Page 8
'r*1' ^ìorllattì» (Obstruer
July 13. 2011
Childhood Obesity is a Growing Threat to America’s Children
HV
H l > A U I L ' IV f T ü L’ < r \ o / c i ■
by
D r . H
enrie M. T readwell ,
»U z»
D elores B olden S tamps ,
P ii .D. and M ary Ci rrie
ATLANTA—Researchers,
. - phy-
sic lans and policymakers are increas-
C
_ r
i
.
...
the National Survey of Children’s the medical care that they need.
more per year. It’s no coincidence through education programs in the
Health (NSCH) found that only three
Moreover, the obesity rates are that the South, which is the poorest schools, where children and ado­
states and the District of Columbia highest among minority populations. region of the country, is home to 10 of
lescents spend the majority of their
had childhtxxl obesity ' rates higher According to the Centers for Disease
as wen
as
the
the 11 states with the highest rates of uay,
well
as dv
by chancing
changing
than20percent-Kentucky,Tennes- Control and Prevention, Hispanic obesity. For the sixth straight year, f day,
o i ls as and
beverages
available the
to
tngly recognizing the physical and see and West Virginia. Yet, four years
mental he^ t^ ^ 8ste/ nnung from later
NSCH’s survey found that
tfie wave of childhood obesity sweep- obesity had reached that level in eight
8 dCrtr° S»
mUntry' ! ‘f CqUa Y ’linsd,ctIons— theD,slnetofColum-
important that the search lor solu- bia and the states of Arkansas, Geor-
tions focuses on the root causes-
gia, Illinois, Kentucky. Louisiana,
the school, economic and commu­ Mississippi and J exas.
nity conditions that are incubators
At a congressional hearing earlier
for this epidemic.
J
this year, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-
fh. 5
r
‘
u te
,
United States laces an obe-
sity crisis, particularly among chil-
drem Accoiding to a report by the
rust for Americas Health (TAH)
and the Robert Wood Johnson Foun-
dation, obesity rates increased in 28
states over the past year, with 38—
more than two-thirds of the states—
having adult rates above 25 percent,
Further, the increases among chil-
dren have raised considerable con-
cem, since researchers now believe
i!J) PUt thC Pr° b,em *n perspective:
In my state. New Jersey, 31 percent
of our children are clinically over-
weight. That’s nearly 7 percent higher
thanthe rate ofadult obesity. And I’m
worried that, at a time of economic
recession and high unemployment
rates, many of these children will be
less likely to have access to healthier,
more expensive foods. Meanwhile,
safety-net health programs are con-
tinuously overextended as the num-
bers of uninsured and underinsured
that obesity impacts learning, mental
health and social behavior. In 2003,
continue to grow, posing further risk
to children who may not be receiving
boys and African American girls have
the highest rates of obesity, with 22.1
percent of Hispanic boys and 27.7
Percent of African American girls
classified as obese. In fact, data show
that obesity rates for African Amen-
cans and Latinos are higher than for
Whites in at least 40 states and the
District of Columbia.
is 3,80 Z
clear hnk between ing to the high levels of obesity?
obesity and income levels— 35 per-
Researchers have determined that
cent of adults earning less than $15,000 residents of minority communities
per year are obese, compared to 24 have fewer opportunities to purchase
percent of adults earning $50,000 or healthy foods, such as fresh veg-
...researchers have found links
between obesity and higher rates o f
i •
7
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SeriOUS CllSCCISC S, SH( h CIS dlClbctCS,
h e a r t s fj vP n
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a n a r llg r l 0 1 0 0 0
OreSSUre-- even ClinOElV
children
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Dr. Billy R. Flowers (above center) and his skilled s ta ff are ready to help those in need
THE
SPINACOLUMN
TM
An ongoing series of questions and answers about Americas natural healing profession
Part 26 KIDS AND CHIROPRACTIC
As the twig is bent so grows the tree
: I have recently noticed
my son has one shoulder
higher than the other. Could this
be a sign of a problem in his spine?
: Good thinking, mom! It
surely could. In fact having
ane shoulder higher than the other
is a cardinal sign of curvature of
he spine. According to Chiro­
practic research, the earlier a cur­
vature is caught, the higher the
potential for success. To be cer­
tain about health of your child, call
>ur office today for a professional
pinal evaluation. Spines (big or
mall) are our specialty.
|
: I have been told that my child
needs an operation for a cur­
vature in her spine. Is there an alter­
native?
