A very exciting and ambitious goal was set by President Obama this week.

President Obama has announced that a task force on Childhood Obesity has been created.

Spurred by the sad fact that:

• kids are predicted to have a shorter life span than their parents
• childhood obesity and the related diseases has tripled among children
• current strategies are not working

President Obama has made this one of his key missions:

TO FIGHT CHILDHOOD OBESITY

He is:

• redoubling the efforts to solve the problem
• he wants the problem solved within a generation!
• he wants a comprehensive plan delivered in 90 days!!

Wow, that is quite a hefty goal and schedule.  I applaud the fact that he is taking such a strong stand to address this serious issue head on.

I still don’t think most people/parents realize what this will mean to our children’s lives, health care system and economy if we don’t figure out how to stop this trend.

But under this new leadership, I am hopeful. I am excited and energized!  We can make a difference if we all make this a priority.

I attended the Network for a Healthy California earlier this week in Sacramento, CA.  This meeting was attended by predominantly schools from around California who are providing innovative ways to promote nutrition to children.  I think what really impressed me is their commitment to making nutrition education part of their curriculum.  With all the budget deficits, cuts to program funds and to teachers, they continue to work together and share ideas and resources so children can learn the importance of healthy living.

Their studies are showing that teaching children about fruits and vegetables and healthy choices is making a difference.  It was exciting to see such a positive impact and very motivating to keep doing the work we do here at NourishInteractive.com to support them.

I was happy to be able to attend and share with them our free nutrition tools and games.  Schools are actively looking for resources to help them bring nutrition and exercise into the schools despite limited funding.  So please, take the time to pass on our website to your child’s school.  We are here to help them and rely on word of mouth to spread our resources.

You can print out this flyer and drop off to your child’s teacher or principal.

It is surprising to read that 24.4% of children ages 2 – 5 years old are either overweight or obese.  That means that 1 out of every 4 preschooler is overweight/obese.   I know that I am always talking about the family setting and what can be done to help kids be more active and eat healthier.  But when I read that near.y 74% of children 3-6 are in some form of childcare setting away from home, that got me thinking.

These childcare settings also have a great influence on the eating and activity habits of these children.  Just think how many children are eating one or two of their main meals away from home.  I found that each state has regulations that help child care facilities and preschools promote kids’ health and prevent childhood obesity.

The Robert Woods Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to combating childhood obesity, has just released a report about how well each these child care facilities are doing at meeting these regulations.  Read the whole report:  Preventing Obesity In The Child Care Setting, Evaluating State Regulations.

According the report, here are the grades that each state received based on how well they met state regulations on healthy eating and physical activity.

Read the report about your particular state.

The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) has developed a one day course to train nurses in the assessment for childhood obesity and to provide them with tools for school nurses to use to assist students, families and the school community to address obesity.

The name of this program is S.C.O.P.E. which stands for “School Nurse Childhood Obesity Prevention Education.”

As a nurse, I know that School Nurses have been spread too thin to be able to do the type of community and outreach programs that are necessary to help families. I am glad to hear that the NASN is taking an active role in helping School Nurses take a leadership role in addressing this issue through the school system.

Check with your child’s school to find it if their School Nurse is participating in this very important program.
Share your thoughts and ideas for effective childhood obesity prevention strategies.

Resources from Nourish Interactive:

Find out your child’s BMI score- online bmi calculator

Learn more about children’s BMI score

Nutrition education tools and resources for schools

Why pledge to go meatless one day a week.

Our friends at Meatless Monday reminds us that it is more than just our own personal health. It also saves our environment. You may not realize this but the livestock that provides meat for us to eat is responsible for an estimated 18% of all greenhouse gas emissions. (Read the UN Livestock report)

You might be shocked by what would change if we all went meatless just one day a week. Take 5 minutes and see for yourself how doing one simple act can have a huge impact on your health, your child’s health and our planet’s health. Just one day!

The annual survey taken by the University of Michigan, CS Mott Children’s hospital has just been released. This survey interviews adults about their concerns regarding children’s health in their community.

