Obesity in our Children

"U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona, MD called it the greatest threat to public health today. It kills more Americans every year than AIDS, all cancers and all accidents combined. And it's causing problems in children that were unthinkable 20 years ago." This is a quote from the Public Health department from the American Medical Association (AMA). What is this great threat? What can we do about it? More importantly, how can we protect our children?
Obesity has become a major public health issue in America. Our children are suffering from this issue as well. Consequently, the affected children are having health problems that are more commonly found in adults, such as diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, according to Cecil B. Wilson, MD, AMA Board Chair.
As a result of this issue, the Expert Committee worked to identify treatment and prevention options to address this growing problem. The committee created 22 recommendations for health care professionals to apply in their practices. These recommendations can be found on the AMA website from the links on the left-hand side of the screen. It is important for parents to know these recommendations, so they can have a better understanding of the doctor's goals, and understanding these goals and recommendations will help parents and doctors work with the child more effectively.