First lady Dr. Lynch speaks at conference on childhood obesity

CONCORD, N.H. --As she prepared to address fellow pediatricians at a conference on childhood obesity, first lady Susan Lynch turned to her 13-year-old son for advice.

"Tell people they can eat whatever they want as long as they play hockey," he told her.

An oversimplification, perhaps, Lynch said Wednesday at a meeting of the New Hampshire Pediatric Society, but "he had the essence of the problem: it really is energy in, energy out."

Lynch, a pediatric cholesterol specialist at Concord Hospital, outlined the scope of the problem and how individuals, communities the government and medical professionals can work together to solve it. She praised this week's decision by major beverage distributors to end nearly all sales of non-diet soda to public schools.

Under a deal brokered by former President Clinton's philanthropy foundation, elementary and middle schools would be sold only unsweetened juice, low-fat milk and water. Public high schools still would be sold diet soda.

"This is a really significant advance," Lynch said. "It shows what can happen when someone with a real high profile like Bill Clinton gets on the bandwagon."

New Hampshire's childhood obesity rate -- 18 percent for girls, 22 percent for boys -- is higher than the national average, and children here are more likely to be obese if they live in rural counties with lower family incomes, Lynch said. While experts disagree on what to label "obese" versus "overweight," Lynch said she leans toward the harsher term.

"We're not fooling anyone," she said. "Kids know they're obese."

The causes are many -- bigger portions, more meals eaten outside the home, more time spent indoors in front of the TV -- but Lynch said the solution is simple: get moving.

She is involved with Walk New Hampshire, a program that encourages kids to keep track of how much they walk and gives them prizes when they've walked what amounts to the length or width of the state. Participants can sign up individually or as a team with family members or classmates.

Lynch said parents need to be nudged to become active with their children, just as doctors need to be nudged to take a bigger role in promoting healthy lifestyles.

"We need to step out of our white coats and offices and be advocates," she said.

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On the Net: http://www.walknh.org