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One day I went to the Bangor Mall and did an informal survey of children who I think are overweight. I estimated that 3 out of 10 children are overweight just by their appearance. Those children who are overweight are accompanied by adults who are obviously overweight. From my survey, there are more adults who are really overweight, maybe 4 out of 10.

Obesity in a very visible but silent disease. Unfortunately, primary care clinicians do not have yet any proven and accepted tools at this time to combat this silent epidemic because it has many causes. In technical terms, the causes are called multifactorial. Some of these factors are: Television watching, food advertisements, abundance of fast food restaurant, too much consumption of soft drinks, supersizing food portions, reduces physical education programs in school, depression, split family, TV dinners, etc.

However, we have to do something. First as a community we should accept that obesity and its consequences is so huge a problem that can havoc our health care dollars.

Since we have no great tool or vaccination at our office to prevent childhood obesity, the safest technique is to educate the parents about the consequences of overweight in adults.

This section will feature some ideas on how to help parents help protect their child from the scourge of the silent epidemic.

Use of E mail and Reducing Weight in Diabetics

To be continued. Watch for my 10 Commandments to Reduce Overweight.

Leo Leonidas, MD, FAAP, Assistant Clinical Professor in Pediatrics, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston; Attending Pediatrician, Eastern Maine Medical Center, Bangor, Maine.

Coming soon in a computer near you:    parentsmedschool.com

Watch for this First Medical School for Parents in Mid-September 2003.

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