By Diana Long.  At the end of May I participated in Disruptive Women’s  Breakfast Series, Childhood Obesity:  A Big Fat National Challenge.  We were supporting the First Lady’s Let’s Move campaign. 

Don Mathis, a fellow panel member, and CEO Community Action Partnership provided an interesting perspective.  “We’ve watched the obesity numbers for adults more than double over the last three decades.  Why didn’t we realize that it was just a matter of time before we saw the same trend in our children?”  Childhood obesity has tripled over the last 30 years and now stands at 17% of children and adolescents (ages 2-19); the percentage of overweight children is at, or above, 30 percent in 30 states.  Obese children and adolescents are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure, cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes and are more likely to have learning problems.

At the end of last month the CDC released a new report on adult obesity.  The news is “America’s waistline is still growing, or holding steady in some states, but not shrinking at all.”  In other words, we’re still fat.  Thirty-four percent (34%) of us are overweight and another 31% are obese.  If you’re wondering if this includes you, according to the National Institutes of Health “anyone with a body mass index (a ratio between your height and weight) of 25 or above – that’s someone, for example, who is 5-foot-4 and 145 pounds — is considered overweight.  Anyone with a body mass index of 30 or above — such as someone who is 5-foot-6 and 186 pounds — is considered obese.”  You can check out your own BMI using the quick calculators on the CDC or WebMD websites. 

So who’s the fattest?  The CDC Report states “In 2007-2008, the prevalence of obesity was 32.2% among adult men and 35.5% among adult women”.  Some good news, however, “The increases in the prevalence of obesity previously observed do not appear to be continuing at the same rate over the past 10 years, particularly for women and possibly for men.”  A 2009 analysis commissioned by Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that “the Baby Boomer generation has a higher rate of obesity compared with previous generations.  As the Baby Boomer generation ages, obesity-related costs to Medicare and Medicaid are likely to grow significantly because of the large number of people in this population and its high rate of obesity.  And, as Baby Boomers become Medicare-eligible, the percentage of obese adults age 65 and older could increase significantly.”

In her June 6, 2010 DW blog Fox TV’s Dr. Archelle Georgiou shared questions from her viewing audience that were especially interesting to her.  Charles, a 5’8” gentleman weighing in at 215 lbs., wrote in for help with his weight problem.  When he received Dr. Georgious’ advice, however, he seemingly took offense (or had a good sense of humor) and asked “So what you’re saying is I’m fat?”  “Yup!”, she replied, then editorialized “I’m amazed at how often people convince themselves that the BMI definitions of overweight and obesity don’t apply to them.” (more…)

By Santi Bhagat, MD.  It seems that children with chronic medical conditions and disabilities (CMCD) just disappear into thin air when they grow up.  No-one tracks these young people, so we have no idea what happens to them.  We don’t know if they have insurance and doctors; are sick and in emergency rooms; go to school and have jobs; and/or live independently and have social lives. It is estimated that 600,000 young people with CMCD enter adulthood every year, into a system devoid of any supports and services, a system that is completely unprepared for them.  

To help improve things for children with CMCD as they transition into young adults , Physician-Parent Caregivers (PPC), is launching EMERGE–a new campaign  next week…stay tuned…I will be blogging more about that in the coming weeks.  

In the meantime, I would like to introduce a special PPC young adult leader, Amy Long.  Amy is one of America’s 8.2 million amazing young adults with CMCD who push through barrier after barrier and never give up on their dreams.  Amy gave me permission to share her first person account of what it is like to be a young adult with a chronic medical condition.  She calls it, the Google Circus.

GOOGLE Circus

Five years ago, I aged out of my pediatric skeletal dysplasia clinic (a place for kids with bone diseases).   I will never forget my first two adult medicine experiences….The first happened late one Fall evening. 

