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Nearly Half of W.Va.'s 5th-Graders Are Obese or Overweight

Posted on: Wednesday, 19 March 2008, 00:00 CDT

A growing problem Childhood obesity in West Virginia is a terrible public health problem. 47% 5th-graders who are overweight or obese 11.7% 5th-graders who are morbidly obese 33% kindergarten and 2nd-graders who are fat 15% high-schoolers who are overweight

When acting U.S. Surgeon General Steven Galson came to Charleston last week to launch a national childhood obesity-prevention initiative, he didn't sugarcoat the issue.

"You do have a problem with childhood obesity, and everyone knows it," said Galson, citing statistics from a 2005 national survey that showed 15 percent of West Virginia high school students were overweight.

After talking with doctors and state health leaders, the surgeon general discovered that the obesity problem likely will get worse, if nothing is done.

About 47 percent of West Virginia fifth-graders, and 33 percent of kindergarten and second-graders, are overweight or obese, according to a report from the state CARDIAC project.

What's more, 11.7 percent of fifth-graders are "morbidly obese," putting them at serious risk of diabetes and asthma.

"It's a terrible public health problem," said Dr. Bill Neal, director of CARDIAC, which stands for Coronary Artery Risk Detection in Appalachian Communities. "It's the biggest public health problem in the country, and we need to better address it."

No other state has a higher percentage of heavy kids.

Dr. Ron Stollings, a state senator from Boone County, has helped screen children through the CARDIAC program, which received a national award last year for promoting healthy lifestyles.

"Even though we're doing heroic efforts, guess what? The obesity rate is still on an upward trend," Stollings said.

The state obesity figures that Galson tossed out last week came from federal telephone surveys in which parents were asked about their children's height and weight. From those numbers, researchers calculate kids' Body Mass Index or BMI.

By contrast, the CARDIAC project sends teams of doctors and medical students to schools where they weigh and measure kids. The teams also check children's blood pressure and test cholesterol and glucose levels.

The CARDIAC project has screened more than 60,000 children in kindergarten, second, fifth and seventh grades during the past decade. Next year, ninth-graders also will be tested.

CARDIAC teams have visited every county in the state.

Braxton, McDowell and Wyoming counties have the highest percentage of overweight and obese kids. Hampshire County had the lowest numbers.

Overweight and obese children are three times more likely to have high blood pressure and 2.5 times more likely to have high cholesterol. They also have a higher chance of developing type-2 diabetes.

Those problems, which can lead to cardiac disease and other illnesses, are more difficult to treat when children become adults.

"I see it every day," said Stollings. "So many of my patients are diabetic, so many are hypertensive."

Galson said American children today are at risk of having shorter lifespans than their parents. The surgeon general hopes his visit to West Virginia will raise awareness about the childhood-obesity problem.

"Chronic diseases linked to obesity have become a catastrophe in this country," Galson said. "Our efforts to reduce obesity are critical. If we don't get control of the problem, our future is going to be much less bright."

Source: Charleston Gazette, The

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