Race and Income Play Key Roles In Childhood Obesity

While the rise in childhood obesity rates seem to be leveling off, children from lower income and minority families are not seeing that same success. So, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) just pledged $500 million to help level the playing field.

Over the next 10 years, money from the foundation will go toward identifying ways to eliminate health disparities contributing to higher obesity rates among children of color and those living in poverty.

“This is an important step in the ‘war on obesity,’” said Ronald Feinstein, MD, a pediatrician and director of Power Kids, a weight-management program for children and adolescents, at Cohen Children’s Medical Center. “Our nation should focus more on prevention than treatment by supporting changes in individual and family lifestyles.”

The foundation wants to ensure that children enter kindergarten at a healthy weight, make physical activity part of kids’ daily routines, nix sugar-sweetened beverages for children age 5 and younger in favor of healthier options to drink, and make nutritious food and beverages affordable for low-income families.

Accomplishing this will require the collaboration of businesses, government, individuals and organizations, said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and CEO of the RWJF, during an interview Thursday with PBS NewsHour.

“The ultimate goal in 2025 is to ensure that every child in this country has had the opportunity to grow up at a healthy weight, no matter where he or she lives and who they are,” she said.

While the RWJF has a national scope, Dr. Feinstein says parents can do their part a little closer to home. That includes:

1. Be a good role model
2. Lifestyle
   
   1. Eat five or more fruits and vegetables a day
   2. Less than two hours of recreational screen time a day
   3. One hour or more of physical activity a day
   4. “zero” sugary drinks: encourage water and low fat milk
3. Emphasize the importance of three meals a day including breakfast
4. Prepare meals at home
5. Promote family meal time