Tommy Blog Ward 6 Children: Most Obese in City? | Ward 6 Children: Most Obese in City? |
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| Written by Charles Allen | |
| Tuesday, 20 May 2008 | |
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The Washington Post has been running a compelling series on obesity, in particular with youth in the city. You can click here to view their series, see stats, and hear audio clips with children telling their stories. In today’s article, there is a ward-by-ward breakdown of obese youth. Sadly, Ward 6 tops the list. That’s right, we have a higher percentage of overweight children than any other ward in the city. According to a 2003 survey of children’s health, 57 percent of Ward 6 children ages 6-17, are obese. Ward 8 comes in at 52 percent, Ward 7 at 48 percent, Ward 5 at 46 percent, and Ward 3 leads the city with just 18 percent.
Other factors include the lack of physical education in the schools and opportunities for recreation. Tommy is also co-chairing the “Safe Routes to School” program in the District, focused on creating safe, reliable passages between home and school so children and their parents can walk or ride their bike. But there's a clear need for more physical activity for our youth, whether in school, at home, or in the neighborhood. So what are your thoughts? Have you been reading the series in the Post? Why does Ward 6 have such a high rate? Do you think we lack healthy food options? Is it a lack of education on how to eat healthy? Do we lack enough recreation and parks for youth to exercise and play? Use the comments section below and put in your two cents. |
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 20 May 2008 ) |
The article and the researchers point to a combination of factors highlighting the challenges our youth face. First among them is the lack of healthy food and eating -- that comes from bad choices made by kids and their parents, as well as the lack of fresh, healthy food in the neighborhoods. Take a stroll through most corner stores and you’ll be hard pressed to find healthy snacks and food. We 
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