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We have a growing problem in the United States, it is the epidemic of childhood obesity. It's a problem we can no longer ignore.[img_assist|fid=4117|thumb=0|alt=The WE CAN Logo]
The percentage of children and teens that are overweight has more than doubled in the past 30 years. Today, about 17 percent of American children ages 2-19 are overweight. -- read more
This is a problem rooted deep in our current culture, habits, and lifestyles, and it won’t correct itself, we all need to take an active roll in being part of the solution. And WE CAN, we owe it to the children of our country.
For children, overweight also increases their health risks. Type 2 diabetes was once rare in American children—now it accounts for 8 to 45 percent of newly diagnosed diabetes cases in children and adolescents. And, overweight children are more likely to become overweight or obese as adults. -- read more
Let me tell you about the WE CAN campaign (a web-site, and a program) that will help us understand this problem while also providing easy solutions and corrective measures that we can all make to combat it.
We Can! has produced a 60-second animated presentation that highlights the importance of preventing overweight and obesity for families.
This program is designed to help families...
Parents, other family members, and caregivers play an important role in the health of children. We Can! helps families be more successful in adapting healthy choices and making changes at home.
We Can! provides science-based information about overweight and ways to prevent it with tips and ideas for you and your family to eat better, move more, and spend less time sitting and watching television. It is NOT a weight loss program, but an educational resource to help you and your family choose healthier, more active ways of enjoying life.
How the public, organizations, schools, and even whole communities can help...
We Can! is a turn-key, science-based program that provides you with the resources you need to help your community address the important issue of childhood overweight and obesity.
The flexible program allows almost any group or organization to sign up to become a We Can! community site and run the program.
What health care professionals can do to help...
Parents turn to health professionals as a trusted source for accurate health information and guidance on their child's health. We Can! can help health professionals put the childhood obesity crisis into context in their community and provides materials and resources to empower health professionals to help their patients' families adopt healthy lifestyle habits to prevent health problems associated with overweight, such as diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers, and other chronic conditions.
Understanding the demands on health professionals in today's world, the We Can! program offers several opportunities to get involved.
Are you able to be a partner?
The goal of the We Can! partnership is to build collaborations around preventive strategies and outreach efforts, as well as to leverage resources and communication channels to disseminate We Can!
There is also something we as BlogHers can do...
Even if you don't have a site that specifically deals with these issues, you could still write a post to give this important information to your readers, and link to the WE CAN campaign.
A quick surf through the BlogHer blogrolls turned up some interesting sites and posts on childhood nutrition...
The Expatriate's Kitchen -- "Musings on food and life, with my original recipes, and a cynical wit as sharp as my ten-inch French knife." She has many posts on Childhood nutrition.
In a BlogHer post titled School Lunch Stories I found a link to Chef Ann Cooper who is a renegade lunch lady.
Chef Ann works to transform cafeterias into culinary classrooms for students - one school lunch at a time. She brings you information to learn about the importance of changing the way America feeds its children.
Recently Chef Ann posted "Are School Lunches Killing Our Kids?" Her posts also link to many other informative sites.
Amy Jussel has Shaping Youth - a nonprofit concerned with media & marketing’s impact on kids. "We have NO political, religious, or censorship agenda. Our focus is to shift harmful messages in a more positive direction with the help of industry insiders."
Have you or your family been affected by the problem of poor nutrition, Type II Diabetes, or childhood obesity? How are you dealing with these
