NH DHHS - Obesity Rates Decline Among WIC Children in New Hampshire

Concord, NH - A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC) has found modest declines in obesity among 2- to

4-year-old children from low-income families, a dip that CDC researchers

say may indicate that the obesity epidemic has passed its peak among this

group.



The study reviewed height and weight measurements of 27 million children

who were part of the federal Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition

Program, including more than 20,000 preschoolers annually enrolled in the

New Hampshire WIC Program in the Department of Health and Human Services

(DHHS), Division of Public Health Services. The study was based on data

from 30 states and the District of Columbia and covered the years from 1998

to 2010. The national rate of children who were obese declined to 14.9

percent in 2010, down from 15.2 percent in 2003, after rising between 1998

and 2003.



In New Hampshire, the rate of children in the WIC Program who were obese

declined to 14.2 percent in 2010, down from 15.6 percent in 2003. Rates of

overweight also decreased to 17.1 percent in 2010, down from 19.4 percent

in 2003. Obesity is defined as BMI-for-age equal to or greater than the 95

th percentile, and overweight is defined as BMI-for-age between the 85th to

95th percentiles.



“The declines in obesity and overweight among these children are modest,

but it is encouraging to see a change in the right direction,” said Dr.

José Montero, director of Public Health at DHHS. “We are hopeful that this

is a sign that one of New Hampshire’s health problems may be reversing

course, at least among children.”



Several reasons are speculated for the changes, including:

Breastfeeding, which often leads to healthier weight gain for young

children, has increased in New Hampshire since 2000. The percentage

of 6-month-olds still being breast-fed increased to 22.7 percent

among children born in 2010, up from 18.0 percent among children born

in 2000.

Breastfeeding of infants from low-income families in New Hampshire

has risen over the years. In 1984, only 47 percent of infants from

those families had ever been breast-fed, compared with 71 percent in

2010.

The amount of money spent nationally on food marketing to children

has declined by nearly 20 percent from 2006 to 2009, with the biggest

drop in television advertising, according to the CDC.

Changes in the WIC Program foods, including less fruit juice and more

fruits and vegetables, which began in late 2009 may also have a

slight effect, which will be evident in future years.



The full CDC report is available at

http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html. To learn more about the NH

WIC Program, visit www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/nhp/wic/index.htm

CEI - Would a soda ban make D.C. thinner?

Should Washington, DC impose a New York-style Bloomberg soda ban?  There's an effort in the D.C. Council to make that happen, which CEI's Michelle Minton describes in the Washington Examiner.  Minton criticizes the nanny-state implications of this sort of government control and disputes the claim that limiting the size of sugary drinks will do anything to reduce obesity.  And many of us are concerned that this ill-founded policy will spread to other cities.

Let me know if you would like to speak with Michelle Minton on this developing news story, or perhaps forward to your contacts who would be interested?

Best,
Christine
CEI Communications Director

---

Opinion

Would a soda ban make D.C. thinner?

Michelle Minton
OpEd Contributor
The Washington Examiner

First, it was Mayor Michael Bloomberg telling New Yorkers what's good for them by banning large sodas. Is a Bloomberg-style schoolmarm mentality now coming to the nation's capital?

A formal proposal has yet to be introduced, but people living and working in the city should keep an eye on D.C. Council members who have said they would like to have a New York City-style ban on large sugary drinks. As experience shows, bans and taxes in this vein do little or nothing to alter consumer behavior, and stretch the definition of government's legitimate role.

At a recent debate, Councilmen Michael Brown and Vincent Orange said they supported limiting the size of sugary drinks in D.C., along the lines of the measure adopted in New York City this year. Councilwoman Mary Cheh also supported the idea. Lawmakers who promote such "nudging" policies argue that they're not taking away choices, but merely shaping consumers' "choice environment." After all, obesity is a crisis and everyone knows soda is a major cause, right?

Not exactly. There is no consensus among researchers about the link between soda consumption and obesity. Many studies have come out asserting a strong link between sugary beverages and weight gain, whereas others have shown either a weak link or no link at all. > Read the full commentary at Washingtonexaminer.com

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New Hampshire’s Obesity Prevention Intervention Highlighted by the CDC

Concord, NH - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has
highlighted the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human
Services’ (DHHS) Obesity Prevention Program (OPP) for the implementation of
the Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAP
SACC). NAP SACC is a self-assessment tool to help child care programs
improve healthy eating and physical activity for preschool children. It was
developed by the University of North Carolina Center for Health Promotion
and Disease Prevention and is one of three programs identified by The White
House Task Force on Childhood Obesity to address obesity in early
childhood.

Healthy habits start early. Because of the large numbers of children
who attend child care, it is a logical place to start healthy habits by
providing healthy food and daily active play. Child care participation in
NAP SACC is voluntary. Child care programs complete the self-assessment to
decide where they want to focus their efforts.

“NAP SACC works because it gives child care programs the flexibility
to decide where they want to make changes and when they are ready to
begin,” said José Montero, Director of the Division of Public Health
Services at DHHS. “Once small changes are made, programs often move on to
more challenging issues.”

After completing the self-assessment, the early-care staff meets with
a NAP SACC consultant provided by the Obesity Prevention Program. Next
steps include developing an action plan, drafting policies, and deciding
how to implement improvements. Examples of changes made by child care
programs include making drinking water available indoors and out; updating
menus to include more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; serving skim
milk to children age 2 and older; and increasing opportunities for active
play.

The NAP SACC consultant also delivers staff training to support the
healthy changes.

To date, 15 child care programs serving more than 1,200 preschoolers
in the State have adopted policies resulting in more active play and
healthier food offerings. “If child care centers can maintain and improve
policies over time, then more and more children will benefit,” said Dr.
Montero. Additional NAP SACC efforts are underway in the state this summer.

To read the CDC article, visit
www.cdc.gov/obesity/stateprograms/statestories.html . For more information
about NAP SACC or the NH Obesity Prevention Program, contact the program at
(603) 271-4551 or visit the website at www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/nhp/obesity.htm

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