More than 110 to attend Gilroy event to provide education and
solutions to weight control
Gilroy – A fat, happy baby draws smiles, here and south of the border. But health advocates say roly-poly kids risk diabetes, heart disease and a host of cancers – and Latino kids are at higher risk.
“We’re worried about paying Social Security for our kids,” said Dr. Elizabeth Mendoza-Levy. “But at the rate we’re going, they’re not going to get there.”
Mendoza-Levy is director of pediatrics at Valley Health Center. Every week, she sees six or seven kids struggling with obesity, some as heavy as 350 pounds. She tracks body mass index in South County, and has watched it climb to unnerving heights.
Nearly one-third of Gilroy students in fifth, seventh and ninth grade are obese, according to a 2004 study by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy. That rate is the highest in the county, among cities of 10,000 people or more. More Latinos and more poor people live in Gilroy than elsewhere in the county, and Latino kids and low-income kids are more likely to put on extra pounds.
To combat the crisis, more than 110 people are gathering today at the Morgan Hill Community Center for a conference on child obesity among Latinos. The event is part of Binational Health Week 2006, an annual event series sponsored by the Mexican consulate, the Public Health Department of Santa Clara County, and the South County Collaborative. Doctors’ presentations and a resource section will provide information for health professionals and community members alike.
“Disease knows no borders,” said Lillian Castillo, Public Health nutrtionist. “Health issues are pertinent to both sides, and you can’t have a healthy community if one segment is unhealthy.”
Californians of all colors should be watching their weight, with child obesity levels reaching 28 percent statewide. Even babies are tipping the scale: a 2006 Harvard study found that toddlers and infants are 73.5 percent heavier than 20 years ago.
But additional factors threaten Latino kids’ health. With many Latino parents working long hours and multiple low-wage jobs, said Castillo, there’s little time to cook, and a low grocery budget. That has many parents reaching for processed foods low in cost, but high in fat and sugar.
Among some Latino immigrants, food is a way to show love, Castillo added. In Guatemala, for example, luxury foods like meat and desserts are the staples of any good host, she said, recalling the rich foods her own family heaps on her plate. But in the U.S., where such indulgences crowd the shelves, parents may be killing their kids with kindness.
Worrying about nutrition is another U.S. luxury.
“If you come from a country not as affluent as the U.S.,” said Castillo, “food is food is food.”
One response is the Producemobile, a van that distributes fresh fruits and vegetables. The program aims “not just to fill bellies, but give a complete, balanced meal,” said Lynn Crocker, communications manager of Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, which got the van rolling this year. The van has yet to visit South County, she said, but may expand to the area in 2007.
Television is another risk factor. In dangerous neighborhoods, planting your kid in front of the TV seems like a safe alternative to playing in the yard, Castillo said. But the boob-tube is a bad babysitter, keeping kids on the couch – and their minds on fast food. Today, many kids recognize McDonald’s Golden Arches before they learn their ABCs.
Short of playground taunting, kids are unlikely to step on the scale and demand change, Mendoza-Levy said. Parents have to take the initiative – which can mean major lifestyle changes for Mom or Dad.
“You can’t tell a kid, ‘Don’t have a soda,’ when Dad drinks four or five sodas a day,” she said. For kids to get in shape, parents have to be on board – and that’s why the Gilroy Neighborhood Health Clinic offers weekly family classes on weight control, with parents cutting calories alongside their kids. When the program was held in Palo Alto, some students reduced their excess weight by 26 percent. Families rode the bus 45 minutes to attend class; others attended despite being evicted from their homes, behavior coaches reported.
But staying fit can be a lot simpler, Mendoza-Levy added: Taking your kids for a walk. Preparing smaller portions. Keeping children out of the grocery store, where the siren song of check-out line candies and sugary soda awaits.
As doctors and nutritionists gather today in Gilroy, the message is clear: Dimpled cheeks may be cute, but serious health risks can lurk behind baby fat.
“If you’ve got high cholesterol, pre-diabetic 10-year-olds,” asked Castillo, “what kind of life are they going to have?”