I was in college dorm my senior year and I woke up  from a late afternoon nap with a terrible headache, flashes of light and floating dots in my vision. I have a rare connective tissue disorder and form of arthritis called Kniest Syndrome that puts me at risk for a detached retina.  The flashes of light and floaters are common symptoms of retina disease.  Retina detachment is only fixable in the first 24 hours. I immediately called Student Health who told me they could get me into see an eye doctor next week.  I tried to explain that I couldn’t wait that long but no one seemed to take me seriously. All the doctors had left for the day. I called a friend and we drove the Emergency department.

We arrive. I spell Kniest no less than 3 times for the tirage nurses. They lead me back to the eye exam room and leave the door open with my chart hanging there. The doctor grabs my chart, starts to come in, looks at my file. His eyes widen and he backs out of the room. Through the open door I watch him try to Google Kiiest Syndrome.  He flips through the links and then finally after five minutes comes back in and sheepishly asks me, “So what exactly is going on?” I tell him, yeah I have a migraine-like headache, and I am seeing stars. I have a collagen disorder that causes high myopia and thus very fragile retinas. “Yes, yes, how exactly do you spell your condition?” I spell Kniest 2 more times.  I then watch him turn around and type Kniest Syndrome into Google. (more…)

By Joy Burwell. Thanks to this morning’s panelists Gwen Tolbart, Don Mathis, Diana Long, Aimee Smith and Rainey Friedman for their insights. This event would not have been possible without our sponsors The Hill and Candace Littell, so thanks to them as well. If you weren’t able to attend, you’ll want to read this summary post. And stay tuned for the video; we should have that edited and posted next week.

Childhood obesity was the subject of today’s Disruptive Women in Health Care’s Monthly Breakfast Series Childhood Obesity: A Big Fat National Challenge. Childhood obesity has received a great deal of media attention with First Lady Michelle Obama making it one of her platforms. As noted by all of this morning’s speakers her “Let’s Move!” campaign is well laid out and has the potential for success if we all take a role in its implementation.

Gwen Tolbart a Professional Speaker, award winning television broadcaster and moderator of this morning’s event opened with a vibrant description of a disruptive woman in her life who helped shape her views, including ones on childhood obesity.

Don Mathis, President & CEO of the Community Action Partnership discussed the issue on the federal level. He made three important points: obese kids do not do well in school, they have numerous health problems throughout their lives and they cause a national security problem by decreasing the number of individuals physically able to serve in the military. Additionally, he discussed the issue children in low-income areas have accessing healthy food, commonly referred to as food insecurity or more recently, food deserts.

Next, we took the discussion to more of a local level hearing from Diana Long and Aimee Smith, both of whom have been or are involved in the Philadelphia YMCA. The key to solving childhood obesity from their perspective, is small concrete steps. The ultimate goal is to build social values that will create the necessary behavioral changes. One way the Philadelphia Y is doing its part is by giving all seventh graders in Philadelphia a free YMCA membership. By doing this they are trying to catch kids at a point in time when they are impressionable and need the support to make healthy decisions.

Last but most certainly not least, Rainey Friedman discussed the importance of meeting kids where they are, which today is online. She also stressed the importance of making physical activities fun (and subliminally educational). As founder and executive director of the DreamDog Foundation, an organization that targets childhood development through preschool education and literacy, she had great experiences to share on how to accomplish this. One example she offered was when she developed and taught kids a song about the negative consequences of drinking soda. When she went back to meet with those same kids they had mastered the song and a vast majority of them had cut out sodas. Her final message and a good one to close with was: we need less talk and more action to address childhood obesity in the US…LET’S MOVE!

We hope you will join us for the next breakfast meeting, “HEALTH 2.0: User-Generated Health Care,” June 8, 2010 from 7:30 a.m.-9 a.m. in the Rayburn House Office Building. If you are interested in attending, please register here: www.disruptivewomen.net/breakfastseries. Men are welcome, encouraged even, to attend. We doubled the number of men, so come on, you know you want to.

Don Mathis put it this way: would you rather be in a room with boring men pontificating or in a room full of Disruptive Women in Health Care.

