The statistics

are worse in Georgia, where 9.4 percent of children 2 to 5 years of age

already overweight. The number of hospitalizations related to obesity

for children 6 to 17 years of age increased 65 percent over the past two

decades. The cost of those hospitalizations increased nearly fourfold.

The first consequence

these children often face is a crushing blow to their self-esteem and

peer relationships. But they are also at risk for the medical side effects

of obesity that occur later in adulthood, with hypertension and high lipid

levels leading the list. However, type 2 diabetes, which was previously

seen in only middle-aged adults, is now being diagnosed decades earlier.

Sadly, once

obesity is present, losing the weight is difficult. Therefore, the Georgia

pediatricians feel it necessary to intervene and are prepared to engage

the many aspects of this serious national epidemic in a program titled

"Healthy Lifestyles for a Lifetime." Their efforts will focus

on:

Helping parents

and family members understand their responsibilities and importance as

role models in their own eating habits. Children are not the ones selecting

the foods and snacks they eat at home; they often follow their parents'

example. Children are not the ones choosing the restaurants they patronize;

yet their consumption of increased fat, calories and salt are determined

Encouraging

children and families to become more active. The population has become

more sedentary, spending more time watching television or on the computers,

though it has been shown that increased television time is associated

with increased risk of being overweight.

Working with

schools to 1) promote healthy meals in their lunch rooms and breakfast

plans; 2) limit vending machine access during school hours; 3) encourage

better nutritional choices in those machines; and 4) incorporate physical

activities into their curricula and after-school programming.

Promoting

the concepts of healthy lifestyles for a Lifetime to the children and

their families. At well child visits, physicians will discuss nutrition

and activities with the patients and their families, screening for and

following specific nutritional problems and their consequences.

Giving physicians

and health care personnel better methods for diagnosing obesity and treating

its consequences.

Advocating

specific action plans to develop and promote active recreational programs

appealing to children and accessible to families for after school, weekend

and summer involvement.

Requesting

a legislative committee to study the increasing prevalence of obesity

in Georgia and to look for additional measures to combat obesity.

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