Today in the office, it was another hectic day seeing patients. I was struck by how often I had to discuss obesity with patients and their family. The educational need in this area is overwhelming. Basic facts on calorie, salt, sugar, and fat content of foods is lacking. You can direct patients to web sites all day to seek out information on food, nutrition, and fitness - but in the end my feeling is that they will still fail to really grasp this issue at hand. It is not that these people are not smart-not at all-it is simply the fact they there is a very high level of intensity that is required in getting the real message across. In has to be face to face education.
We have a great staff in our office, Liver Specialists of Texas. I simply don't have the time to allow the staff to spend any more time with the patients. We could spend all day talking about obesity with them.
Enter Michelle Obama. One family brought up her name, and the Let's Move effort she has outlined. They seemed to have the basic facts on the program, and the issues at hand. Michelle Obama did seem to connect with them. The First Lady has limits to her time I would imagine. She would need to be pounding the pavement 12 hours a day for the next three years to even make a minor dent in the problem of obesity. So where do we all stand with this?
We have to reach the youth, their parents, educators, school administrators, and corporate leaders. One clear message needs to be in tune. Obesity is killing us. Obesity is killing our children. Obesity is going to bankrupt the economy. If we can fix this problem of obesity, healthcare reform (aka address obesity), and cost savings, would be a true victory.
Do the following starting tomorrow and everyday thereafter:
Take responsibility for yourself, and your health.
Ok...so more bad news on childhood obesity. Studies this past week point to the fact that obese children have a far greater chance of not living past 55 years of age. Another way to put it...the children of today may not live as long as their parents. What a statement about our society. Last week, Michelle Obama launched her new effort to address this very issue. Hats off to her. This is a huge subject to tackle. It won't be easy, and she will need all the help she can get.
Bottom line message on childhood obesity:
Parents, please wake up and look at your children. Look at what they eat. Look at how they spend their time. Look at how much time they spend on the couch doing nothing. Look at how much computer screen time they have every day. Look at what they eat for lunch. Look at what they have for snacks. Look at yourself in the mirror and see what kind of example you are setting.
A recent editorial from the New England Journal of Medicine (Download Childhood obesity) is a worthwhile read for all those interested.
What's your take on this?