QUESTION & ANSWER: DR. MAUREEN STOREY

Richmond Times Dispatch (Virginia)
February 1, 2005 Tuesday

Q.What are the consequences of obesity among children?

A.Children who are overweight may be at higher risk for serious health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, sleep disorders, and other problems.

Q.Where do we start working toward a solution to childhood obesity?

A.The most important place to look for workable solutions for childhood obesity is the family and home. Parents are the most important role models for children.

If parents are physically active themselves and eating healthfully, then that behavior will have a better chance of carrying over to the children's activity and eating habits.

Q.How important is the role of schools in preventing and intervening in childhood obesity?

A.Schools can help, but the family and parental role models are more important. Nutrition education and physical education offered in schools can supplement, but cannot substitute for parental and family influences.

Q.All right, but what can schools do to help prevent and decrease obesity?

A.Schools can look at the breakfast and lunch offerings to reduce the amount of fat used in cooking.

For example, reduce how many times per week fried foods are offered. If possible, switch from frying to baking. Offer fruits and vegetables more often.

Q.What challenges do we face in preventing and decreasing obesity?

A.As a society, the biggest challenge is our sedentary lifestyle and figuring out sensible ways to be more physically active with all of the demands on our time. That is why the America On the Move initiative and the state initiative, Virginia On the Move is urging Virginians to take some small but achievable steps to help stop weight gain.

Virginia On the Move . . . encourages people to be more physically active by taking an additional 2,000 steps a day. People can monitor how many steps they usually take by wearing a pedometer that counts their steps. The other part of the solution is to eat just 100 calories less a day. The America On the Move Web site www.americaonthemove.org <http://www.americaonthemove.org> offers 100 ways to eat 100 fewer calories so that people can choose the easiest way to cut calories for themselves.

Q.How do you see the obesity problem 10 years from now?

A.If we do not act now, we will see higher medical costs due to the serious health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and other diseases.

And we are likely to see these medical costs for younger and younger people.