(14-05-08) Childhood obesity can lead to future illness

Some kids might consider waiting in line for the new ?Grand Theft Auto? their exercise for the day, and while busily pushing buttons or clicking a computer mouse, those children are getting fatter.

Today is ?Childhood Obesity Awareness Day,? and the increased level of inactivity among youngsters is making health officials cringe.

And while a few extra pounds might be harmless, serious weight problems for a child could lead to serious diseases as an adult.

?A lot of kids are overweight,? said Gwen Mills, the Director of the Comal County Health Department. ?They?re just not as active as kids should be. It?s a concern. If they don?t do something to take care of themselves it could lead to more medical problems when they?re adults, including type-two diabetes or even becoming insulin dependent.?

As of 2005, about 40 percent of children in fourth and eighth grade in Texas were clinically overweight or considered ?at risk? of becoming overweight, according to statistics from the Texas Department of State Health Services.

The TDSHS says those 40 percent will be more likely to develop heart disease, strokes, blood pressure issues and other potentially fatal diseases.

?When you look at the statistics in Texas, we have a good possibility that many of them will have increased medical problems and increased medical costs to solve those problems,? Mills said.

By 2010, the TDSHS projected that obesity-related medical costs in Texas would grow to $15.6 billion, and jump to $39 billion by 2040.

That includes the cost of paying for obese adults, which are more widespread than children.

As of 2007, nearly 66 percent of adults in Texas are overweight or obese, according to the TDSHS.

Trying to combat the millions of Texans and their children who are tipping the scales, the TDSHS recommends the age old equation for weight loss and general health: diet and exercise.

Both the New Braunfels and Comal independent school districts have various nutritional programs, and other organizations around the county are making an effort to keep children active, healthy and a little slimmer.

Published May 10, 2008
Source: The Herald-Zeitung

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