Atlanta, Braves and others join forces to fight childhood obesityBy Serena Davis The Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed are making a “Pitch for Fitness” to Atlanta youth this summer. The Braves are partnering with the City of Atlanta, Ticketmaster and the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS) to promote healthy living and positive decision-making among Atlanta’s metropolitan youth.
Mayor Reed, Braves Centerfielder Nate McLouth, eight-time Mr. Olympia, Lee Haney, Braves Head Athletic Trainer, Jeff Porter and Assistant Athletic Trainer, Jim Lovell were joined by 50 youth from Camp Best Friends to officially kick-off the “Pitch for Fitness” challenge at Turner Field. Mayor Reed opened the challenge acknowledging his support in the fight against, and prevention of childhood obesity. He told the youth, “I am pleased to see so many local youth here today and ready to get in top shape. This event,” the Mayor stated, “and others like it, are very beneficial because they teach our youth about positive decision making, exercise, and overall improved nutritional education. Turner Field is an amazing venue for children to play in and learn these valuable lessons.” “One of the Atlanta Braves’ primary goals is to create opportunities for youth in our community to be physically active,” said Ericka Newsome-Hill, Braves Director of Community Affairs. “We are excited to partner with Mayor Reed on this effort to encourage youth to lead healthy lifestyles on a daily basis.” Here’s the issue: The major concern today regarding overweight youth is that being overweight puts a child at risk of developing chronic diseases - diseases such as type II diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol levels. Childhood obesity will promote degenerative joint disease, which will result in painful knees, hips, feet, and their backs. Obesity can severely limit physical activity. The alarming issue here is that these are health concerns that were previously seen only in adults, generally in those over age forty. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), African-American and Hispanic teens are more likely to be at risk or over-weight than Caucasians or Asians. Combined data from nine large studies (including NHANES II and NHANES III) of 66,772 children, ranging from the ages of five to seventeen, indicate the highest percentage of over-weight youth exists among Hispanic boys and Hispanic and African American girls. In addition, studies have also shown an increase in overweight rates among Native American children. Second and third generation Asian American children are more likely to be overweight, and certain Asian American and Pacific Islander groups, which includes Pacific Islanders, Koreans and Asian Indians, are noted to have higher overweight risks than other Asian Americans. There are a number of things you can do, right now, to begin addressing childhood obesity in your home today. You can begin with a nutritious and varied meal combined with some type of physical activity. It could be as simple as just turning off the television and encouraging children to go outside to play. Try providing more fruits as snacks and slowly begin to serve smaller portions. If they are not already doing it, they should eat at the table instead of eating in front of the television. And, this is very important, they should drink more water. Our bodies are more than 50 percent water. Many times dehydration is mistaken for mild hunger. It is important to keep our bodies properly hydrated. It really is a lot easier than most realize. Youth and adults should eat more colorfully. It is no secret that a more colorful and nutritious meal is usually a healthier meal. Meals that include items such as salads with a variety of colorful lettuces; white and purple/red raisins; blueberries; green broccoli; red, green and yellow bell peppers; pink salmon; purple eggplant and red cherries, just to name a few, are full of nutrients and antioxidants. Usually, the sign of an unhealthy meal is an overload of “beige” items, such as white potato fries, white hamburger buns, white pizza crust, and things fried in unhealthy oils. Next time you think of frying chicken, try baking skinless chicken breasts with fresh herbs such as rosemary or basil in the oven. Baking or roasting can decrease caloric content while actually enhancing the flavor. The Atlanta Braves and Mayor Reed have joined a growing list of high profile leaders and organizations addressing this important issue of childhood obesity. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama have announced their initiatives to help focus on childhood obesity. Four months ago, First Lady Michelle Obama, joining forces with community leaders, teachers, doctors, nurses, moms and dads, launched the “Let’s Move!” nationwide campaign in an effort to help solve the ever growing childhood obesity epidemic. The “Let’s Move!” campaign will offer parents the support they need, provide healthier food in schools, help children become more physically active and make healthier and affordable food more available in every part of our country. Supporting the First Lady’s initiative, President Barack Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum to create the first-ever Federal Task Force “The White House Task Force On Childhood Obesity” to develop and implement an interagency plan that details a coordinated strategy, identify key benchmarks and outline an action plan to end the problem of childhood obesity within a generation. The action plan will define the goal of ending childhood obesity in a generation as returning to a childhood obesity rate of just 5 percent by 2030, which was the rate before childhood obesity first began to rise in the late 1970s. The report is expected to present a series of 70 specific recommendations, many of which could be implemented immediately. “The First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, officially called our nation to arms in the fight against Childhood Obesity,” Mayor Reed said. “Obesity in children is a serious issue with health and social consequences that often continue into adulthood. Poor nutrition and inactivity puts more of today’s youth at risk of developing life-threatening diseases as they age than any other generation in our nation’s history. The future of the City of Atlanta mandates that we act now with vigor and resolve.” “Your presence here today shows that you not only care for your own families, but for all of our children. It is a fight worth fighting, a war that we can win. Obesity in children must be defeated,” he said. Following Mayor Reed’s opening challenge, Haney then led the youth in a series of skills stations including pitching, hitting, running, nutrition, injury prevention and strength and conditioning. The Taylor Hooten Foundation led a presentation on sports and substance abuse. The participating youth attending the “Pitch for Fitness” campaign kickoff received two tickets to a future Braves game and a pledge card that encourages them to make healthy decisions and remain active.
