The Pittsburg NEW Kids Program

Childhood obesity is one of the most significant health problems in the United States today. The number of seriously overweight children and adolescents has more than doubled in the last three decades. This dramatic increase concerns health professionals because overweight children are at increased risk for a host of health problems including: hypertension, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, joint problems, and other chronic diseases, including diabetes. Type II diabetes (formerly called adult-onset diabetes) is now appearing in children and adolescents and it has been directly linked to rise in childhood obesity. Without intervention, the next generation of California children and teens appears destined to suffer prematurely from high levels of life-threatening diseases, including diabetes, stroke, heart disease, and cancer. These diseases are all directly related to poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and obesity.

The prevalence of obesity in children is higher in California than the national average and is creeping up annually. According to the 1999 California Children's Health Eating and Exercise Practices Survey (Cal CHEEPS), 14 % of California children were overweight (body mass index at 95th percentile or above) in 1999 and an additional 18% were at risk of becoming overweight (body mass index at 85th to 95th percentile.) Children are becoming heavier due to a decrease in physical activity combined with an increase in the consumption of higher calorie foods at school, at home, and in their community. The Cal CHEEPS survey reports that only 46% of California school children, age 9-11, meet the physical activity recommendation of 60 minutes or more of moderate and/or vigorous exercise every day. Seventeen percent of California kids report they do not receive any physical education or gym classes at school, and, on average, children in California spend almost one hour short of the State physical education mandate of 200 minutes every 10 school days.