New York Tackles Children

New York Tackles Children's Obesity

By JOEL STASHENKO
Associated Press Writer
January 18, 2005, 12:33 PM EST

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Children who weigh too much -- and the stagnant lifestyles that cause them to pack on the pounds -- are the subject of new initiatives from Gov. George Pataki and the state Legislature.

State Assemblyman Felix Ortiz wants the state to enhance the Childhood Obesity Prevention Program, calling excessive weight among young people both a present and a future danger to New Yorkers.

"We are facing a growing epidemic which not only kills today, but may overwhelm our state's health and financial resources in coming years," said Ortiz, a Brooklyn Democrat.

Pataki has announced a new campaign, "Active-8 Kids," to promote better nutrition and more active lifestyles among youngsters. Former Olympic swimmer Janet Evans and Philadelphia Flyers goalie Robert Esche have agreed to lend their names to that campaign.

"Kids who get active in sports before the age of 8 have a high probability of being slim and lean when they get older," said Esche, a Utica native. "I feel it makes you a better person, more excited about life and more excited about waking up every day."

According to the state WIC Association, which provides nutritional support for low-income mothers and children, nearly a third of the children age 2-5 participating in the program are overweight or at risk of being overweight.

New York City's health department recently found 43 percent of elementary school students in the city are overweight, half of them obese. Researchers found Hispanic and black children were more prone to being overweight than white or Asian kids. Children who were at 85 percentile of their weight for their age and height were considered overweight and those at the 95th percentile or above were considered obese.

Ortiz, a Brooklyn Democrat best known for sponsoring the legislation that outlawed the use of hand-held cell phones by drivers in New York, said overweight children are in urban, suburban and rural areas of the state.

"Everywhere I traveled in the state ... we learned this is a serious problem," Ortiz said.

Diabetes is just one of the health problems associated with excessive weight.

"If we do not act today to curb the sedentary and inactive lifestyles of our children, we will be faced with a generation that fails to achieve the same life expectancy of their parents," said Paul Hartman, director of advocacy for the American Heart Association.

Evans competed in three Olympics and won four individual gold medals. She has been active in New York City's bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics.

She said she began swimming at age 18 months and said the sport not only led her to Olympic stardom, it also made her healthy as a child and boosted her self-esteem and confidence.

The goal of Active-8 Kids is not to develop world-class athletes, Evans and Esche said.

"If it happens, that is wonderful," Evans told The Associated Press. "The only objective is to get kids to eat healthy and live well and get out there and exercise. We want kids out there to take care of themselves. We want them to learn to pick up an orange instead of a bag of chips."

Both Esche and Evans were Pataki's guests at the state Capitol as the governor gave his 2005 State of the State address Jan. 5.

Details of how Active-8 Kids will work and how much funding Pataki will propose for it are still being worked out, aides to the governor and officials at the state Health Department said.

Esche has a 3-year-old daughter and another child on the way late this winter. Evans, who was recently married, does not have children.