Guidelines Can Help Tennessee Beat Childhood Obesity

July 15, 2010, WASHINGTON – Tennessee has been named the second most obese state in the nation, according to the latest report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. More than 20 percent of our state’s children are overweight and nearly three-quarters are considered physically inactive. While this is disconcerting news, we can reverse the trend if we take commonsense actions.

Obesity is a major health crisis that seriously increases the risks of heart disease, hypertension, stroke and Type 2 diabetes. Children who are overweight can be exposed to a range of medical problems and will have a harder and harder time getting active and healthy as they get older. The good news is it’s a challenge our state can definitely beat, given the right tools.

I was lucky to have an active, healthy childhood. My father was a farmer, and my mother was a school teacher. I grew up playing sports and spending time outdoors. As a young man, I developed a passion for running that has stayed with me through the years.

For kids today, such activity isn’t always a natural part of their upbringing. With more time spent in the car and less on their bikes and with different kinds of entertainment that keep them indoors, children are more likely to struggle with physical inactivity and being overweight.

It is widely understood that eating right and being active are both vital to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and weight. With the help of the federal government’s familiar food pyramid campaigns, a wealth of information has become available on what constitutes a healthy diet. Health-conscious parents know their kids need a mix of fruits and vegetables, protein and vitamins every day. However, the facts on fitness have not been publicized in the same way, though they are just as important. What does it mean to “be more active?” Does walking help, or is running the only way to keep the weight off? Should a healthy adult be exercising for 15 minutes a day, or 50? For many adults, these questions have gone unanswered for too long.

That’s why I’m sponsoring a bill that will make that information more readily available. Working with Democrats and Republicans who share my concern about the long-term effects of obesity, I introduced the Physical Activity Guidelines Act to provide current and easy-to-use guidance on what it means to stay active.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human and Services released the first ever physical activity guidelines for Americans in 2008. My bill would require HHS to publicize physical activity guidelines every five years, based on the best available medical knowledge. More information about the project is available at www.health.gov/paguidelines.

Healthy living starts at home.  By empowering parents with the tools and information they need to keep their families and themselves healthy, we can defeat childhood obesity in Tennessee.