WKOW 27: Madison, WI Breaking News, Weather and SportsUW-Madison educator: Cheap food has high cost for kids

UW-Madison educator: Cheap food has high cost for kids

MADISON (WKOW) -- The growing rates of childhood obesity are leading to more serious problems, especially in minority children. A new study at UW-Madison takes aim to stop the problem with community involvement.

Diabetes educator Eva Marie Vivian says she can see a "generational tragedy" unfolding when she sees overweight minority children.

"A 12-year-old with Type 2 diabetes may develop coronary artery disease by age 35,'' said Vivian, associate clinical professor in the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy. "We're talking about a generation of children that might not outlive their parents."

Type 2 diabetes was rare in children a generation ago, but now 3,700 young people are diagnosed with the disease in a year. The diagnosis is much more common among Native American, Hispanic or African American children. At these rates, it's estimated that one in three children born in 2000 will eventually develop diabetes. Health troubles don't stop at diabetes - doctors say that cardiovascular disease, kidney and eye damage, and other complications can follow uncontrolled diabetes.

Vivian says that some areas in Los Angeles with large Hispanic populations have rates of childhood obesity approaching 90 percent. During recent research in Madison, Vivian found that things aren't much better in the Midwest.

Vivian screened 86 children (63 percent African-American, 34 percent Latino, 3 percent white) in community settings like churches and food pantries. She discovered that 54 percent were overweight or obese. Both conditions can set children up for developing Type 2 diabetes.

"While more than half of the children were overweight, it's interesting that only 10 percent of parents reported that they thought their children were overweight,' Vivian said. "It may be because many of the parents are overweight themselves."

Some might say this is a case of children inheriting bad genetics. Vivian says it's more complicated than that.

"Genes may load the gun, but your environment and lifestyle pull the trigger,'' Vivian said.

As part of the screening, Vivian asked parents about the factors causing childhood weight gain.

This is what she found:
- About 31 percent of the children eat fast food more than twice a week.
- 86 percent watch more than two hours of television.
- Among the obese and overweight children, television watching was more than three hours a day
- The parents themselves reported being too busy with work to make home-cooked meals.

Vivian's research is focused on identifying factors that people can change to lose weight and reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Her work is funded by the UW Institute for Clinical and Traslational Research (ICTR), part of a national effort to get medical research more quickly from the lab into the community.

Vivian recently received a second grant to help create a community-based intervention program that will go into neighborhood centers with programs for children and parents. While the children are in exercise classes led by trained teachers from the UW School of Kinesiology and formerly overweight teenagers who have changed their lifestyles for the better, parents will learn about healthy shopping, cooking and family lifestyle changes.

"One problem is that some parents also eat unhealthy foods, and the children follow their parents,'' Vivian said. "The good news is that when you ask adults to change their lifestyle, they're more likely to be receptive if it involves helping their children."

If you are wondering about your child's risk for diabetes, here are a few things to consider:
1. Is your child African-American/black, Latino/Hispanic, Native American or Asian/Pacific Islander?
2. Does your child have a sister or brother with diabetes?
3. Does your child have a parent or grandparent with diabetes?
4. Has a health care provider told you your child is overweight or do you feel your child is overweight?
5. Does your child (between ages 10 and 19) get little or no exercise?
6. Does your child have a dark skin patch around the neck or in the armpits?
7. Has a doctor said your child has high blood pressure?
8. Has a doctor said your child has high cholesterol?
9. Has your daughter had irregular periods, excess facial hair or unusual weight gain?

If you answered yes to two or more questions, your child may be at risk for having or developing diabetes. You should talk to a health care provider for more information.