Zoe, our first grader, had a homework assignment this week for her class unit on families. Each child was asked to bring in pictures showing the holidays they celebrate at home. Independent as usual, Zoe ruffled through a series of albums and selected four photos that she wanted to take to school. “These are pictures from our holidays,” she announced. “Here’s us lighting the menorah for Hanukkah; this was Rosh Hashanah dinner; here’s a picture of me with the Passover Seder plate; and here we are on our cruise!”

“Zoe, WHAT are you talking about?” I asked. “Cruises aren’t a holiday.”
“Yes they are mom. We do it every year. It’s a tradition!”

The reflex was to correct her. But, I realized that I was the one who had literally and figuratively missed the boat. I was boxed in to the traditional definition of “holiday” as a religious, cultural or national event. However, Zoe, with her seven years of wisdom, freely interpreted “holidays” as those times when we predictably spend dedicated time together as a family. To her, it is about the experience…not the calendar. Needless to say, she turned in her homework assignment with the pictures she originally selected.

The interaction was an important reminder: words take on the meaning we assign to them.

So, I started thinking about other words that are chock full of boundaries like…”family.”

What is family? The Latin term “familia” means household. The first entry in Webster’s Dictionary says family is “a group of individuals living under one roof and usually under one head.”  The Census Bureau defines family as “two or more persons, including the householder, who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption, and who live together as one household.”

Until we leave home in early adulthood, our family–particularly parents and siblings–is our most important and reliable source of guidance, love, and protection.  Ideally, our birth family continues to be a source of strength and support for us even as we marry, have our own children, and live under a different roof with our new family.  Unfortunately, all too often, the dynamics with our parents are stressful and sibling rivalry re-surfaces. Nevertheless, we generally make great efforts and sacrifices to maintain a connection with the family we grew up with.  We forgive, we tolerate, we turn the other cheek, and we try hard to make it work. It’s important.

But why? Why is it important to maintain relationships with parents and siblings? I have asked this question of others and myself over the last year. I couldn’t arrive at a logical answer on my own and kept getting answers from others that seemed superficial:
“Because they are family!” Circular logic. Doesn’t fly.
“Because blood is thicker than water.” Sorry. Last I checked, parents and siblings don’t share a common vascular system.
“Because you can’t divorce your family.” A bit irrelevant. You can’t get divorced if you never married them.

It was Laura Engler’s response that finally made sense to me:
“Archelle, staying connected to family is important because you have shared history. They are the only people who don’t need an explanation for a quirk, a family ritual, or an inside joke. They just know.”

I got it. Family = those individuals with whom we grow, develop memories, and have trust.  If we give ourselves the freedom to transcend the boundaries of the etymologic or legal definitions of “family,” then we realize that our dearest friends…are truly family. What a gift! At the same time, blood relatives with whom we no longer have memories, trust, or love…are not. While this perspective may be hard to swallow, accepting and understanding it offers peace and consolation when lifelong bonds are permanently fractured.

This of course leads to more questions: What are the definitions of friend, trust, and love. What about hope, peace, and life? Their meaning is important and very personal to you. Don’t  passively rely on traditional norms or Webster’s Dictionary. Take the time to remember your experiences around these words. Then, give yourself permission to think and act like a 7 year old who is old enough to be observant and thoughtful while young enough to see the world through a fresh new lens.

Create Health,
Archelle

This blog entry was originally posted in Archelle On Health on May 21, 2010.

Earlier this week Dr. Margaret Chan, Director General of the World Health Organization, addressed the World Health Assembly in Geneva and brought up the topic of vaccines. She noted some of the successes in addressing the world’s health and development issues and stated that “vaccines are among the best life-saving buys on offer, preventing an estimated 2-3 million deaths per year.” In the next minutes, however, she also addressed the setbacks – occurring when people decide that vaccines are too risky. She counted the problems with measles, pandemic vaccines and polio.

