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Did you know that last year 43 percent of students in the Waterloo Community Schools were overweight or obese? This figure has risen significantly since 2002 when only 34 percent were found to be in this category.
The impact of this childhood epidemic is significant and may have lifelong implications. Type 2 Diabetes among children has been increasing at a rate that parallels the increase in childhood obesity rates. Similarly, high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels are all on the rise in obese children. In addition, the incidence of sleep apnea with associated bedwetting, poor school performance, and fatigue are also more apt to occur in obese children.
Perhaps one of the most damaging effects is that of the potential impact on the obese child’s self-esteem. American society places a high priority on body image and many youth feel the stigma and prejudice placed on them for their size. The resulting self-image as an obese person may be very difficult for the child to overcome, which may increase the probability of the obese child becoming an obese adult (medicinenet.com, 2008).
In an effort to combat the growing problem of childhood obesity, a committee named “Cedar Valley Go 5210!” has been formed under the leadership of the Black Hawk County Health Department. The focus of this group of concerned professionals is to get the word out about childhood obesity, including strategies and programs designed to improve healthy habits and lifestyles of the entire family. The committee’s name comes from the American Medical Association and the American Pediatrics Associations’ campaign to reduce childhood obesity, which sets the following recommendations for children:
Consume at least five fruits and vegetables each day.
Limit screen time, including television, computers and video games to no more than two hours per day. This does not include school activities. Keep televisions out of children’s bedrooms.
Get at least one hour of physical activity each day.
Drink zero beverages containing sugar. These include soda pop, fruit juices and sports drinks.
The 5210 Committee is in the process of developing materials to assist in spreading the message about childhood obesity. A logo design contest is currently underway among area high school art students. A team of community graphic designers conducted a mini-seminar about logo design, which was attended by more than 40 art students from Waterloo’s West and East High Schools and Northern University High School in Cedar Falls.
The participating graphic designers included Joe Hahn of Edgecore; Sarah Judisch, graphic designer, Cedar Valley Athlete Magazine; Sara Fitzgerald, Creative Arts Director of Prairie Lakes Church; Jean Vaux, Health Coach and Wellness Editor/Art Director of Cedar Valley Athlete Magazine; and Penny Sund, Strategic Marketing Communications business owner, adjunct professor and former Art Director at Wartburg College. Following the mini-seminar, the designers offered a critique session for the students in late September. The designers and the 5210 Committee will select the winning logo in November.
The 5210 Committee’s community campaign will be launched in the early spring. Part of this campaign will be a compilation of community resources designed to improve the wellness of tomorrow’s families through healthy habits and lifestyles. The committee also helps schools plan and conduct wellness fairs. Cedar Valley Athlete readers are urged to contribute questions, suggestions, and resources to the 5210 Committee Chairperson at rbottke@cfu.net
Rhonda Bottke, MA, ARNP, CPNP has 26 years of experience at the Black Hawk County Health Department, where she is currently the Schools, Outreach, and Clinics Division Manager. In her tenure at the Department, she has authored and managed numerous grants and begun several projects, including Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention, School Based Health Services, Preschool and Daycare Health, Waterloo School Nursing Services, and the School Based Dental Sealant Project. She has been instrumental in establishing several local task teams, which include the Cedar Valley Oral Health Initiative, the 5210 Healthy Children Task Team, which focuses on childhood obesity, and the Success Street Mental Health Task Force designed to establish a strategic plan for delivering mental health services to the area’s youth.
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