Childhood Obesity Requires Broad Plan of Attack, Report Says

A wide-ranging effort involving parents, schools, communities and government is needed to turn the tide of childhood obesity, the Institute of Medicine said Thursday.

“No single factor or sector of society bears all of the blame for the problem,” and no sector alone can correct it, Dr. Jeffrey Koplan of Emory University, chairman of the committee that prepared the recommendations, said at a briefing.

Shiriki K. Kumanyika of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine likened the recommendations to other long-term public health efforts, such as reducing smoking and getting people to use seat belts.

“This is not something that can happen overnight,” she said, though some things can be done quickly, such as making schools commercial-free zones.

The country has drifted into a situation where the number of obese children has more than doubled over the last 30 years, Koplan said, “but we’re not going to drift out of it.”

Today, about 9 million children older than 6 are obese, the report said.

The report called for a wide-ranging effort that includes less time in front of televisions and computer screens, changes in food labeling and advertising, more school and community physical education programs, and education to help children make better choices.

“It is now critical to alter social norms and attitudes” so that healthy eating and physical activity become routine, Koplan said.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy G. Thompson said the Food and Drug Administration is examining how to revise food labels to ensure that parents understand how many calories they and their children are consuming. “Accurate, helpful information will allow them to make wise food choices at home, at supermarkets and in restaurants,” Thompson said.

Over the last 30 years, the rate of childhood obesity has tripled among children 6 to 11 and has doubled for those 2 to 5 and 12 to 19, the institute reported.

Robert Earl of the National Food Processors Assn. also noted changes being made by food manufacturers, and said: “The food industry also supports programs to promote physical activity among children. This report emphasizes the importance of including physical activity in any effort to address obesity -- at school, at home and in communities.”

Dr. Thomas N. Robinson of Stanford University, a member of the committee that prepared the report, said that many healthcare providers were worried about the future as obese children age and adult chronic diseases begin in the teen years and younger. “Everything is affected by overweight,” he said.

The report from the Institute of Medicine, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, was the latest to focus on childhood obesity.

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

Specifically, the panel suggested that parents limit kids’ TV hours, that schools provide healthier food, that restaurants offer nutrition information and that communities provide more recreation opportunities.