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- National Child Health Day Newsletter Article (Word, 50KB) to family and friends. Download Word Reader.
Add your own information or just drop this article into your September or October newsletter as part of your Child Health Day promotion.
Eat Healthy and Be Active: October 6 is Child Health Day
On October 6, the 80th annual Child Health Day, the Federal Health Resources and Services Administration challenges parents, caregivers, teachers, school nurses and all adults who care about kids to grapple with a serious health issue: childhood overweight and obesity.
Recent studies suggest that 1 in 6 U.S. children between 2 and 19 is overweight. Childhood obesity is an even more serious – and growing – health concern for children and adolescents. In less than 30 years, obesity has more than doubled among children ages 2-5 and more than tripled among youth ages 6-11 and adolescents ages 12-19.
Health consequences can be serious. Overweight kids are at risk for asthma, diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions.
Fortunately, many times overweight can be reversed or prevented by helping children and adolescents
- Stay active.
- Develop healthy eating habits.
- Make healthy choices.
One of the best ways to help? Be a role model. When children see their parents, caregivers and other adults enjoying healthy foods and being physically active, they are more likely to do the same.
- Take the Child Health Day pledge for a healthy future.
- Use the Child and Teen BMI (Body Mass Index) Calculator to find out if your child or teenager is at risk for or already overweight.
- Use My Pyramid Menu Planner to help you make healthy food choices for yourself and your family.
- Visit Healthy Weight: It’s Not a Diet, It’s a Lifestyle for tips on healthy eating and physical activity.
- See Healthy Youth for a Healthy Future, the U.S. Surgeon General’s Childhood Overweight and Obesity Prevention Initiative