Here are the 2009 results:

• For a second year in a row, parents have listed childhood obesity as their number one concern!
• What has changed is that in this 2009 survey, Hispanic and Afro-American parents also listed childhood obesity as their number one concern.
• The survey showed that now 42% of adults believe this is a big problem

I remember when I first had the idea of creating an interactive website that would teach kids about nutrition and support parents in promoting healthy lifestyles to their kids, I was told by many people that this was not an important matter for parents. I was wasting my time etc… I knew as a nurse, this was a very important topic and I believed then and now that parents are concerned about the health of their children and childhood obesity is a growing concern.

I focus on early nutrition education because that is the long term solution. Reaching out to children at a younger age before they have formed their eating habits and food associations. I am sad that we have this problem but glad to know that parents do see the problem. Because that is the first step towards addressing it!

Here are the top 10 overall health concerns

1. Childhood obesity. Forty-two percent of U.S. adults rate childhood obesity as a big problem. In 2008, 35 percent of adults rated childhood obesity as the top overall health concern for children. In 2007, it was ranked No. 3.

2. Drug abuse. Thirty-six percent of U.S. adults rate drug abuse as a big problem for children and has held at No. 2 since 2007.

3. Smoking. Ranked No. 1 in 2007, smoking continues to hold the No. 3 position since 2008, with 32 percent of U.S. adults rating it as a big problem for kids.

4. Bullying. Holding at No. 4, 31 percent of U.S. adults rate bullying as a big problem for children.

5. Internet safety. Continuing at No. 5, 31 percent of U.S. adults consider internet safety a big problem for kids, slightly up from 27 percent in 2008.

6. Child abuse and neglect. This issue, which was ranked No. 10 in 2007, holds at No. 6 and was rated as a big problem among 29 percent of U.S. adults, up from 25 percent in 2008.

7. Alcohol abuse. Up from No. 8 in 2008, 26.5 percent of U.S. adults consider alcohol abuse a big problem. For the 2008 poll, 23 percent of adults listed alcohol abuse as a health concern for kids. In 2007, alcohol abuse was ranked fourth overall.

8. Stress. New to the list in 2009, 26 percent of U.S. adults rate stress as a big problem for children.

9. Not enough opportunities for physical activity. Up one spot from 2008, nearly 25 percent of U.S adults rate this as a big problem for kids.

10. Teen pregnancy. Falling three places from No. 7 to No. 10, 24 percent of U.S adults rated teen pregnancy as a big problem in 2009.

Read the full report.

Nourish Interactive is your free one stop resource for fun nutrition games for kids, interactive nutrition tools and tips for parents and health educators to use to promote healthy living for the whole family.

Interactive family nutrition tools- BMI calculator, food pyramid, healthy meal planners, food label reader and more!

Health, nutrition and wellness articles – “Nourish Healthy Kids” nutrition articles and tips are useful and action oriented articles covering key health and nutrition topics that affect our kids’ health and well-being. All of our articles are written by health professionals to help families learn about the fun and importance of making healthy food and fitness choices!

Printable healthy eating tip sheets for parents- healthy eating tips, daily tips calendar, healthy eating food dairy trackers, goals sheets and more!

Free nutrition- healthy food games for kids - Learn about our nutrition education games. The fun way for kids to learn about nutrition and making healthy food choices.

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation has named the 114 outstanding schools in the US.  These schools are recognized  for building healthy learning environments for students and staff, receiving a bronze, silver or gold award.

These schools are to be commended for putting kids health and nutrition as a priority.  During a time of budget cut backs, I am sure this was not an easy task and required the full support and commitment of the entire community.

See the list of schools who have received awards for creating healthy school environments.

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation offers schools the Healthy Schools Program which provides schools a comprehensive approach to helping schools create healthier environments.

The program works with the school to create healthy changes in the environment that meet the specific needs of the community.

The goals are to:

• improve access to healthier foods
• increase physical activity before and after school
• enhance nutrition education
• establish school employee wellness programs

Best of all, this program is free to schools.  I applaud their efforts because to create a new generation of children that is nutrition minded and values exercise it is going to take all of us contributing in all areas of a child’s life.  And we know school is definitely a big part of a child’s life!!!

Learn more about the program and have your local school participate.

I just found about a film called What’s On Your Plate? It was created by whatsonyourplateproject.org, a nonprofit organization

This is a film is a documentary that follows the lives of two eleven year old inner city kids as they explore their place in the food chain. These two New York girls look at the food systems and talk with food activists, farmers, storekeepers and many other people as they try to discover what is really on their plate.