In fact, I just finished reading a unique recount of the measles vaccine controversy. Something that wasn’t a paper at all, but a comic strip type account that said it all. I highly you encourage to read this. For those of you not familiar with the Andrew Wakefield measles saga, the British doctor claimed the administration of MMR vaccine was linked to autism.

The media was all over this and picked it up everywhere. Unfortunately, despite a lack of evidence to support his claims, co-authors who later removed their names claiming the study was flawed and a retraction from the Lancet in Feb 2010 after the General Medical Council in the UK found his conduct “dishonest and irresponsible” (more than a decade later), the damage was done and continues to be felt. Fueled by sensationalist media reports, many parents in the UK and around the world chose not to vaccinate their children and outbreaks of measles began to occur. The misinformation was further propagated by celebrities who get more TV coverage than the scientists who have shown through studies that there is no link between autism and vaccines.

Every adult has the right to consider what is best for themselves or their child. But shouldn’t more be done to consider the impact of disregarding the evidence has on others? There will always be risks with vaccines and science can’t always find or predict every risk. The experience with measles vaccines and the supposed link with autism shows that there also health consequences when individuals refuse to accept the findings of rigorous research.

By Lois Privor-Dumm. How many times have you seen a single photograph that has caused you to stop what you’re doing and find out more, tell a friend or donate money?  We read so much about the problems of the world today and, if you’re like me, unless the issue is already close to your heart, words alone may not be enough to register.

Salim Khan, 3 year old pneumonia survivor from Bijnor, India by Ándre J. Fanthome

A photo contest seems like such a simple thing, but it’s a way to enable a problem to reach into our hearts and minds.  Pneumonia is a leading killer of the world’s young children, but the disease has very real and practical solutions.  Although I see the statistics and understand the scientific pathways, nothing impacts me more than seeing how the disease affects families and children or reaches the heart of a pediatrician.  These moments are often captured powerfully with the click of a camera.  While one child with pneumonia may seem just like a number to many, it is these stories and images that can make a difference.

Photoshare, Kids 4, Health, the International Vaccine Access Center at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and The Global Coalition Against Child Pneumonia are sponsoring a photo contest to find the image that will make a difference in our minds.  Nikon will award digital cameras to category winners.  And, if you’re fans of Ann Curry of the Today Show and Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times, you’re in luck.  They, along with a professional photographer, are the judges.   Submitting a photo that jumps off the page and tells an important story would be a great way to get your experience and talent, or that of a friend, family or colleague in front of our celebrity panel.  For more information, click here.  Details on the time and place of the photo exhibit to unveil contest winners and finalists will be announced shortly. (more…)

To learn more about the disease and get information about the JDRF Capitol Chapter’s 2010 Walk to Cure Diabetes, visit www.jdrfcapitol.org. The Walks will be held in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, May 2 and in Leesburg, Virginia on Sunday, June 6.

By Tamera Adams. “Can I do anything?” is the response 12-year-old Sara Jacob typically hears when she explains to new friends that she has diabetes and the device strapped to her waist is not a cell phone, but her “life support.” Those are the exact words Sara uses to describe the pump that automatically infuses insulin into her small body. It’s more critical than chemotherapy is to a cancer patient she explains.

Unlike a type 2 diabetic whose body doesn’t produce sufficient insulin, Sara’s body produces no insulin at all. She has type 1 diabetes, which is commonly referred to as juvenile diabetes and generally diagnosed in children, teens or young adults. It’s the most severe form of the disease, lasts a lifetime and its cause remains unknown. Most importantly, the complications that result from type 1 diabetes can be devastating.

Diagnosed at the age of four, Sara has no difficulty explaining what the disease is or how it has affected her life—neither does 12-year-old Jeremy Gross, also diagnosed at age four. Jeremy’s nine-year-old brother Benjamin, on the other hand, was diagnosed just two years ago and seems a little less vocal about his experience.

