CHILDHOOD OBESITY: Working Together to Reverse the Epidemic Dwayne Proctor, PhD, MA Robert Wood Johnson Foundation March 31, 2007

CHILDHOOD OBESITY Over the past four decades, obesity rates have more than quadrupled for children ages 6 to 11. One-third of our children and adolescents are overweight or obese. U.S. adolescents are the most obese in the world. An obese adolescent has up to an 80% chance of being overweight or obese as an adult.

A GROWING PROBLEM %OBESE%OBESE Sources: NHES; NHANES

A GROWING PROBLEM %OBESE%OBESE Sources: NHES; NHANES

A GROWING PROBLEM %OBESE%OBESE Sources: NHES; NHANES

A GROWING PROBLEM %OBESE%OBESE Sources: NHES; NHANES

THE COSTS Obese kids are developing disorders that used to be considered “adult” illnesses. They’re at risk for developing heart disease, stroke, asthma, osteoporosis and other serious health problems. The direct and indirect health costs associated with obesity in the U.S. are estimated at $117 billion annually.

TO SCHOOL: THEN & NOW Source: U.S. DOT, Personal Transportation Surveys

Source: Nielsen & Poplin, JAMA, 2003 PORTION SIZES: THEN & NOW

SCREEN TIME: THEN & NOW Today, kids spend more than five hours each day in front of a screen. Source: Kaiser Family Foundation, 2005

THOSE LIVING IN POVERTY ARE HARDEST HIT Families living in lower income communities or African American and Latino families living in lower income communities 15 percent of all households with children are food insecure and > 50% these families can’t afford to feed their kids well-balanced meals. Between 1971 and 2004, the rate of overweight among 16-year-olds from families living just above the poverty level surged 233 percent. More than 40% of African-American teenagers are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight – 24% are obese. African-American and Hispanic women are at higher risk for obesity than white women. Mexican-American men have higher obesity rates than white and black men.

THE IMPACT A LIFETIME OF DISEASE AND DISABILITY Hispanic boys have highest lifetime risk of diabetes (52.5 percent). Non-Hispanic black boys are at risk too (lifetime risk = 49 percent). Non-Hispanic white males have lower lifetime risk (31.2 percent). Hispanic girls have the highest lifetime risk of diabetes (45.4 percent). Non-Hispanic black girls are at risk too (lifetime risk = 40.2 percent). Non-Hispanic whites have lower lifetime risk (26.7 percent).

WHY? Access and affordability are two big obstacles for lower-income families—they often don’t have the opportunity to make healthy choices. Their children have less access to healthy foods and fewer safe places to play and exercise. They don’t have grocery stores that stock affordable and appealing fresh foods. They have fewer recreational programs, sports areas, parks, green spaces, and bike paths than wealthier neighborhoods.

PREVENTION We need to empower our communities, our children, and our families to live well. We can do that by investing in their health. We need to shift the balance to prevention when it comes to investing our resources and health dollars. We need to act now to change the environments in which our children live, learn and play -- in ways that will increase opportunities for physical activity and foster healthier eating.

PREVENTION MODEL INCREASED LOCAL AND STATE POLICY CHANGES

PREVENTION MODEL INCREASED ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES IN COMMUNITIES AND SCHOOLS INCREASED LOCAL AND SATE POLICY CHANGES

PREVENTION MODEL INCREASED ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES IN COMMUNITIES AND SCHOOLS INCREASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AMONG CHILDREN IMPROVED NUTRITION AND APPROPRIATE CALORIC INTAKE AMONG CHILDREN INCREASED LOCAL AND STATE POLICY CHANGES By 2010

PREVENTION MODEL INCREASED ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES IN COMMUNITIES AND SCHOOLS INCREASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AMONG CHILDREN IMPROVED NUTRITION AND APPROPRIATE CALORIC INTAKE AMONG CHILDREN BY 2012, FEWER CHILDREN AT RISK OF OVERWEIGHT REVERSE THE TRENDS IN CHILDHOOD OBESITY BY 2015 INCREASED LOCAL AND STATE POLICY CHANGES

HEALTHY SCHOOLS

Saturday, October 7, 2006 Wednesday, May 3, 2006

WHAT WE CAN DO Create incentives to bring supermarkets, farmers’ markets and fresh, wholesome foods into lower-income communities. Promote efforts to develop local, sustainable food systems. Promote smart growth and active living.

MOVING FORWARD In the end, to reverse the epidemic, we simply need more— More attention focused on the problem. More investment from the public and private sectors and from philanthropy. More focus on the policy and environmental factors that contribute to unhealthy food consumption and a lack of physical activity.