Work together to end childhood obesity

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September 1, 2010

Anonymous The Union-Recorder The Union-Recorder Wed Sep 01, 2010, 08:00 AM EDT

MILLEDGEVILLE — A grant awarded a little more than a year ago is helping to address the root causes of childhood obesity in the Baldwin County community and promote healthy eating as a family-oriented, family-focused way of life.

Georgia College & State University was awarded a $360,000 grant on behalf of Baldwin County by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation last year, one of 50 such grants given out with the aim of addressing the key issues related to childhood obesity and focus on ways to combat them. During a recent follow-up visit to Baldwin County, grant officials and project coordinators were presented an overview of local progress, which during the course of the past nine months has included development of the Milledgeville Community Garden project, discussion and planning to expand bike trails and healthier snacks in area after-school programs. While these steps looked at singularly may seem small, collectively they represent significant progress in combating childhood obesity and in efforts to get entire families involved in living healthier lifestyles.

Baldwin County is not alone in this effort, and recent statistics are reason for alarm among communities everywhere. According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control, childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. The prevalence of obesity among children ages 6 to 11 increased from 6.5 percent in 1980 to 19.6 percent in 2008. Children who are obese are more likely to become overweight adults and experience many of the issues related to adult obesity such as type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease. Childhood obesity is linked to more than 100,000 deaths each year and costs approximately $3 billion a year in weight-related direct medical care.

These are facts that impact children all over the country each year. And while there are a number of factors that play a role in such startling numbers — more children growing up in urban environments with less room for play, technology that doesn’t engage young people in outdoor or physical activities — these issues and others much become a part of the local conversation in an effort to find ways and means to overcome them. These are not minor issues that are subject to matters of opinion. The effects stemming from this issue impact productivity in the classroom and in the workplace and help to establish a poor foundation for adulthood.

Earlier this year, First Lady Michelle Obama kicked off a national effort, the Let’s Move campaign, with the ambitious goal of ending childhood obesity in a generation. This is a lofty goal — one that can only be if it starts one community at a time. Baldwin County has made strides in doing its part, and more local residents must get behind the effort in order to see its impact at its fullest. Then we can all celebrate the end result — a healthier generation of local children and families putting into practice sound eating habits for the better.

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