(International) Child Health Day - October 7

[Guest guest]

October 7, 2002

For Release: Immediately

Contact: HHS Press Office

(202) 690-6343

 

Headline: HHS SECRETARY TOMMY THOMPSON TAKES MESSAGE

OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OVERSEAS

Power Walk Marks Child Health Day

 

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson participated in an hour-long power walk with

schoolchildren and parents along the Danube River in Budapest, Hungary,

taking his message of regular physical activity and healthy behavior

overseas to mark Child Health Day, Oct. 7, 2002.

 

Accompanying him on the walk was U.S. Ambassador to Hungary Nancy Goodman

Brinker, Hungarian Minister of Health Judit Csehak and Prime Minister Peter

Médgyssey.

 

" Good health and wellness are a global public health message, " Secretary

Thompson said. " Today, our children are at greater risk than in previous

years of developing chronic illnesses such as diabetes and cardiovascular

disease, in large part because they aren't as physically active as they were

a generation ago. It is alarming that obesity rates among children and

adolescents in the U.S. have doubled in the past 20 years. The people of

Hungary have similar health concerns. I want to show that regular, physical

activity, which can reduce obesity, is as easy as taking a walk. "

 

An HHS report released this summer found that 300,000 people die each year

from diseases and health conditions related to a sedentary lifestyle and

poor eating habits, nearly as many as who die from smoking. The report

pulls together data from various studies and scientific sources to

illustrate the correlation between inactivity and poor health, particularly

the onset of diseases such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease.

 

Of particular concern is the increase in the percentage of young people who

are overweight, and physically inactive:

 

· One-fourth of children in America spend four hours or more watching

television daily and only 27 percent of students in grades 9 through 12

engage in moderate physical activity at least 30 minutes a day on five or

more days of the week;

 

· Among children and teens ages 6 to 19, almost 9 million - or 15

percent - are overweight, triple the proportion in 1980;

 

· More than 10 percent of younger pre-school aged children between

ages 2 and 5 are overweight, up from 7 percent in 1994; and

 

· Three-quarters of overweight and obese 9 to 13 year-olds do not

change their habits and remain overweight and obese in adulthood.

 

In addition, many obese children and adolescents have impaired glucose

tolerance, a condition that often appears before the development of type 2

diabetes, according to researchers funded by the National Institutes of

Health.

 

To help combat the prevalence of overweight and obesity in America's youth,

Secretary Thompson launched the " VERB: It's What You Do " Youth Media

Campaign in July 2002 to encourage 9-13 year olds to be physically active

and engaged in their communities.

 

" We need a fresh approach to good health, " Secretary Thompson said. " We

need to make it fun and achievable, and stop the guilt-ridden lectures. We

need to show both children and adults the enjoyable and doable steps they

can take to better health. That's what VERB does - it lets kids decide what

positive activity they want to do and encourages them to do it. This is

such an important message for Child Health Day. "

 

Secretary Thompson also encourages children and adults to follow the

administration's HealthierUS Initiative, launched by President Bush and HHS

in June 2002. The campaign focuses on improving overall health through

regular physical activity, proper nutrition, preventive screenings, and

healthy lifestyle choices.

 

Overall, the President's fiscal year 2003 budget for HHS provides more than

$16 billion for disease prevention programs and research for children and

adults.

 

For more information on the HealthierUS Initiative, and for information on

children's health, visit http://www.healthierus.gov and

http://www.childrenshealth.gov.

 

 

 

 

 

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