Scientists urging campaign to reduce obesity in children

By Rob Stein
The Washington Post

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In the most comprehensive assessment to date of what the country should to do counter the explosion in obesity among American youngsters, the academy called for a wide-ranging effort that includes less time in front of television and computer screens, changes in food labeling and advertising, more school and community physical-education programs, and education to help children make better choices. Parents, schools, food companies and local, state and federal governments would be involved.

"We must act now, and we must do this as a nation," said Jeffrey Koplan of Emory University, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who chaired the panel convened by the academy's Institute of Medicine. "If we are not willing to make some fundamental shifts in our attitudes and actions, obesity's toll on our nation's health and well-being will only worsen."

Taking action against childhood obesity An Institute of Medicine committee's recommendations: Establish a high-level task force to coordinate all federal childhood obesity activities; Develop new nutrition standards for all foods and beverages sold in schools; Make sure children engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily; Convene a national conference to draft new guidelines aimed at curbing advertising and marketing of junk food to children and empower the Federal Trade Commission to police the guidelines; Update food labels to give consumers more useful information. The report also said: The food industry should give consumers more and better nutritional information on packaged foods and in restaurants, as well as healthier food and drink choices; Doctors should measure every child's body mass index (BMI) regularly; State and local governments should take several steps to make it easier for everyone, including children, to exercise; Parents should make sure their children eat better, exercise more, watch less television and play fewer video games. The Washington Post

The rate of childhood obesity has skyrocketed in recent years; more than 9 million children older than 6 are considered overweight. The rapid rise has alarmed public-health experts because overweight children are much more likely to develop a variety of health problems.

Although the committee has no power to implement any of the recommendations, such reports frequently have a powerful influence on important public-policy debates.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said he would immediately introduce a bill to implement the recommendations, adding that the legislation would go further in many areas. It would, for example, ban soda and vending machines selling unhealthy foods in schools receiving federal money.

But at least one of the recommendations immediately appeared to meet resistance from the Health and Human Services Department. While praising the report overall, an official indicated HHS believed a recommendation to convene a task force to develop advertising and marketing guidelines was outside the department's authority.

"We don't control advertising," said Christina Beato, acting assistant secretary for health. "To say we are going to develop guidelines for something we have no control over, how wise is that?"

Beato added, however, that the department already had begun working on several other recommendations, including urging industry to take voluntary action and ordering the Food and Drug Administration to update food labels.

"A lot of what they're recommending we're already doing," Beato said.

Details on the report were provided by The Associated Press.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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