Preventing Chronic Disease (Oct 2004)
Fighting Back Against Childhood Obesity Through the Cape May County Childrens Health Summit
Abstract
Obesity is a fast-growing health issue affecting children and adolescents across the nation. Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE), along with agency and community partners, implemented a collaborative solution aimed at raising awareness, providing education, and effecting workable strategies for preventing obesity in children and families in the Cape May County, New Jersey, community. Because we regularly work with children and families, we knew that our clientele mirrored the national statistics on obesity, which state that 13% of children aged six to 11 years and 14% of adolescents aged 12 to 19 in the United States are overweight (1). These numbers represent a nearly three-fold increase for adolescents in the past two decades, the effects of which can be devastating both physically and emotionally. Adult health issues, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes, have increased dramatically in children (2). Further troubling statistics show that overweight adolescents have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese adults, the likelihood of which increases to 80% if at least one parent is overweight or obese (2). Overweight children suffer emotionally, too, facing social discrimination, poor self-esteem, and depression (3).
