A new report issued from the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council highlights various provisions local governments could undertake to help address the childhood obesity epidemic. Such provisions range from zoning restriction on fast-food restaurants near schools, changes to after-school programs, and taxing high-calorie, low-nutrient foods and drinks.The report was put together by a committee of health experts and essentially highlights different strategies that have worked to curb childhood obesity so that local governments could develop preventative strategies properly tailored to their individual community needs. The report also points out that in the last 35 years the obesity rate among American adolescents as tripled, increasing from 5 percent to roughly 18 percent. A Health Affairs report published in July estimates that obesity resulted in $147 billion in medical costs in 2008.
According to the report, local governments are figuratively on the front lines in the battle against childhood obesity. As committee chair Eduardo J. Sanchez, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas vice president and chief medical officer, stated in the committee news release on the report:
"Although leisure activities and food consumption are personal matters, local environments influence the choices people make. It's hard to eat fruit instead of chips or cookies when neighborhood stores carry little fresh produce, or to bike to school on busy roads with no bike lanes. Local officials can make a dent in the obesity epidemic, as demonstrated by the examples we highlighted in this report."
The report includes ten examples of steps taken by local governments that “promote healthy eating and physical activity.” These examples include comprehensive prevention initiatives that involved walking trails, fitness centers, and breastfeeding promotion; as well a city laws requiring calorie information to be printed on restaurant menus. However, the report does point out that there is no “one size fits all” approach to childhood obesity, which is why local governments are in a unique position to implement various strategies to target the individual needs of their communities.
To read a copy of the report entitled Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity, which is available for purchase, click here. To read the news release on the report click here.
Posted: 09/02/09
