAKE HOME CONCLUSIONS
• Prevention is our greatest hope to stop this
crisis!
• Preventing obesity is a societal challenge,
similar to climate change. It requires
partnership between government, science,
business and civil society. Philanthropy
can also help!
“You cannot achieve what you
cannot envision”
We can do this!
RESOURCES
The Weight of the Nation:
hbo.com/theweightofthenation
Twitter.com/WeightoftheNtn
#weightofthenation
Facebook.com/theweightofthenation
Youtube.com/hbodocs
RESOURCES
Social Media Revolution 2011 Youtube video -http://youtu.be/3SuNx0UrnEo