The girls learn a great deal on their travels including where food comes from, how it is prepared and packaged in its journey to land on their plate. This film really speaks about our food system through the eyes, thoughts and ideas of these two children.

This film is traveling around the country and being shown at different festivals. You can check their website and see if they will be a film viewing in a town near you. What a great way for kids to learn about our food system – from other kids.

I have not seen the movie yet, but after seeing the trailers and reading the synopsis, I am all set to see the movie on September 23, when it will be within a 2 hour drive. yes, I will be driving 2 hours to see this movie because I love the concept and really want to see what these girls learned and more importantly what has changed for them!

Stay tuned for more information after I see the film!

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Georgia State has just introduced a bill that would have schools tracking a child’s body mass index (BMI). So in addition to reading, writing, math and other subjects we may be asking them to track a child’s BMI. Learn more about your child’s BMI.

The bill would require schools to record this score twice a year. That means in addition to teaching there would need to be two days a year where they would have to obtain weight and height measurements and then calculate each child’s BMI.

Other states like Arkansas, Florida, South Carolina and West Virginia have already started requiring schools to measure this.

I have mixed emotions about this. The best place for BMI monitoring is in the pediatrician’s office. Each visit whether it be for routine exam, immunizations or sick visits should always include a quick BMI check. This is really a health issue and needs to be treated as such with proper nutrition counseling, resources and a family discussion of goals to improve the family’s eating and activity habits.

But then I ask myself what about the kids without insurance, who don’t go to the doctor routinely or worse, pediatricians that don’t monitor BMI scores?

I am not here with an easy answer but rather questions to think about:

Do the schools have the resources to add this extra activity? Would it be a very stressful, maybe even embarrassing day for the child who is overweight? Are parents’ given enough information to help understand what a BMI score is? What about healthy eating? Are the kids that don’t eat healthy but happen to be a “normal” BMI score going to get completely overlook? Are these scores accessible to their pediatricians? What are we doing with the data?

I know we have a real problem on our hands, but I am not sure that mandating schools is the answer? How about mandating the health community? For me, I think focusing on providing a good education to kids with a good nutrition education program, healthy meals, PTA awareness and outreach programs and mandated PE classes would be a better use of resources.

What do you think?

Resources: Find out what your child’s Body Mass Index score is.

Learn more about a child’s Body Mass Index score is.

I attended the Childhood Obesity Conference in Los Angeles, CA last week. There were over 1500 participants ranging from teachers, health care providers, pediatricians, government officials and kids health-related organizations. It was very inspiring to see all these individuals joined together with one commitment – to want to make a difference in fighting childhood obesity with a focus on prevention.

We had a booth and a poster presentation discussing the use of interactive media (websites, video games) to engage children and promote healthy eating in a fun, positive way. We talked with so many teachers and community leaders that were grateful for the work we have done and the resources we provide. I am starting my week on a real up note, feeling great about the work that we do and our contribution towards helping families learn about healthy eating and daily activity!

Here are some key highlights from the 4 day event:

• the 3 and 4 year old children have the most significant growing obesity population
  • there was a significant amount of studies and presentations discussing strategies for targeting childcare providers to promote healthy eating habits and being active everyday
• nutrition in schools is a key avenue that must be used to promote healthy lifestyles
  • strategies for schools discussed wellness policies, programs that have worked, eliminating junk food in schools through legislature, balanced healthy meals program, nutrition education and physical actvity programs
• deceptive advertising to families and children and studies indicating the impact to unhealthy eating
  • legislature controlling food labeling and advertising directed at children, education that helps children identify these kind of advertisements
• the role of health care providers
  • strategies discussed were BMI assessments, national registries, nutrition education during pediatric visits, causes and treatment of obesity
• promoting physical activity to all kids
  • strategies included address parks and recreation areas accessibility, the use of video games that required the child to be active such as the wii system,
• promoting healthy eating to families
  • strategies discussed including accessibility to fresh fruits and vegetables, health policies, designing health food systems, new WIC foods

There was a lot going on and a great deal of discussions on areas that must be addressed if we are going to stop and reverse the current childhood obesity trend. But the one consistent message I heard over and over again was the importance of early nutrition education. Parents, you are the role models and the greatest influence on your child’s life. We are here to support you with our free resources.

I want to say a special thank you to Michael, Elaine and Tony who helped me tremendously by attending sessions and manning our booth and poster session.