It’s Never too Early to Prevent Childhood Obesity

GIH Maternal and Child Health Audioconference Series

When:

Tuesday, March 31, 2011, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern / 12:00 p.m. Central / 11:00 a.m. Mountain /10:00 a.m. Pacific

Who:

• Alison Gertel-Rosenberg, Senior Advisor and Manager, Nemours
• Khanh Nguyen, Program Officer, The Colorado Health Foundation

What:

Obesity (and many of the health conditions associated with it, including sleep apnea, hypertension, asthma, and type-2 diabetes) is largely preventable. Yet, it has increased dramatically among children aged two to five years old, with substantial numbers of preschool-age children are at risk for the condition. Additionally, children who are overweight in early childhood have a higher risk of being overweight as adults. This audioconference provided an overview of promising strategies for intervening as early as possible in efforts to prevent obesity in children. Topics included the necessity of improving feeding and eating practices for young children; reducing television watching and marketing of unhealthy foods to children; and increasing physical activity. Speakers discussed opportunities for governments, the private sector, childcare providers, schools, and communities at large to work together to combat childhood obesity.

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