Year: 2007
Type: article
Abstract: C hildhood obesity is one of the most serious health problems facing our state.A child born today is three times more likely to be overweight by age 18 than a child born 30 years ago.Today's young children also face a onein-three lifetime risk of developing type 2 diabetes -if they are Latino, a 50% chance -and an increased risk of heart disease, hypertension and certain forms of cancer.Our health care system, already stretched, may collapse under the "weight" of this situation.Recognition is growing that the causes and solutions are not to be found in the health sector alone, but rather in the larger societal and environmental context.We must scrutinize the environmental factors that can act as barriers to healthy eating, including food cost, availability and marketing, as well as physical, economic and logistical limits on children's daily physical activity.For example, a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that a typical 8-to 12-year-old child may see more than 7,000 food and beverage commercials in a year, and few if any promote healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables.Fewer than 2% of our nation's children actually eat meals that meet the current recommended Dietary Guidelines.California has responded by establishing food, nutrition and physical activity policies to protect the health of our children.Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has made it a priority to address this issue and has championed many of these public policy efforts.Among the state's achievements is the passage of broad legislation governing the nutritional content of foods and beverages served in K-12 schools.
Source: California Agriculture
Author: Patricia Crawford
Institution: University of California, Berkeley
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W1839863901