A : You most definitely should
have a thorough Chiropractic
checkup on your child immediately.
Spinal surgery gets. All conserva­
tive e ffo rts at h an d lin g your
child’s problem should be con­
sidered before consenting to sur­
Mississippi has the highest rate for
adults, 33.8 percent.
The data are startling because re-
searchers have found links between
obesity and higher rates of serious
diseases, such as diabetes, heart dis-
ease and high blood pressure— even
among children.
So what are the factors contribut-
gery. Our office is highly trained
and skilled at handling problem s
like that o f your ch ild ’s. D on’t
be fo o led by the though o f
“watching the condition” either.
W ithout proper assistan ce it
w on’t go away. Offer your chil­
dren the best in health care. Give
them regular Chiropractic check­
ups. As the twig is bent so grows
the tree!
flo w e rs ’ Chiropractic Office
2124N .E . H an co ck Street, P ortlandO regon97212
Phone: (5 0 3 ) 2 8 7 *5 5 0 4
etables, because there are far fewer
supermarkets in their neighborhoods.
By contrast, there is a higher concen-
tration of fast-food outlets, which
serve less healthy food. Other fac-
tors include a propensity to eat foods
cooked with more grease and con-
taining more fat.
Of particular concern for children
is that sugar-sweetened beverages
account for 10 percent to 15 percent
op the daily calorie intake for children
and adolescents, a percentage that
has been has been steadily increas-
ing over the past few decades, ac-
cording to The New England Journal
of Medicine.
The most effective way to com-
bat childhood obesity may be
children while they are in school
Congress can take a stand in lecis’
lation reauthorizing the child nutri
tion programs tha^expire this fall
Supporters are calling for the estab-
lishment of nutrition standards for
all food sold at schools, meals
served in cafeterias and snacks of­
fered in vending machines.
There
also been tremendous
growth
in has
farm-to-school
programs
that bring fresh fruits and vegetables
into ^ s c h o o l s “Studied show
that farm-to-school programs ra­
crease fruit and vegetable consump­
tion among students at participat­
ing schools,” the TAH report said,
adding that a study conducted by
the University of California at Davis
found that farm-to-school programs
not only increase the consumption
of fruits and vegetables among par­
ticipating students, but also change
eating habits, causing students to
choose more healthy options when
fresh produce is available at lunch.
Dr. HenrieM. Treadwell is direc-
tor o f Community Voices, a non-
profit organization at Morehouse
School o f Medicine working to im-
prove health services and health-
care access fo r all Americans.
Delores Bolden Stamps is President
and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
o/ DB Stamps and Associates, an
educational and resources devel­
opment/management consultancy.
Maty Currie is Southern Area Di-
rector o f The Links, Incorporated
and hasfocused on preventing chi Id-
hood obesity. For media interviews
w/r/z Dr. Treadwell, please contact
Melva B. Robertson at 404-752-
8649 or mrobertson@msm.edu).
Blood Supply Shortage
In an effort to prevent the decline
in blood supply from declining fur-
ther, the American Red Cross Blood
Services is calling out to the com-
munity to donate their blood in the
upcoming summer months.
According to the American Red
Cross Blood Services, the supply of
Type O negative blood, which is
al way s in high demand because it
can be transfused to patients of any
blood type, has dropped to criti-
cally low levels.
“The American Red Cross is of-
fering convenient blood drive hours
and reaching out to eligible blood
donors, sponsors and community
leaders to ask them to help recruit
type O negative blood donations to
help meet the needs of patients in
our com m unity,” said Daphne
M athew , spokesperson for the
American Red Cross Pacific North-
west Blood Services Region,
A shortage of type O negative
blood, which is used the most in
emergency situations, often occurs
during the summer months because
fewer residents donate due to holi-
day vacations and schools hosting
fewer drives, they explained. The
Red Cross Pacific Northwest Blood
Services Region provides lifesav-
ing blood to more than 80 hospitals,
which requires nearly 1,000 people
to give blood and platelets each
weekday.
Blood donors are asked to call
1-800-R E D C R O S S or v isit
redcrossblood.org.