Tackling the Obesity Epidemic

You’ve heard the advice numerous times before; eat your fruits and vegetables, exercise regularly and limit your daily intake of fats and sugars. Doctors say these are the keys to maintaining a healthy body weight. Yet individuals all across the country seem to be overweight and obese. It has become much more than just a problem and the outlook is worse for our children.

The Centers for Disease Control reports a dramatic increase in obesity rates across the country in the past 20 years. To be obese means your body mass index (BMI) is greater than 30 percent. BMI measures the amount of fat in your body.

To calculate: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

In Onondaga County, 60 percent of adults are overweight or obese. And nearly 1 in 7 children are overweight.

Psychologist Tony McCormick says the first step to helping kids is to help their families by educating them on how to encourage healthier choices. But Annette Marchbanks of the Syracuse City School District says the obesity issue is one our entire community needs to be willing to fight; from the schools, to the government, parents and kids.