A wake-up call
New statistics have ranked West Virginia as the third in the nation in terms of the prevalence of obesity. A West Virginia University dietician has helped put those numbers into context and outlined WVUs response:
Cindy Fitch director of the WVU Extension Service Families and Health Programs is a registered dietician with more than 30 years experience working with children and their families. She works with Extension specialists and county agents to provide evidence-based educational programs in the areas of health, nutrition, financial literacy, family relations and human development across the state of West Virginia.
She is also part of a WVU team working to develop strategies to stop the epidemic of childhood obesity with a major grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
We have been among the top states in adult obesity for some time now, she said. This new study just mentions obesity. But when we look at the numbers of people who are obese and overweight, you will see that fully two thirds of all West Virginia adults have a problem. Right now, we at WVU are involved in a study that addresses obesity prevention in pre-school children because we believe that is where you have to start. Once obesity is established, it is incredibly difficult to treat. It is much easier to prevent.
Susan Partington, coordinator of the Davis Colleges Human Nutrition and Foods program, is leading a $5 million effort to develop strategies to prevent childhood obesity.
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