By Adam B. Becker, Ph.D., Executive Director, Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children
With the recent elections and imminent changes in Congress, this seems like a good time to reflect on my visit to Capitol Hill on September 16. I was invited by the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) to serve on a panel to brief Congress about the important role that children’s hospitals play in childhood obesity prevention. Panelists represented the broad range of roles that hospitals play – from community-based prevention to intensive clinic-based behavior change interventions, to surgical and other specialty care for those children who are in urgent need of treatment. It was an honor to be among distinguished colleagues from hospitals in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Washington State. It was a privilege to hear from a very brave young high-school senior and her equally courageous mother as they described the challenges and the heartbreak that their family faced dealing with childhood obesity.
Staff members from the offices of more than 30 U.S. Representatives and Senators came to learn about childhood obesity and how hospitals and hospital-based programs are helping. I believe that the large turnout was due, in part, to the fact that First Lady Michelle Obama took such a public stand on the issue. I took the opportunity to tell the elected officials and their representatives about the many partners who make up CLOCC – more than 1,000 organizations in Chicago and beyond who are at the “front lines” of obesity prevention. I told them about our efforts to make sure that kids and families know what the elements of a healthy lifestyle are, understand the risks of not making healthy choices, and have access to environments that make healthy choices easier where they learn, play, and live. I told the briefing participants that the health care system was an essential component of the battle against obesity but doctors alone cannot solve the problem.
As I listened to the other panelists talk about how complex and challenging it is for them to find the resources and models they need to treat overweight and obese children, I thought about how much harder it would be without those of us fighting on the prevention side – working to improve nutrition and physical activity to keep children healthy so that they don’t need treatment.
I was truly humbled to be in one of the very buildings where decisions get made every day that affect children and families. Decisions about how much money our schools will get to provide food to children. Decisions about whether our transportation system will accommodate those who want to walk or ride their bikes for at least some portion of their daily commute. Decisions about how much of the fertile soil across the U.S. will be used to feed people vs. animals vs. vehicles. Decisions about how many children will have health insurance and what the quality of that insurance will be. And yes, decisions about reimbursement to health care institutions for the basic and specialized services that are so essential to protecting children when they are overweight or obese.
Congress headed home for vacations or to work on their re-election campaigns before they decided on some of the critical issues facing children and families. I was frustrated that Congress went home with so much work yet to do, but I continue to be hopeful because so many people showed up that day to hear from us and because so many champions for children and families are working every day in Chicago and across the nation to make sure kids grow up healthy and happy. I hope that this new Congress will be as concerned as the last and look forward to helping them make the best decisions for the nation’s children.
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