From Your Health Journal…..”This blog covers a lot of childhood obesity issues. This article starts off by saying ‘In Rhode Island, one in five children begin kindergarten as overweight and obese.’ Almost on average with the rest of the United States. Nice to read about local heroes taking action and speaking to groups about childhood obesity, and trying to lead by example. Education is one of the major factors in the fight to keep kids healthy and fit. Kudos to Miss Rhode Island, Kelsey Fournier for her leadership in Rhode Island.”

From the article…..

In Rhode Island, one in five children begin kindergarten as overweight and obese. Miss Rhode Island Kelsey Fournier has chosen to create awareness of the epidemic. Fournier, a 2012 RIC graduate (B.S. Health Education), presented her platform on childhood obesity at Rhode Island College on Nov. 28., showing the trailer for the HBO documentary “The Weight of the Nation.” The trailer claimed nearly 69 percent of U.S. adults as overweight or obese, and predicts the first generation of children who will have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.

“ It’s kind of scary if you think about how children still wanted to eat that after watching it being made; it is a little disheartening .”

The difference between being overweight and obese is, in the former, one has excess body mass for one’s height and age, the latter has an excessive amount of body fat.

In America alone, 17 percent of children and adolescents suffer from being overweight or obese. One in three children in the U.S. are overweight or obese. This number has tripled throughout the past three years. Nationally, one in seven preschool aged children are obese. According to the film, if the obesity epidemic is not taken care of, there will be an abundance of chronic diseases.

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