Americans, Michiganders ''Weigh In'' on Child Obesity.

ROYAL OAK, Mich. -- With a growing awareness among the general public that the number of overweight and obese children and teens has reached epidemic proportions, it is not surprising that obesity - by a greater than two-to-one margin over drug abuse and smoking - is considered the number-one risk to the long-term health and quality of life of the next generation of adults.

What's more, cable television, the Internet and video games, along with fast-food restaurants - all staples in today's American pop culture - are seen to be major contributors to obesity among U.S. children and adolescents.

These are among the key findings of a recent online survey of more than 130 adults in Michigan and throughout the nation, conducted for southeast Michigan-based health management consultants Lisa Merrill, M.S., R.D., by Manhattan-on-Rouge Communications, LLC.

Almost two-fifths (39%) of respondents said that the Internet is the technology that contributes most to obesity in adolescents 12 to 17 years of age, with one in three (33%) indicating that cable television is the leading technology contributor. Among children 6 to 11 years of age, almost two-thirds of survey participants cited cable TV as the primary culprit. More than a third (35%) named video games as the technology most responsible for contributing to obesity.

When asked to assess the role of fast-food restaurants in contributing to child and adolescent obesity in America, three-fourths of respondents gave these establishments a rating of seven or more on a 10-point scale, with "1" representing the least significant factor and "10" representing the most significant factor.

In contrast, a majority (55%) of respondents indicated school food services are only a moderately significant factor, assigning food provided to students a rating between four and six. As might be expected, almost a quarter (23%) of the adults participating in the survey said home cooking is among the least significant factors contributing to child and adolescent obesity, with another 42% rating home cooking in the moderate four-to-six range.

"Particularly when it comes to health, half the battle is recognizing that you have a problem," said Lisa Merrill, who has practice offices in Royal Oak and Woodhaven. A registered dietitian with a master's degree in exercise physiology, Merrill noted "it is encouraging" that as many as three-fifths (61%) of the survey respondents were candid in admitting they are overweight or obese.

And, while Merrill reported that four fifths of the survey participants indicate they do not have Type-1 or Type-2 diabetes or an insulin-resistant condition, it is likely a sign of the increasing presence of overweight and obese conditions among adults that 7 in 10 respondents have been tested by a physician within the past 12 to 18 months for diabetic indicators such as body mass index (BMI), triglycerides, HDL or "good" cholesterol, LDL or "bad" cholesterol, blood pressure and abdominal obesity.

Child Obesity in Michigan

A series of findings should raise a caution flag within Michigan, according to Merrill:

--First, the percentage of Michigan respondents reporting they have a child or children who are overweight or obese (18%) is three times that of respondents from other states (6%).

--Second, while less than one in five respondents (18%) outside of Michigan indicated their children have never been tested for a pre-diabetic or diabetic condition, more than half (53%) of Michigan respondents said their children have never been tested.

--Third, approximately 9 in 20 Michigan respondents (44%) said their children lead a less physically active lifestyle than they did when they were children; less than a quarter (23%) of respondents outside of Michigan so indicated.

"Taken with data from our national Center for Disease Control (CDC), which shows that Michigan ranks as the state with the third highest percentage of adults with obesity (24.4%), behind only Mississippi (25.9%) and West Virginia (24.6%), we can see that families need to take a serious look at their daily regimens and begin to develop better daily diet and exercise practices," concluded Merrill.

Complete survey results, which also include data groupings by gender, age, marital status and household income, are available upon request by visiting the Manhattan-on-Rouge Communications, LLC web site (www.manhattan-on-rougecommunications.com) and completing the Contact Us form or by calling Rob Hilliard at 248-618-8005.