Kids’ Obesity A Global Threat

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From Your Health Journal…..”The Toronto Sun has some amazing articles, including the one being reviewed here today about childhood obesity. Please visit The Sun’s site to read many great articles. This article discusses obesity in Canada, where according to the Childhood Obesity Foundation, 1.6 million Canadian children are considered overweight or obese. Reports have shown that obesity has overtaken hunger as a larger global threat. Data from reports have also shown the last 20 years showed a worldwide 82% increase in obesity – meaning an increase in diseases such as early type 2 diabetes, heart and circulatory disease. Not only does this data apply to Canada, but worldwide. Please visit The Sun’s web site (listed below) to read the complete article.”

From the article…..

Are your kids too chubby? According to the Childhood Obesity Foundation, 1.6 million Canadian children are considered overweight or obese. And we are not alone. A recent report, called the Global Burden of Disease, indicated that obesity has overtaken hunger around the world as the biggest threat to global health. So now that the holiday cookies have all been eaten, it’s time to get kids on track nutritionally.

The above-mentioned report which compared data from the last 20 years showed a worldwide 82 % increase in obesity – meaning an increase in diseases such as early type 2 diabetes, heart and circulatory disease as well as other ailments caused by carrying too much weight.

The good news is that obesity can be prevented, says Dr. Jonathan Maguire, a pediatrician at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, who is involved in a massive research study called TARGet Kids! The program (a collaborative effort between his hospital, Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, and various participating children’s clinics) follows children from birth with the aim of understanding and preventing common problems that can impact their health later on.

“We know that children who are obese are likely to be adolescents who are obese and adults who are obese. We know that obesity can be prevented, but we don’t know much about how to do that,” says Dr. Maguire, adding that diets just don’t work. “If we can understand why one child becomes obese and another child does not, maybe we can develop tools and interventions to keep kids from being obese before it starts.”

Already, 5,500 Canadian children are involved in the program (check it out at www.targetkids.ca) which is studying not only obesity but also iron deficiency, and the impact of vitamin D on colds and asthma in kids. Early results on the study’s obesity arm have already shown that screen time is associated with the development of obesity in kids: Limiting TV and computer time is a step that parents can take to help their kids, Dr. Maguire says.

To read the full article…..Click here