Recorded presentation

Katherine Shea, MD, MPH, FAACP, Medical Consultant, 1875 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 1012, Washington, DC 20009, 202-667-4260, tkmjshea@midspring.com

The percent of children who are overweight has been increasing drastically in the last two decades. Among children and teens ages 6-19, 15 percent are overweight according to the 1999-2000 data, or triple the proportion from 1980. In addition, over 10 percent of younger preschool children between ages 2 and 5 are overweight, up from 7 percent in 1994. The researchers found a "dramatic" increase in the proportion of hospitalized kids who are discharged with a diagnosis of obesity-related illness over the past 20 years. Hospital costs due to obesity have been increasing also. Hospital discharges of diabetes nearly doubled, obesity and gallbladder diseases tripled, and sleep apnea increased fivefold. This translates to a threefold increase in hospital costs that appear to be directly attributable to the national rise in obesity. Connections between obesity and the urban environment have gotten a great deal of press, especially concerning children. American Journal of Public Health, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Environmental Health Perspectives and other scientific publications have recently published issues related to this subject. Obesity is particularly important to physicians since overweight children suffer from debilitating health problems such as type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, in addition to low self-esteem and depression. Also childhood obesity exacerbates the risk of potentially fatal health problems later in life. This session will explore these connections, and give participants a better understanding of how to address the epidemic of obesity facing this nation.

Learning Objectives:

• Define several environmental exposures that may have links to childhood obesity.
• Generate a set of policy and/or research recommendations for continuing the work to link environmental exposures to learning disabilities
• Understand the public health importance of linking chroinc illness to environmental exposure

Keywords: Environmental Health, Obesity

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation