Childhood Obesity
Childhood obesity is now considered an epidemic in the United States according to the National Institutes of Health. In North Carolina, children ages 2 to 4 who are overweight or at risk for becoming overweight has increased by 45% in the last 13 years, meaning some 28,556 children are now at greater risk for heart disease, diabetes, and other obesity-related ailments.
Being overweight during childhood and adolescence increases the risk of developing high cholesterol, hypertension, respiratory ailments, orthopedic problems, depression and type 2 diabetes as a youth.
Children in child care may consume 50% to 100% of their Recommended Daily Allowances while at a child care facility. Smart Start supports programs that help child care programs offer more nutritious meals and physical activity time to prevent childhood obesity.
In October 2010, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) Foundation announced a three-year, $3 million partnership with The North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc. (NCPC) to launch Shape NC: Healthy Starts for Young Children, a groundbreaking initiative that will tackle childhood obesity by focusing on young children from birth through age 5.
These programs are designed to prevent early childhood obesity.
- Shape NC announcement.
- NAP SACC. Read the October 2009 Evaluation of Smart Start’s NAP SACC program.
- Preventing Obesity By Design (POD)
- Color Me Healthy (curriculum)
- Be Active Kid (curriculum)