The stories they shared are common among children with diabetes—the difficulty of going on sleepovers at friends’ houses; teachers that make it difficult for them to leave the classroom to test blood sugar levels or take glucose tablets; and being instructed by gym teachers and coaches to remove medic alert jewelry to participate in sporting activities. Jeremy was especially grateful that he doesn’t have to contend with the latter of these challenges. Fortunately, his gym teacher is very understanding.

However, Benjamin once heard a teacher tell his class that exercise would prevent diabetes—a blanket statement about the disease that doesn’t apply to type 1 diabetics and made Benjamin slightly uncomfortable.

Although their parents are very involved and intervene without hesitation, diabetes is a difficult disease to manage, especially for a child.

That’s why the Gross family turned to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) after Jeremy was diagnosed. JDRF immediately sent a Bag of Hope—which includes a glucose meter, books, DVDs and a myriad of materials to educate and lend support to diabetic children and their caregivers. (more…)

By Rozalynn Goodwin.  It’s pretty sad that we have come to the point that “civil discourse” must be taught on college campuses.  Parents, not professors, should teach children to be polite and courteous and to take turns listening and speaking.  But I guess with all the recent pre- and post-health reform tomfoolery displayed by juvenile-acting public officials and hate groups disguised as patriots, such coursework is necessary.

While  I was watching the televised health reform vote in the United States House of Representatives a few weeks ago, I heard someone yell, “Baby killer!” and thought, “Oh no!  Not again!  As if South Carolina hasn’t had enough embarrassment for the 21^st century!  Please don’t let it be one of our congressmen in another act of immaturity and lack of self-control.” 

Thank goodness my state doesn’t have a monopoly on grown people acting like undisciplined five year-olds.  Here’s to you, Texas!

We all read or heard about the spitting, cursing, racial slurs and vandalism that occurred during and after the bill’s passage.  We can debate about whether this was the eruption of a sedentary volcano filled with deep-seated bigotry or simply the lust for power out of control, but one thing is certain.  Elected officials in what many consider the most civilized of modern civilizations should exemplify civil discourse, setting examples for our children who will one day fill their shoes and run this country.  I would like to believe that most parents are teaching their children to respect others, so it doesn’t help our children to see such disrespect and intolerance in the highest offices of the land.  Our country may not demand that the men and women we elect to public office prove themselves to be role models of moral purity, but we should at least demand that they act their age.    

Let’s take this opportunity to condemn such behavior to our children, and reinforce the importance of good old-fashioned manners.  Maybe they can teach our elected officials a thing or two.

By Santi Bhagat, MD, MPH. Health Care Reform is off to a good start.  A couple of days ago, I blogged on the debate between the insurance industry and the administration about the interpretation of this new law.  Hats off to insurers for making the right choice, right away, to heed regulations that are forthcoming from Health and Human Services.   I first heard this through the grapevine at the Disruptive Women Breakfast Series this week from Stephanie Cohen, the expert panelist representing the insurance industry.

The law is intended to require insurers to issue policies that provide a full range of benefits for all children with pre-existing conditions starting in September 2010.  That means insurers can no longer refuse to cover children with pre-existing conditions under their parents’ plans, even if the children never had insurance.

This law has far-reaching ramifications.  A recent story about a newborn who was denied coverage at the age of a mere 9 days highlights how critical this law is.   Born with a congenital heart defect, Houston Tracy underwent lifesaving open heart surgery when he was just 4 days old.  His parents cannot afford insurance for themselves, being small business owners, and have individual policies for their older two sons.  After being charged and given the run-around by the insurance company, they resorted to enrolling their newborn in the state’s high-risk pool.

The big question now is how much will insurers charge for these policies.  If the price tag is too high, parents will not be able to afford to purchase policies, and in effect, coverage will be denied to these children.

It is not clear whether HHS regulations will speak to this issue.  The administration will be watching the insurance industry closely.   So will we.

Hygeia Note:  On March 30th, Disruptive Women in Health Care launches the first of its monthly in-person breakfasts.  Among our speakers will be Stephanie Cohen.  Her post appears below.

By Stephanie Cohen.  This month’s health insurance nightmare: Dad is still paying for his daughter’s insurance — and no one is happy.

The situation: I received a call last week from a client whose daughter recently told him she hates her insurance “because it does not cover anything.” He phoned me to see if she had a real gripe, and if I could help him find another policy with better coverage for her.

The problem: It turned out that her policy had a $5000 deductible, which did not include coverage for dental or vision doctor visits. Since she has an entry-level position and not a lot of extra spending money, I told her she had a choice.

She could choose to pay more per month to lower her out-of-pocket expenses, but her monthly premiums would be higher. Since her father was paying her premium, and was happy to do so, I decided the best policy for her was one with a higher premium and lower expenses.

The solution: The decision to pay for an adult child’s health care is a personal one that each family must make, of course. The reality is that once a child turns an age selected on the policy by the plan administrator based on the rules of the state and the size of the employer, they are no longer considered a dependent.

Many times, the insurance company does not notify the parent or the plan administrator that the student has been dropped. The student typically finds out when filling a prescription or when receiving services. 

Keep in mind that it is the parents’ responsibility to notify the carrier that the student is or is not a full-time student and is eligible for coverage. The student is responsible for having a student certification form completed and signed by the bursars office proving they are in school fulltime with 12 plus credits.

If I were the Health Insurance Ambassadors: All students would have to prove they had coverage or they could not attend school.

Although with the recent health reform legislation there is now a new Federal mandate to allow children to be on their parents health plan until 26, it still may be less expensive to insure that child unto themselves rather than remain on the parents plan.  Obviously, the rates will be much lower for someone who is much younger.

The painful truth: Parents can analyze the cost of coverage through the school or an individual policy versus the cost of keeping the child on his/her plan. If the parent has other children on the plan, it rarely saves to pull one child off the plan.

 I encourage you to share your insurance nightmares with me.

By Santi Bhagat, MD, MPH.  Policymakers and insurance industry are battling over a key feature of health care reform.  As the president proclaims the bill will cover and protect all children with pre-existing conditions this year, the insurance industry is contending that the law reads differently.   

Congressional leaders are outraged that insurers are trying to wriggle out of their legal responsibility to insure new children who have pre-existing conditions. 

1. Insurers are interpreting bill language to mandate coverage of pre-existing conditions of children only if they are currently enrolled in plans, but not for new, uninsured child customers with pre-existing conditions. 
2.  The administration vows to fix this by having Health and Human Services (HHS) issue regulations next month to clarify the law’s intent to both provide access to insurance and a full range of benefits for all children with chronic conditions this year. 
3. Insurers plan to act on legislation language.  They will not say how they will respond to regulations and forecast that the courts will be the final arbiters.
4.  HHS spokesman and chairmen of Congressional health policy committees in the House of Representatives assert that the administration’s solution adequately addresses this problem.  
5. Citing experiences in other states, insurers are saying that covering children with chronic conditions now will lead to higher rates that may be unaffordable.  They believe that it is better to wait until 2014, when the risk can be spread since most Americans will have to be covered that year.
6. Regardless, insurers are free to charge what they want until 2014, when health status can no longer be used to calculate premiums. 

This is no small matter, for one in five American households, 8.8 million, has at least one child with a pre-existing condition.  Contrary to popular thought, most of these children are covered by private insurance.  The economic and job crises have impacted the ability of parents to maintain employer-based health insurance, forcing them to turn to the exorbitant individual market.  Children with individual coverage and who go without insurance for two months are at the greatest risk of being denied access.  From September 2010, the health care bill is supposed to prohibit insurers from denying individual and group coverage to children based on health status.

Health care reform does provide for a $5 billion dollar insurance pool of last resort that these families can turn to.   Hopefully, this mechanism will help families until this problem is straightened out.

