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New Nutrition Presentation Aims at Combating Growth of Childhood Obesity In Westchester And Putnam Counties
 | | Nutritionist Cathy Cohen in action, demonstrating the amount of sugar in one can of soda, with students at Lincoln Titus Elementary School in Crompond. Photo by Harrison Edwards, Inc. |
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In the coming weeks and months, Cathy Cohen will pack her knapsack with 25 carrots, 12 stalks of broccoli, 50 peas,
bowl of cereal, a scoop of ice cream, an apple, bread sticks,
spoonful of peanut butter, slice of cheese, glass of milk and orange juice, together with a collapsible easel, and set out to meet a children, ages 5-10 to teach them about healthy eating. The food may be plastic but the lesson is real enough.
"We're out to combat childhood obesity," says Ms. Cohen, who is the nutritionist at Hudson Valley Hospital Center's Wellness Club. "The object is to get the kids to understand the difference between eating healthy and unhealthy foods as well as the concept of portion control."
Obesity, an alarming trend in our culture, is no longer relegated to adults. "We're witnessing a rising obesity rate in children, even those as young as pre-K," she says. "It's alarming and we intend to do something about it."
Beginning this January, Ms. Cohen will visit various sites in Westchester and Putnam County, armed with her plastic banquet, to teach young children about what foods are good to eat, what to minimize in their diets, and why it's important to know their food groups.
"It may appear that young kids run around and get plenty of exercise, but that's far from the truth," she says. "The fact is more and more young children are leading sedentary lives. They're plugged into computers, electronic games, and television, sometimes up to six hours a day, and they're spending much less time outdoors. This means less exercise and less chance of their burning off the calories they're consuming."
Children today also are not eating as many healthy and nutritious meals as they should. Greasy and sugar-laden fast food and snacks are replacing the good old-fashioned nutritious meals.
"The problem is that today's parents work hard and long hours and don't have as much time to think about, let alone prepare, nutritious meals for their children," she adds. "So, they do what's easiest. That often means buying fast food, processed foods, and takeout foods like pizza, on a regular basis." They also have less time to pack nutritious lunches for their children. "Unfortunately, some schools are serving the same kinds of foods served to me when I was growing up; school lunches are not always as nutritious as they should be," says Ms. Cohen.
The impact is being felt nationwide. One child in five is overweight, and the number of overweight children in the United States has doubled in the last two to three decades. According to the National Center for Disease Control sixty percent of overweight children between the ages of 5 and 10 years of age already have at least one risk factor for heart disease, including elevated blood cholesterol, blood pressure or increased insulin levels. These are the factors that lead to hypertension, diabetes, and atherosclerosis.
Dr. Melvyn Schaff, a pediatrician affiliated with HVHC, says that obesity can start as early as ten months of age, when families switch from pre-measured baby food to table food. He notes that "the Academy of Pediatrics recommends that doctors take BMI (body mass index) measurements after two years of age."
The increase includes both young children and adolescents, and it's occurring in all age, race, and gender groups, Ms. Cohen points out. "And while genetics can play a role, genes alone can't account for the huge increase in obesity rates."
Hudson Valley Hospital Center's Wellness Club is a medical fitness facility that offers the tools and support needed to achieve optimal wellness. By including exercise and healthy changes in lifestyle behavior, members can reduce their risk of disease as well as experience the benefits of more active and conscious lifestyle.
This program is available, free of charge, to interested area schools. For more information, call 526-2366 (914) and ask for Joanne Campbell.
Hudson Valley Hospital Center is located on Route 202 (1980 Crompond Road) in Cortlandt Manor. Call 914-737- 9000 or visit www.hvhc.org.
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