LSU Program Will Help In The Fight Against Overweight Kids

Obesity is an issue in America. It is especially an issue in Louisiana and becoming a major concern for children. How can we teach our kids healthy eating habits and the values of exercise and proper nutrition in a state where food is so entrenched in the lifestyle? LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center is now providing physicians and healthcare providers a toolkit to help teach that message.

The Childhood Obesity Treatment Toolkit project is under the direction of Dr. Amanda Staiano. She told the Louisiana Radio Network how this toolkit will help the healthcare community deal with the problems of obesity in children.

"This toolkit is trying to get into the hands of doctors, nurses & dietitians, so they can better understand what children are most at risk for obesity, and then give that advice to parents and families."

Currently over 2-thousand hard copies of the toolkit are available for distribution to healthcare providers in the state. Doctors may also download the information by visiting the Pennington Biomedical Research Center website.

Obesity in children is a major concern in the state of Louisiana. The state ranks near the top in obesity prevalence even in children as young as preschool age.  Dr. Staiano says catching and correcting the problem during the early stages of a child's life are very important to how they will see themselves growing up.

"It's really important to intervene early in a child's life. Make sure that child is set up with good eating habits, good physical activity and also good self-esteem."