From Your Health Journal…..”Childhood obesity statistics are alarming. Twenty five million American children are considered obese, so this trend has to end. Sedentary lifestyle, along with poor eating, time spent on technology, poor liquid intake, and poor sleep habits is affecting children in a negative way. Change is needed, staring with education of families on healthy lifestyle.”

From the article…..

A coalition of educators, health care providers, community advocates and business leaders has set a highly ambitious health care goal for Dallas County: ending childhood obesity by 2020.

Yes, highly ambitious. Dallas County kids have a weight problem. Federal statistics show 36 percent of them are overweight or obese. Just in the 10-to-17 age category, 20 percent are obese.

Obesity has been increasing in the nation for 30 years, and only a few places have managed to slow the rate of increase.

Reversing the trend is harder still.

“We’ve looked at 51 school programs that had tried to prevent and treat obesity. The long-term results of all 51 were negligible,” said Richard Atkinson, editor of the International Journal of Obesity. “The idea that they are going to be able to do it in Dallas is zero. … It pains me to say that, because I’ve spent my entire life working on this issue, but the things we’re doing are not working.”

Susan Hoff, chief strategy officer with United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, is a member of the coalition. She said the goal of eliminating obesity is bold but necessary.

‘Compelling goal’

“One of the things that we in the steering committee agreed is critical is to have a single compelling goal that everybody can rally around,” she said.

Whether the goal is achievable remains to be seen. But the need is overwhelming.

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