20.6% of children in Tennessee are obese, the 6th highest rate in the nation. According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the prevalence of obesity among children age 6-11 has risen from 4% in the late 1970’s to nearly 20% in 2007-8. The third episode in NPT Reports: Children’s Health Crisis explores the causes, consequences and possible solutions to this trend. Experts outline the potentially devastating medical and social consequences of the current generation of children being increasingly susceptible to a host of obesity-related illness including the fact that they may be the first generation to have shorter life spans than their parents. The program also looks at solutions based on the individual, community and policy-maker levels.
|
