Tackling obesity is a critical investment in our children

By Tom Newton

The recent White House report, “Solving the problem of childhood obesity within a generation” contains some frightening information. Obesity is estimated to cause 112,000 deaths per year in the United States. One-third of all children born 10 years ago are expected to develop diabetes during their lifetime. Most frightening to me as a parent, children today might end up having a shorter life span than their parents.

We saw this epidemic coming. In the late 1990s, Iowans were already shelling out an estimated $783 million per year in obesity-related health costs. Now, a new report by the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) shows more than 80 percent of adult Iowa men aged 35 and older are either overweight or obese. In another recent study, IDPH found that 30 percent of third graders were already overweight or obese.

Weight problems that begin early can be very hard to shake off. This puts youngsters at risk for serious health problems, such as heart disease, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, and some forms of cancer.

The White House report offers recommendations related to early childhood, parenting, food in schools, access to healthy and affordable food and physical activity. Taken individually, none of these is a silver bullet. Also, communities and families looking for solutions must realize that their goals need to be long-term and their efforts must be sustainable.

Preventing overweight and obesity is like any other investment in our children's future.

In Iowa, some recent advancements bear mention. The Iowa Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Nutrition's work with the Iowa Sports Foundation resulted in more than 10,000 Iowa children participating in the Live Healthy Iowa Kids/Governor's Challenge. During the 100-day challenge, teams tracked their physical activity, television time and intake of fruit, vegetables, low-fat milk and water. Also, IDPH and Iowa State Extension will soon release a tool to assess nutrition content of food and beverages in school vending machines.

Finally, all of us must make it a point to set a good example for our youngest Iowans. I am proud that my twins - now almost 4 years old - don't remember me being overweight. In 2007, I lost 35 pounds as a participant in Live Healthy Iowa. And through diet and exercise, I have kept it off.

Nearly every parent will say that they want their children to have a better life than they had. Many Iowa parents will achieve this in education, financial stability and other measures. Unless we act now to address obesity in our children, however, the quality of our children's lives and indeed their life expectancy will be cut short.

For more ideas on reducing obesity, visit www.idph.state.ia.us/iowansfitforlife.

Tom Newton is director, Iowa Department of Public Health.