Post subject: Broad changes needed to reduce childhood obesity

WASHINGTON - American society needs "fundamental changes," including limiting the time kids spend in front of a TV or computer, to reverse the epidemic of childhood obesity, a panel of scientists recommended Thursday.

A new report by the independent Institute of Medicine on childhood obesity calls for:

- Limiting time in front of a TV or computer to two hours or less a day.
- Labelling junk foods more clearly.
- Offering healthier foods in schools.
- Monitoring the weight and height of students in schools.
- Providing nutrition information at restaurants.
- Expanding recreational opportunities in communities.

According to the institute, which sets nutrition recommendations in the U.S., over the last three decades, the rate of childhood obesity in the U.S. has tripled among those aged six to 11 and has doubled for those aged two to five and 12 to 19.

Healthy eating behaviour and physical activity need to become routine, said Dr. Jeffrey Koplan of Emory University in Atlanta, who chaired the panel.

"This report is calling for fundamental changes in our society," Koplan told a briefing Thursday.

Obesity can lead to an increased risk of developing diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep problems, high cholesterol, gallstones and other health problems.


The causes of increased childhood obesity include a lack of sidewalks, increased consumption of convenience foods high in fat and calories, and reduced levels of physical activity, the report said.

A study published in the October issue of the journal Diabetes Care suggested obese children as young as seven showed signs of damage to their arteries.

Post subject:

There are problems you can fix(more or less) even after you grow up; for example, K-12 education is not known for its quality, but US still has fine higher education system(despite the fact that the budget has been cut rather dramatically recently), and college students seem to have all right education when they graduate. Health problems are completely different problems because they can be permanent problems.