Adolescent Health: Planting Seeds for a - Society for Public Health ...

Sample
Proclamation
Adolescent Health: Planting Seeds for a Healthier Generation
National Health Education Week | October 15-19, 2012
Addressing Nutrition and Physical Activity among Adolescents
Childhood obesity is a major U.S. public health issue because one-third of U.S. school-aged children and teens
are overweight or obese. 1
WHEREAS, In 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that 17% (12.5 million) of U.S. children
and adolescents aged 2-19 years are obese 1 ; and
WHEREAS, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Healthy People 2020 childhood obesity targets are: 9.6%
among children aged 2-5 years, 15.7% among adolescents aged 6- 11 years, and 16.1% among adolescents aged 12-19
years; 2 and
WHEREAS, According to data from CDC’s 2011 Youth Behavior Risk Survey: 3
12% of youth are obese
15% of youth are overweight
56% of youth did not meet the recommended levels of physical activity
14% of youth did not participate in 60 minutes or more of physical activity any day during the week
6% of youth had not eaten vegetables any day during the week, and
34.0% of youth ate fruit or 100% fruit juice two or more times per day.
WHEREAS, Eating low-nutritious foods, children increase their risk of developing diet-related diseases, such as obesity, heart
disease, cancer, and diabetes and U.S. health-care costs due to obesity are $197 billion a year, half of which are paid for by
federal taxpayers through Medicare and Medicaid 4 ; and
WHEREAS, Eating healthy and exercising every day is necessary for student health and academic achievement; children and
teens who are overweight and obese have more health issues such as: Type 2 diabetes, bone and joint problems, asthma,
breathing problems, sleep apnea, poor self-esteem, depression, and obsessive compulsive disorder; 5 and
WHEREAS, Empty calories from added sugars, such as full-calorie soda and solid fats contribute to 40% of daily calories for
children and adolescents aged 2-18 years; 6,7 and
THEREFORE be it,
RESOLVED that, the office of the [governor, mayor, elected official, or health commissioner] of [name of the state, city] do
hereby proclaim October 15-19, 2012 as the Society for Public Health Education’s (SOPHE) 2012 National Health Education
Week, and encourage all residents, communities, organizations, and institutions to plan, implement, market, and evaluate at
least one health education strategy to promote awareness and the benefits of healthy eating and physical activity
behaviors in children and adolescents during the 2012 National Health Education Week campaign.
1. CDC. Preventing childhood obesity: Health in the Balance. MMWR. 2012;61(SS-5):1–142.
2. Wang, Y., Orleans, T., Gortmaker, S. (2012). Reaching the Healthy People goals for reducing childhood obesity: Closing the energy gap. Amer J Prev Med, 42(5),437-444.
3. CDC. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey, 2011. (2012). MMWR. 61(4):1–162.
4. Cawley J., & Meyerhoefer, C. (2012). The medical care costs of obesity: An instrumental variables approach. J Hlth Economics, 31(1), 219-230.
5. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Obesity, “Facts for Families”, No.79 (3/11). http://www.aacap.org/galleries/FactsForFamilies/79_obesity_in_children_and_teens.pdf
6. Forshee, R.A., Anderson, P.A., Storey, M.L. Changes in calcium intake and association with beverage consumption and demographics: Comparing data from CSFII 1994–1996, 1998 and NHANES 1999–2002. J Amer
Coll Nutr. 2006;25:108–116.
7. Reedy, J., Krebs-Smith, S.M. Dietary sources of energy, solid fats, and added sugars among children and adolescents in the United States. J Amer Dietetic Assoc. 2010;110:1477–1484.
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