As a nation, and individually, this trend needs to be reversed or we will never get a handle on the ever increasing rise in healthcare costs in America.  But, before we can find a solution to the childhood obesity problem in America we need to determine the cause of the problem.  Who is responsible for the dramatic increase in childhood obesity, and consequently a poorer outlook for the health for America’s children in general?

Let’s begin by making one thing perfectly clear:  The only way that children get overweight and ultimately obese is by consuming more calories than they expend.  Now, there may be a variety reasons why a child may eat more calories than they burn including genetic, behavioral, and societal factors; but the cause of childhood obesity is always an imbalance of caloric intake and expenditure.

Some experts will tell us that the reason that children are getting fatter is because of the food industry in America.  Large agri-businesses have developed and market high caloric, highly profitable products which they foist on the American public.  The massive advertising campaigns aimed directly at children promoting high calorie, low nutritional products has changed what Americans view as ‘normal’ dietary staples.  One sad fact that is predominant throughout the food industry is that is easier and cheaper to produce high calorie, highly sweetened, low nutritional items that are good tasting than it is to develop food items of high nutritional value and low in calories that are also tasty.

That being said, there is no market mechanism in place today which forces parents to buy these unhealthy products.  Additionally, there are very few children under the age of 16 that make the majority of food buying decision in American households.  Parents control the budget in most households, and as such make the decisions on which foods they buy and feed to their families.  This is the area that we need to concentrate on if we are ever going to get the childhood obesity problem under control.

As a physician in private practice you can take a leading role in the fight against childhood obesity.   Many parents simply don’t know how nutritionally deficient the foods that they feed their children are.  Many parents assume that the government is looking out for them and their children and that if the product is on the supermarket shelf then it must be OK.  They don’t realize that the government’s role is simply to assure the safety of the product, not its nutritional content.  By offering basic nutritional classes through your clinic, either by you or a nutritionist with which you work, you can educate parents. Most parents want what’s best for their children, but they don’t take the time to educate themselves or are confused by the conflicting nutritional news that they do come across.  Be the expert that they can rely on, when it comes to their children’s nutrition and you will be able to build a lifelong doctor-patient relationship with both the parents and their children as they grow up.

You can also fight childhood obesity on the caloric expenditure factor of the weight control equation by offering classes on exercise and physical fitness.  Incorporate physical exercise classes in your clinic after hours, develop a working relationship with a local health club, or employ a personal trainer within your clinic as it become a one stop healthcare facility to combat obesity.  Offering your own private labeled weight loss program and nutritional products can increase your patient base and bottom line.

By addressing all aspects of the obesity problem, we can win the battle.  People gain their weight a little at a time and together you can help them lose it a little at a time.  Take charge and help to change your patient’s lives and futures.