Obesity is one of the most significant public health issues currently affecting children and adolescents ages one to 19 in the United States. Nationwide, the prevalence of child and adolescent obesity and overweight is increasing. In fact, over the past 30 years, the percentage of children ages six to eleven who are obese has tripled.¹

Factors contributing to the childhood obesity epidemic are multiple and complex, but it is clear that healthy lifestyles, including increased physical activity and improved nutrition, help reduce associated morbidity. According to a brief from the NIHCM Foundation, there is evidence that certain strategies are more likely to be successful in preventing obesity in children such as multi-component, community-wide campaigns; programs that increase the length of, or activity level, in school-based setting; efforts that build, strengthen or maintain non-family supportive relationships supporting behavior change; and interventions that create or increase access to places for physical activities combined with informational outreach activities.² Because nearly all children living in urban minority communities can be considered “high-risk” for the poor health outcomes associated with childhood obesity, there is a need for programs that employ an environmental model, targeting the entire community, rather than focusing on individual children who are already overweight or obese. Making a community effort to encourage healthy lifestyle behaviors³ allowing for the possibility of achieving a true culture change, to avoid stigmatizing individuals and risking impacting their self-esteem, and promoting healthy behaviors to establish life-long healthy habits.

Obesity is a primary factor in the rise of Type II diabetes among children and adolescents and is associated with numerous health problems later in life, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, arthritis and certain types of cancers. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, adolescents who are overweight have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese adults.  Some research has shown that obesity in adolescence has its own impact on adult health, regardless of the weight of the individual in adulthood.5 Obese individuals also may suffer from social stigmatization, discrimination and lowered self-esteem, in turn affecting their mental health. These data underscore the need for programs that prevent obesity and overweight among children and adolescents ages one to 19, with particular attention to those in low-income, predominantly-minority communities.

Children from minority or low-income backgrounds are at greater risk of becoming obese. Hispanic children have the highest rates with 31 percent, African-Americans are next at 15 percent and whites come in at 12.5 percent in New York City. In low-income areas such an East Harlem and South Bronx children have higher obesity rates then the children of New York City. Thirty percent of households in East Harlem are below the poverty level. Signifying the need for services provided by Play 4 Life Inc.

¹

NIHCM Foundation, Tackling Childhood Obesity Through Public-Private Collaboration. April 2006.

²

Must A. Jacques PF. Dallal GE. Bajema CJ. Dietz WH. Long-term morbidity and mortality of overweight adolescents. A follow-up of the Harvard Growth Study of 1922 to 1935.[see comment]. [Journal Article. Research Support, U.S. Gov’t, Non-P.H.S.] New England Journal of Medicine. 327(19):1350-5, 1992 Nov 5.

³

According to Strang’s Eight Healthy Habits