Welcome to Weighing In, the STOP Obesity Alliance blog – a new addition to our redesigned Web site.
This blog is a forum developed to facilitate discussion on key topics related to obesity and obesity-related diseases. And there are many topics to discuss!
Obesity continues to plague our nation and increasingly is the gateway to chronic illnesses like diabetes and hypertension. Patients, health care providers, employers, labor, government and insurance providers will all continue to be affected by the tremendous burden of this epidemic. As the STOP Obesity Alliance and its Steering Committee members continue our collaboration on efforts to take on this health crisis, we will take advantage of this forum to have an open dialogue with all of you.
Key contributors to Weighing In are STOP Obesity Alliance Steering Committee members, Christine Ferguson, the STOP Obesity Alliance Director and Dr. Richard H. Carmona, the Health and Wellness Chairperson of the Alliance.
Obesity GPS: A Guide for Policy and Program Solutions
The STOP Obesity Alliance Health & Wellness Chairperson, 17th U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Richard H. Carmona, facilitated a panel discussion for the launch of the Obesity GPS - featuring the Alliance's Director, Christine Ferguson, the American Medical Group Association's Julie Sanderson-Austin, and the American Heart Association's Dr. John Ring.
Overcoming Obesity: Many Paths, Many Partners
By Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., FACS, 17th U.S. Surgeon General, president of the Canyon Ranch Institute, Health and Wellness Chairperson for the STOP Obesity Alliance
In September, the National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month debuted to spotlight the future health of America’s youth. As a grandfather, physician, nurse, and 17th U.S. Surgeon General, I have a special place in my heart for children, and I know the brief window of opportunity we have to teach them simple lessons that can lead to a lifetime of good health.
At last, we see hope on the horizon. Recent studies indicate that obesity rates among American children may be hitting a plateau and even declining in some groups.[1] Still, this is no time to rest on modest success or to leave the solution to “someone else.” Complacency and inattention must give way to working together to aggressively fight this epidemic that has impacted our nation far too long.
Obesity is a complex issue and solving it requires that our approaches be coordinated, multi-faceted and collaborative. We must resist the allure of simplistic solutions that involve playing the “blame game,” which unrealistically places the responsibility for the obesity epidemic at the feet of the food and beverage industry. We cannot “tax away” the fact that we have lost touch with the energy balance equation that says when we take in more food calories than we need to fuel our daily activities, our bodies will turn those calories into fat. And when our bodies carry too much fat, we risk a host of chronic diseases that are costly to treat and deplete our quality of life.
Many businesses, organizations, schools and government agencies are dedicated to encouraging and supporting people of all ages to engage in choices that can result in health gains. We are fortunate to benefit from their dedication and hard work, yet those initiatives cannot replace the role of the family in the fight against childhood obesity. Unfortunately, many parents and caregivers themselves suffer from health disparities and lack the health literacy skills to pass on good habits to the children they love. We must support parents and help them learn and practice the behaviors that lead to healthy lives – moving a little more, eating a little less and choosing healthier foods whenever possible.
Focusing national attention on childhood obesity through National Childhood Obesity Awareness month and First Lady Michele Obama’s “Let’s Move” initiative are important steps in tackling the childhood obesity epidemic. By pairing the efforts focused on our children with an equal concentration on improving the health of two-thirds of Americans who are currently overweight or obese, we are more likely to accelerate successes and slow the emotional and financial burden that obesity creates for our families, communities, and the nation.
A year-round effort that includes children and parents, prevention and intervention, public and private partnerships, and health in all policies can lead us to the solutions we so fervently seek.
[1] Madsen Kristine A., Ashley E. Weedn, Patricia B. Crawford. Disparities in Peaks, Plateaus, and Declines in Prevalence of High BMI Among Adolescents. Pediatrics 2010, p.2.
It is a person choice to be that way. Before you put it in your mouth you have to decide wheather it is going to be healthy for you. This country is build on freedom. Your body is a temple and you have to take care of it.
I feel that it is the parent’s responsibility to monitor their child/children’s and their own food and soft drink. My daughter and her husband, when their son was born, decided on how they were going to raise him. They decided when he started to eat food, was that they started on vegetables, mostly fresh organic veggies, and as he grew, he was given soy milk practically from birth, veggies, whole wheat bread, chicken, little or no white sugar products, no soda, she didn’t need “big brother” to oversee her by raising taxes. I know personally how hard it is to keep weight down, but it is the parent’s own choices, and raising taxes or prices on the item and giving the money to the government to spent on another useless cause is rediculess.