the dramatic increase of type 2 diabetes in childrenan illness that, though 8 to 45 percent of newly diagnosed diabetes cases in children and adolescents. …
A Program from the National Institutes of Health
Program Description
The United States is facing a potentially devastating public health crisis
of overweight and obesity Nearly one-third of all adults are now
classified as obese, a figure that has more than doubled over the last 30
years Perhaps even more alarming is the staggering effect the epidemic
has had on children In just 30 years, obesity has more than doubled among
children ages 2-5 and adolescents ages 12-19, and more than tripled among
youth ages 6-11 This translates to an estimated 9 million US children
and teens ages 6-19 16 percent currently overweight An additional 15
percent are considered at risk of becoming overweight This phenomenon has
directly contributed to outcomes such as the dramatic increase of type 2
diabetes in children-an illness that, though once considered rare in
adolescents, is now estimated to account for 8 to 45 percent of newly
diagnosed diabetes cases in children and adolescents
In order to address this increase in overweight and obesity in children,
the National Institutes of Healths NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood
Institute NHLBI, in collaboration with the National Institute
of
Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases NIDDK, the National Institute
of Child Health and Human Development NICHD, and the National Cancer
Institute NCI have come together to promote We Can Ways to Enhance
Childrens Activity Nutrition-a national public education outreach
program on maintaining a healthy weight Intended to extend the success of
Hearts N Parks, NHLBIs 3-year collaboration with the National Recreation
and Park Association, We Can will provide activities and programs that
encourage improved nutritional choices, increased physical activity, and
reduced screen time in youth ages 8-13
We Can is unique among existing youth obesity-prevention initiatives in
its focus on programs and activities for parents and families as a primary
group for influencing youth audiences We Can is being implemented
through:
Community Outreach: We Can is collaborating with 13 Intensive
Community Sites around the country to take an active role in
creating healthier hometown environments that promote a healthy
weight Sites comprise parks and recreation departments, State and
county health care departments, health care systems, and local
coalitions of medical practitioners and city planning groups
These Sites participated in an orientation training and received
materials and resources to implement and evaluate We Can
Intensive Community Sites are receiving technical assistance to
support local partnership and media outreach In addition, more
than 20 other community sites have committed to use and distribute
We Can program materials We Can enables an unlimited number of
community sites to receive online access to all materials,
including the program poster, its parent handbook in both English
and Spanish, a poster, local press releases, and other useful We
Can tools These sites will extend the reach of We Can messages
throughout the country
National Media and Messages: National promotion targets key
constituencies with messages that announce We Can and motivate
youth and their parents or primary caregivers to take individual
and community action to maintain a healthy weight Messages
engage the public in recognizing both individual and environmental
factors that influence their
attempts to achieve and maintain a
healthy weight, and ultimately reduce their risk of heart disease
Toward these ends, We Can offers English and Spanish materials,
such as radio and print public service advertisements, a parent
handbook, and a Parent-oriented consumer Web site
http://wecannhlbinihgov Printed copies of We Can resources
are available by calling toll-free 866-35-WECAN 866-359-3226
Partnership Development: Providing an umbrella theme, materials,
and support, We Can has joined forces with other national
organizations, including health professional associations,
corporations and the media to provide parents and caregivers with
the most up-to-date information on the prevention of overweight in
children Organizations collaborating with We Can will tailor
their programs and promotions to include We Can materials,
messages, and activities
We Can encourages youth to:
Choose a sufficient amount of a variety of fruits and vegetables per day
Decrease consumption of high-fat foods and energy-dense foods that are
low in nutrient value
Enjoy small portions at
home and at restaurants
Substitute water, fat-free milk, or lowfat milk for sweetened beverages
Engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate physical activity on most-
preferably all-days of the week
Reduce sedentary activity by limiting screen time to no more than 2 hours
per day
To support youth in this program, We Can encourages parents and primary
caregivers to:
Increase the availability and accessibility of healthy foods in the home
Limit the availability and accessibility in the home of sweetened
beverages, high-fat foods, and energy-dense foods with low nutrient
value
Enjoy small portions at home and at restaurants
Support and enable family physical activity
Support and enable reduced screen time
We Can was designed based on a Strategy Development Workshop, convened in
February 2004, with leading researchers, public health experts,
nutritionists and dieticians, youth marketing experts, and community center
representatives from around the country; a review of the science-based
literature on obesity prevention; an environmental scan to review other
agency work on overweight and obesity; and an assessment of Hearts N
Parks
We Can launched June 1,
2005 The initiative builds on the solid
foundation established by NHLBIs Hearts N Parks, and complements other
community-based efforts underway by the Department of Health and Human
Services to reduce the burden of preventable disease
For further information, please contact:
Karen A Donato, SM, RD
Coordinator, NHLBI Obesity Education Initiative
301-496-1051
donatok@nihgov
Source:diabetes-education.net
