C HILDHOOD O BESITY

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cdc.gov

P REVALENCE About 16% of all children and adolescents in the U.S. are overweight. Even our youngest children are affected. Overweight and obesity has increased in all ethnic groups, all ages and both genders.

O BESITY & R ACIAL / E THNIC D ISPARITIES More common in African Americans and Hispanics. Why? Fewer grocery stores and more fast-food restaurants Less likely to be involved in physical activities Higher poverty rates

C AUSES OF OBESITY Bigger portions From 1977 – 1994: Calories increased 9% in adolescent boys and 7% for adolescent girls Portions: Salty snacks increased from 132 calories to 225 calories Soft drinks increased from 144 calories to 193 calories Hamburgers increased from 389 calories to 486 calories. American Heart Association

C AUSES : L ESS N UTRITION Fruits & Vegetables Only 14% of children (6-19 y/o) meet the daily recommendation for 2-4 daily servings of fruit. Only 20% get the recommended daily serving of vegetables Whole grains Although at least two servings are recommended: Children get less than one serving per day.

C AUSES : M ILK CONSUMPTION American Heart Association

C AUSES : A DDED SUGAR Found in: soft drinks, fruit drinks, sports beverages, energy drinks, and processed foods. Girls’ soda consumption doubled while boys’ consumption tripled. American Heart Association

C AUSES : E ATING O UT Approximately 40% of budgeted food money is spent away from home. Americans’ spending on fast food: Increased from $60 billion to $110 billion in the last 30 years. Children y/o eat fast-food an average of twice a week. American Heart Association

C HILDREN /T EENS & BMI BMI: Body Mass Index It does not measure body fat directly For children & teens: BMI is plotted on a BMI-for-age growth chart Given a percentile rank Underweight: Less than 5 th percentile Healthy weight: 5 th to 84 th percentile Overweight: 85 th to 94 th percentile Obese: 95 th percentile and greater Cdc.gov

cdc.gov

BMI Initially calculated the same as adult BMI But interpreted differently Amount of body fat changes with age Amount of body fat is different for boys and girls Healthy weight ranges change with each month of age for each sex Healthy weight ranges change as height increases Cdc.gov

H OT OFF THE PRESS ! school-community-fights-back

K IDS AND F AST F OOD “One-quarter of children ages five to 10 years show early warning signs of heart disease.” CSPI, 2008 Most fast-food menus – especially kids’ menus High in saturated fat, trans fat, sodium and calories

F OOD & A DVERTISING  “Children view an average of 3 ½ hours of television commercials per week, and each year they spend the equivalent of a week watching TV ads.” (CSPI, 2003)  About half of these ads are for food.

TV Advertising for Food vs. Public Service Announcements for Fitness or Nutrition, 2005 SOURCE: Kaiser Family Foundation, Food for Thought: Television Food Advertising to Children in the United States, March Average number of food ads and PSAs on fitness or nutrition seen by children per year by age: Age2-7 Age8-12 Age ,400 per year 7,600 per year 6,000 per year 164 per year 158 per year 47 per year Food ads PSAs on fitness or nutrition

Distribution of Types of Food in TV Advertising Targeted to Children or Teens, % 10% 28% Candy and snacks Fast food Among all food ads targeted to children or teens, percent that are for: 4% 9% 7% Sugared cereal Sodas & soft drinks Dine-in restaurants Prepared foods Dairy Breads and pastries 2%Fruit juices 1% SOURCE: Kaiser Family Foundation, Food for Thought: Television Food Advertising to Children in the United States, March 2007.

F OOD A DVERTISING Advertising budgets: Program / CompanyBudget (millions) NCI – 5 A Day Program$3.5 CDC – Nutrition & PE$34 USDA – Team Nutrition$10 McDonald’s$665 M&M’s$74 Coca-Cola & Diet Coke$209 Kellogg cereals$284 CSPI, 2003

D IRECT A DVERTISING & B EYOND Advertising goes beyond commericals Product placement School sponsorship Contracts Fundraising Channel One Contests / Coupons / Incentives

J UNK F OOD IN S CHOOLS “74% of middle schools and 98% of senior high schools have vending machines.” (CSPI, 2004) Who regulates this? The USDA’s role

F OODS IN S CHOOLS What message are our kids getting by the types of foods they can buy in school? Financial impact of selling healthier foods in schools. Total revenues increased

H EALTHIER S CHOOLS Program for success: Updating the meal program menus Enhancing serving and eating areas Improving facilities Student involvement Challenges?

C AUSES : L ACK OF P HYSICAL E XERCISE Although at least 30 minutes of moderate activity is recommended daily. 23% of children have no free-time physical activity Schools have dropped PE classes Media has replaced activity Neighborhoods may be unsafe

P HYSICAL A CTIVITY Childhood obesity is not just about food. What are some benefits of exercise? What about health risks?

P HYSICAL A CTIVITY R ECOMMENDATIONS 1 hour (or more) of daily physical activity Aerobic activity: 60+ minutes of moderate- to vigorous- intensity every day Muscle-strengthening activity: at least 3 days a week as part of the 60 minutes Bone-strengthening activity: at least 3 days a week as part of the 60 minutes

Type of Physical Activity ChildrenAdolescents Moderate-intensity aerobic Hiking, bike riding, brisk walking Baseball, yard work, hiking, brisk walking Vigorous-intensity aerobic Bike riding, jumping rope, running, soccer, basketball Jumping rope, bike riding, karate, basketball, cross- country skiing Muscle- strengthening Modified push-ups, sit-ups, rope or tree climbing Exercises with hand- held weights, push-ups, pull-ups, climbing wall Bone-strengtheningJumping rope, running, hopping, skipping, gymnastics Jumping rope, running, sports like gymnastics, basketball E XAMPLES OF P HYSICAL A CTIVITIES FOR C HILDREN AND A DOLESCENTS CDC, 2008

P HYSICAL A CTIVITY & Y OUTH CDC, 2008

P HYSICAL A CTIVITY : S CHOOLS  “In 2007, only 30% of 9 th -12 th grade students said they attended physical education classes every day.” (CDC, 2008)  Does physical activity have any affect on academics?  What can schools do?

P HYSICAL A CTIVITY : C OMMUNITIES What can communities do to encourage physical activity? Community-wide campaigns Improvements Partner with schools