6/9/2009 5:32:00 AM
PHYSICIAN'S CORNER: The growing danger of childhood obesity
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BY DR. MATTHEW MILLER
Everyone who has been following the news stories about the H1N1 virus, better known as the swine flu, is now familiar with what a potential epidemic can do. Our community, along with the entire United States, is facing another epidemic that began about 30 years ago, the epidemic of obesity. Obesity fits the classic text book example of an epidemic to a tee.
When data about obesity began being collected in the 1980s, the overall prevalence of obesity in the US was less than 14%. In the early 1990s it rose to the 15-19% range, and by 1997, three state's obesity rates were above 20%. Then, in the early part of this decade, rates in some states rose above 25%. In 2006, some states broke the 30% obesity prevalence mark.
As this epidemic continues to grow, the most alarming statistics tell us that it is affecting children as well as adults. This includes all children regardless of age or sex. We are now seeing Type 2 diabetes mellitus, the adult form of diabetes, in kids. Prior diagnosis of diabetes in children were almost always limited to type 1 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes was very rare in patients under 25 years of age. Now we are seeing it in younger children on a fairly regular basis. We are also seeing a 40% increase in the prevalence of high blood pressure in kids. This is directly related to obesity, as a 1 centimeter increase in waist circumference in a child can increase the risk of developing high blood pressure by as much as 10%. Another concerning aspect is that it is estimated about 1.5 million kids have high blood pressure or on the verge of it and are unaware of it. We as health care providers have not been screening for this, but we need to begin.
Recent research has concluded that children that are obese have significantly more health problems than obese adults and that they begin them at an earlier age. This contributes to increased health care costs at a time when fewer and fewer people can afford it.
Another worrisome fact that recent research has identified is that few parents and adults recognize that their children are at risk. A startling statistic I came across recently stated that an average teenage male will consume 68 gallons of soda a year. Average teenage girls fare slightly better as they consume 48 gallons of soda a year.
With all this in mind, is there hope? Thankfully, research also shows us that lifestyle plays a much greater role than genetics in obesity. So, if there is hope, what can we do? The first step is to identify where you are as a family. A good tool to do this is the Family Fitness Assessment found at supersizekids.com. It grades each family member. Once you know your grade, you can determine the next step. The website features an eight week Family Fitness Plan that incorporates the whole family. Early research shows that such plans are effective. If we do not take steps now to curb the obesity epidemic in the US, especially in our kids, this generation may be the first to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.
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Posted: Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Article comment by:
Fred Hahn
If we really cared about the health of our children, we would stop pretending that we don't know why obesity and type II diabetes is running rampant.
It's sugar and carbohydrates. We've known this for over a century. But instead of embracing the truth, the government as well as many organizations such as the ADA and the Mayo Clinic continue to bombard the airwaves with misinformation blaming inactivity and too much dietary fat and promoting the food pyramid (which should be called the sugar pyramid).
It is sad indeed when personal biases rather than science prevail. And our children are suffering for it.
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