Contributed by William Angelos| 30 September, 2004 21:06 GMT
Acting on a mandate issued by the U.S. Congress in 2002, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) has developed a preventive strategy to decrease obesity among American children.
The committee's action plan is described in its report, Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance.
Childhood obesity in the United States is a critical public health threat, according to the IOM, which reports that the problem has more than doubled for preschool children aged 2-5 years and adolescents aged 12-19 years since the 1970s, and it has more than tripled for children aged 6-11 years during that timeframe. At present, approximately nine million children over six years of age are obese.
Among the costs associated with childhood obesity are significant risks to physical and emotional health, says the IOM. In 2000, it was estimated that 30 percent of boys and 40 percent of girls born in the United States were at risk of being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at some point in their lives. Social stigmatization also contributes to psychosocial problems.
Obesity-associated annual hospital costs for children and youth more than tripled over two decades, according to the IOM, from $35 million in 1979-1981 to $127 million in 1997-1999.
The IOM emphasizes that any strategy to combat childhood obesity must address the factors that influence both eating and physical activity. which involve "complex interactions across a number of social, environmental and policy contexts. American children live in a society that has changed dramatically in the three decades over which the obesity epidemic has developed. "
Among the recommendations contained in the IOM report are the establishment of an interdepartmental task force at the federal level; the development of nutrition standards for foods and beverages sold in schools; and the development of guidelines for advertising and marketing food products to children.
Healthcare professionals are urged to routinely track body mass index (BMI) in children and youth and offer appropriate counseling and guidance to children and their families.
Schools are advised to increase opportunities for frequent, more intensive, and engaging physical activity during and after school and to develop innovative pilot programs for both staffing and teaching about wellness, healthful eating and physical activity.
The IOM encourages parents to promote more healthful diets and active lifestyles that involve increased physical activity and less TV and computer time. |
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