Childhood Obesity: A Winnable Battle!

December 6, 2012

Maxine Hayes, MD, MPH

State Health Officer

Washington State Department of Health

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?

The choices we make are shaped by the choices we have!

INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY

Kids and Families need help and support from policies and systems

SOCIETY RESPONSIBILITY

We don’t know everything but we know enough to act!

Access to Health Care Counseling

Screening (EPSDT)

Environment Urban design

Food availability & cost

ACEs

Child care settings

Genetics Obesity gene(s)

Metabolic disorders

Health Behaviors Physical Activity

Healthy Meals

Sleep

Determinants of Obesity

Focus on the Environment

Preventing and Treating Childhood ObesityHome Healthy meals

Physical activity—limit TV

School Mandatory physical education

Healthy lunches and snacks

Urban design 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

Politics Regulate political contributions from the food industry, farm bill subsidies

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