January 19, 2006 Issue                                               

©2005 The Chestnut Hill Local

Childhood obesity creates unhealthy adults

One third of the adult American population is obese, according to the American Obesity Association. That percentage is alarming to Susan Hansen, Ph.D., executive director of the Chestnut Hill Health Care Foundation, and to George Stern, executive director of Northwest Interfaith Movement (NIM). And they’re doing something about it in our community. They’re starting with the kids.

The foundation has awarded $30,000 to NIM for its pilot program to target child day care centers in Northwest Philadelphia in an effort to improve the nutrition and increase the physical activity of 630 children, ages two to eight.

“We are really excited to see this kind of programming being done in our service area,” said Hansen. “According to the Philadelphia Health Management Corporation, Northwest Philadelphia is 54.2 percent at risk for childhood obesity (ages two years and older). Northwest Philadelphia is at greater risk than all of Philadelphia (51.5 percent) and at far greater risk than all of Southeast Pennsylvania (43.2 percent). If we can curb the growing tendency toward childhood obesity, we can save health care dollars in the future by helping young adults avoid obesity-related conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, as well as cancer of the breast and colon.”

The project, which the Chestnut Hill Health Care Foundation, is funding is called Start Now, and is part of The Neighborhood Child Care Resource Program of NIM, under the direction of Leslie Eslinger.

Leslie sees child day care centers contributing to the growing trend in obesity, partly because of lack of adequate equipment and space. “Sound nutrition and vigorous activity are lacking in the Northwest Philadelphia facilities we serve,” she said. “Because children spend so many hours each week in day care, these facilities could potentially provide part of the solution.”

The funds provided by the foundation will enable the Start Now program to provide on-site staff training as well as to purchase exercise equipment. Start Now will monitor each center’s performance and improvement in nutritional value of snacks as well as amount of time each day spent developing gross motor skills. Start Now will report back periodically to the Foundation on its progress.

“We really want this program to be successful,” said Hansen. “As we monitor it, and as we sees its application able to be replicated, we feel that the impact will be felt by thousands of children over the next few years. With those children off to a good start, we hope to start seeing a decline in adult obesity, which in turn will have a positive effect on the health of our community as well as a reduction in health care costs.”