Parents cannot wait to obtain coverage for their children who are in urgent of need of health care now.   Children are not simply little adults:  denying access and care to chronically ill children denies them the ability to grow, develop, play and learn.  As we watch the deliberations and wait for implementation of this piece of law, our children and families are losing precious time that can never be recovered.

By Ruth Lubic. The release this week of Amnesty International’s new report, Deadly Delivery: The Maternal Health Care Crisis in the USA,  highlights the poor outcomes of African American women in particular. 

When I set up The Developing Families Center in Washington DC’s Ward 5, it was with the goal of addressing this very issue, particularly from the point of view of infant mortality.

At a rate of 12.22 per thousand live births, the District has the highest infant mortality of any of the states, with only Mississippi, at 10.74 also experiencing a double digit rate.

Editor’s note: This past December, the Disruptive Women in Health Care blog launched a series on The Value of Health: Creating Economic Security in the Developing World. In addition to Disruptive Women’s own pool of experts, a number of guests were invited to post on this critically important topic. We invite you to download the ebook or read the original posts.

By Lois Privor-Dumm. It’s really simple.  8.8 million children die every year.  Not here in the US, but in developing countries where they don’t have access to the same care that we do here.  How much of our global health budget goes to address these basic needs?  Less than $1 of every $10.

Children are the future of every country.  Providing them with basic care to ensure they survive until their fifth birthday doesn’t seem to be that much to ask.  And, it’s a good investment.  Simple antibiotics or oral rehydration solutions along with the basic vaccines that children receive in the US every year are available at a cost that is around many people’s co-pay for a single prescription.

(more…)

First Lady Michelle Obama recently launched a nationwide campaign to lower childhood obesity, citing that one-third of U.S. children are overweight. NHMA is proud to be invited to partner with the First Lady and the White House in this effort.

The Let’s Move campaign will combat childhood obesity by focusing on four main strategies: helping parents make health family choices, providing healthier food options in schools, promoting physical activity and ensuring that low-income urban and rural areas have access to healthy and affordable food.

One in four Latino youth is overweight, and the result has been an alarming increase in Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure among children. The causes are numerous and range from a lack of supermarkets in Hispanic neighborhoods to disparities in access to health services. But regardless of the barriers, this growing trend must end.

The mission of Let’s Move is to solve the childhood obesity epidemic within a generation. That’s an ambitious goal, and one that is going to require cooperation between governments, organizations, companies, schools and families at every level. NHMA is committed to doing our part to fight childhood obesity and will be working with the White House and our other partners to educate Latino communities on healthy lifestyles for children – everything from learning how to make smart grocery purchases to finding safe outdoor options for physical activity.

I’d love to hear your ideas for lowering childhood obesity too. What healthy lifestyle measures have worked in your family or community? Let me know!

Kids learn best when they are having fun.  This should come as no surprise to anyone.

When I go into schools with my new program: “Creative Core Curriculum”^TM and we learn through story and song, writing and rapping, music and movement – the kids have no clue that I am just following their curriculum, with a little creative spin.  Why?  Because, unfortunately, students are don’t equate fun and learning.

Time to shift that outdated paradigm. In today’s world, children are experiential learners.  They learn by doing, creating, moving — diving into topics and exploring them, firsthand.  That’s why the worksheet mentality of the 1950’s just doesn’t make sense anymore (if it ever did). And, yet when our school system and government needed to “teach” our children the life or death lesson of staying healthy through flu season, they sent home a one-page flyer with the information.  Handing them a piece of paper and assuming they wouldn’t ball it up, or create a paper airplane or fortuneteller is wishful thinking, at best.

Why not have a little skit at school with one kid sneezing in another’s face and the child that got sneezed on gets just as sick as “Sneezy”? Or what about creating a game on a website where children could go to play a flu game.  If they do the wrong things, their character would get sick.  If they stay healthy, they advance to harder levels – challenging their understanding of the rules to staying well.

(more…)