Lifestyle and Hypertension By C. Alicia Georges, RN EdD
What we eat is extremely important. We are encouraged to increase our fruits and vegetables and decrease our fat and salt intake. Protein (meat, fish, eggs and beans) and carbohydrates are also an important consideration about our food and nutrition intake. When and where we eat may also contribute to how much and what we eat. Time should be set aside to have meals. Stay away from eating on the run. Try not to eat in your car. Avoid high fat and high sodium foods. Keep some fresh vegetable snack and fruit snacks available when you have an urge to snack. Try some new ways of preparing foods. A great reference for the preparation of foods that are healthy, low in fat, salt, and still tasty can be found at the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute website at http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/healthyeating. Be adventurous and try some of the new recipes. A major problem in our communities across the country is overweight and obesity that contribute to the problems of high blood pressure and diabetes. Our work environments are critical in the maintenance of healthy lifestyles. Your work environment should be safe and conducive to you getting the work done. If safe stairs (well lit and without debris) are available, walk up the stairs instead of using the elevator. Take the breaks you are entitled to at work. During your break time enjoy healthful snacks and learn to relax. Meditation has proven to be a stress buster along with deep breathing. If your work setting has a gym for employees, use it during your lunch hour. If none is available, organize a walking group at your place of work. If you are at home and have willing neighbors start a group in your community, and or your church. Exercise gives us energy and helps with weight reduction. Imagine exercising under the trees at work. Think of how your idea will get your co-workers thinking about joining you outside in the fresh air for a lunch period of fellowship and physical activity. Part of our lifestyle should also be making sure that we have a medical home and that we see our health practitioner as necessary. Taking medications if they have been ordered for you should be an important part of your daily routine. Keep them where they are easily accessible. If once, a day maybe the bathroom is a good place to keep them visible. If the kitchen is where you keep those items that you use constantly, they use that place. It helps to keep a daily log that includes your medication, what you eat during the day and your exercise for that day. This log gives you an opportunity to see your progress in certain areas. Changing your lifestyle puts you in charge of protecting, maintaining, restoring and promoting your health. For more information about healthy life styles including the importance of mental healthy lifestyles visit www.nbnfoundation.us or call the Foundation at 404.559.6191.
‘Control Your Weight, Control Your Blood Pressure’Keith C. Ferdinand, MD, FACC, FAHA Although nearly three quarters of Americans are aware of the importance of having their blood pressure checked, this recognition has not translated into sustained reductions in death and disability from high blood pressure, including heart attacks, heart failures, fatal and non-fatal stroke, and death. In fact, nearly one-third of U.S. adults have high blood pressure, which accounts for one-in-six adult deaths each year, a 25 percent increase from 1995 to 2005. If Americans can better identify and control high blood pressure, we can decrease a major cause of more than one-third of all heart attacks and almost half of heart failures in the United States. For many individuals, this will mean taking life-saving, blood-pressure-lowering medication. Nevertheless, the best means of preventing and controlling high blood pressure (hypertension) across the entire population is a healthier lifestyle, including avoiding overweight/obesity, healthier eating, lowered salt consumption and increased physical activity. As body weight increases, so does blood pressure. Across the U.S., the number of persons with obesity has jumped greatly along with the rates of diabetes. Especially abdominal obesity (fat around the middle) increases various hormones that lead to inflammation and toxic substances throughout the body. In the U.S., overweight/obesity status increases with age. Although in less developed populations such as native inhabitants of the Amazon, neither obesity nor blood pressure are noted, even in older persons. In the U.S. overweight/ obesity is more common in minorities, especially in African American females. This phenomenon is directly tied poor eating habits and to physical inactivity. While Blacks are most likely to be obese (at least 45%), there is also an increased likelihood of obesity in Mexican-Americans (36%) as opposed to whites (30%). Asian Americans belong to the one racial/ethnic minority group whose obesity percentage does not exceed whites. Although losing weight is extremely difficult for most individuals, assisting overweight and obese Americans to lose 10 pounds could decrease high blood pressure in the population by 7-8 percent. Furthermore, an exercise program could further decrease blood pressure in society at large by 4-6 percent. Sustained weight loss may be possible with a combination of behavior counseling and monitored exercise. Losing weight is more than a concern with looking good It translates into increased death, especially from cardiovascular diseases (heart attacks and stroke), diabetes, and certain other diseases such as cancer /Diet pills can be dangerous for HBP and even over-the-counter diet drugs often include stimulants and at least one prescription diet drug has been associated with increasing blood pressure and risking heart attacks or strokes. For those with high blood pressure, the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) has been proven to benefit persons with elevated blood pressure, even without weight loss, especially because of the increase in potassium (fruits and vegetables) and relatively lower salt (sodium) intake. ( nhlbi.nih.gov ). The society must eliminate “food deserts,” or improve disadvantaged neighborhoods without food outlets that do not sell fresh fruits and vegetables, common in certain black and Hispanic lower socioeconomic zip codes Across America, high blood pressure and overweight/obesity status loom as growing crises. The best way for the American population, especially disadvantaged minorities, to prevent the ravages of overweight/obesity is by helping our children choose healthier diets and exercise. The increasing problem of excess weight is especially a public health hurricane and we all must embrace a better way of healthy eating and increased activity. To know is not enough; we must act. Keith C. Ferdinand, M |
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We constantly hear that our lifestyle determines how we thrive in our environment. More often than not, we are bombarded about ways to improve our lifestyle and habits and the effect on our health status. These effects may be positive or negative. They impact your safety, quality of life and even how long we live. Your lifestyle is an important factor in high blood pressure control. What we eat, what happens at work, at home and how we use our leisure time make up our lifestyle. Making thoughtful choices and decisions about our life style and habits can save our lives.
The Institute of Medicine has declared high blood pressure a neglected disease (http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2010/A-Population-Based-Policy-and-Systems-Change-Approach-to-Prevent-and-Control-Hypertension.aspx). 