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Survey Finds Obesity is Top Child Health Concern
Obesity is parents’ top health concern for children for the second consecutive year, according to a poll by the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, the Detroit News reports. The National Poll on Children’s Health, a nationally representative household survey of more than 2,000 adults, asked respondents to rate 23 health concerns for children living in their communities. The percentage of adults who reported that childhood obesity is a “big problem” increased from 35 percent in 2008 to 42 percent in 2009. Moreover, in 2008 Hispanics and African Americans listed smoking and teen pregnancy, respectively, as their chief concerns, but this year Hispanic, African American and white respondents all listed obesity as their greatest children’s health concern. Childhood obesity was ranked number three in 2007. Matthew M. Davis, M.D., poll director and associate professor of general pediatrics, internal medicine and public policy, says that it proves that parents, now more than ever, recognize obesity as a significant health issue that can affect children for life (Hayes Taylor, Detroit News, 8/11/09; C.S. Mott Children's Hospital release, 8/10/09; C.S. Mott Children's Hospital report, 8/10/09).