Show support for children's health.

Byline: GUEST VIEWPOINT By Sarah Hendrickson For The Register-Guard

This evening, members of the Eugene School District community will have the opportunity to be among the first in Lane County to weigh in on their school district's draft wellness policy. By federal mandate, all districts must have such policies in place at the start of the 2006-07 school year.

This mandate came in response to the dramatic increase in childhood obesity over the past three decades, an epidemic that the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranks as a critical public health threat.

How big a problem is obesity? According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 30 percent of U.S. adults and 16 percent of youth are overweight - about 70 million people. Youth rates have tripled since 1980.

Obesity is not just a cosmetic problem. Obesity is an issue of concern to Lane County Public Health because of its implications for county residents' health. High cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes (which can cause blindness), kidney failure, heart disease, stroke and several forms of cancer are linked to obesity.

This is an epidemic. It is an issue for the entire population and all of society, not just individuals. People are not lazy or more gluttonous; our environment has changed. High-calorie foods are increasingly available. Soda pop, sweetened juices and candy are everywhere.

With urban sprawl, fewer neighborhood stores and schools are within walking or bicycling distance. Neighborhood grocery stores with fresh produce have been replaced by fast food restaurants and convenience food marts. "Screen time" has increased for families, while time for physical activity has been reduced. Stressed parents working long hours often choose more convenient but less healthy meals.

The school environment also has dramatically changed over the past three decades. High-calorie, low-nutrient foods are increasingly available in schools. These foods can be found in the classroom in the form of rewards, at after-school parties, in the vending machines in the halls, in the cafeteria's a la carte line, in school stores and as fundraisers. Soda pop, sweetened noncarbonated beverages and candy are ubiquitous in the schools.

Studies have shown a direct correlation between childhood obesity and the amount of soda consumed.

Soda pop is a problem not only for what it contains, but also for what is pushes out of a teenager's diet. In 1977-78, boys consumed more than twice as much milk as soft drinks and girls consumed 50 percent more milk than soft drinks. Two decades later, both boys and girls consume twice as much soda pop as milk. The percentage of youth who get enough calcium has dropped frighteningly over the past 20 years. Only one in five teenage girls and only one in two teenage boys gets enough calcium.

Calcium buildup in bones occurs during adolescence. Almost half of bone mass is determined in adolescence. Lower bone mass means thinner bones. As adults, this generation of children will break their hips earlier, compress their spines earlier and end up in nursing homes at a younger age.

Now that 15 percent to 20 percent of our youth are overweight, we have also seen striking increases in type 2 diabetes. According to Dr. Daniel Marks, an obesity researcher and assistant professor of pediatric endocrinology at Oregon Health Science University, the number of type 2 diabetic patients that he sees has quadrupled in the last 10 years. The number of new pediatric cases of type 2 diabetes is rapidly approaching the rate of children that are seen for Type 1 diabetes.

We know in public health that changing the environment will change behavior. Our experience with tobacco is very similar to these issues. The problem seemed insoluble; the dominant culture and business support for smoking was very strong. But a comprehensive approach has worked, an approach that includes education, limited options for smoking and less access for youth.

Changing the environment through policy will change behavior. Lane County Public Health encourages the public to be vocal in showing strong support for the adoption and implementation of school wellness policies that support the healthiest choice. We encourage public support of the complete elimination of empty calories from our schools.

We are seeing an epidemic of youth and teenage obesity. This epidemic will have serious consequences for our children and our society. Demonstrating your support for the health of our children is a very important part of the solution.

Sarah Hendrickson, M.D., is Lane County's public health officer. Tonight's hearing on the Eugene School District's draft wellness policy is scheduled for 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Educa- tion Center, 200 North Monroe St.