WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11) hosted a standing room only briefing Wednesday to shed light on the issue of childhood obesity in minority and other underserved communities.  The briefing, coming on the heels the House and Senate passing  her bill to designate September as Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, featured a panel of experts who represent a range of civil rights and health care organizations.  The audience also heard testimony from Salena Williams, a 15 year old constituent from Euclid, Ohio. Salena described her struggle to lose 45 pounds and conquer diabetes, a journey that took her from a hospital emergency room to wellness.

In her opening remarks, Congresswoman Fudge shared  her views of childhood obesity as an epidemic with enormous health, economic, and civil rights implications.  “We're here to empower our communities, our parents, and our kids to be fit for life. We're here to find real solutions to the barriers that prevent some kids from living healthy, long lives," said Congresswoman Fudge.  "We're here to put our heads together to end childhood obesity within a generation…We can't afford to wait.  Our children and future generations need our leadership to bring about change.”

The facts on how childhood obesity affects minority communities are striking.  The Congresswoman cited the following statistics during the panel:

• Among America's high school students, 34 percent of Latinos are overweight or obese. For Black students the rate stands at 36 percent. 
• Obesity rates also appear to have some relationship with poverty rates in many states. Six of the states with the highest poverty rates are also in the top 10 states with the highest obesity rates. Many of the states with the lowest poverty rates are among the states with the lowest rates of obesity.
• 14.8 percent of Children ages 2-5 from low income families are obese compared with 12.4 percent of all U.S. children of similar age.
•  The highest childhood obesity rates are among American Indian and Alaska Native children (20.2%) and Latino children (18.3%).
• According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in three children born in the year 2000 will develop diabetes in his or her lifetime if current trends continue.  For minority kids, nearly one in two will develop diabetes. 

As one of Congresswoman Fudge’s top priorities, Congresswoman Fudge will continue to sponsor relevant legislation to address these startling statistics.

Video

Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11) hosted a standing room only briefing to shed light on the issue of childhood obesity in minority communities.

Jennifer Ng'andu, Deputy Director of the Health Policy Project for the National Council of La Raza remarks on how to solve the childhood obesity epidemic in Latino communities.

Shavon Arline, Director of Health Programs for the NAACP remarks on how to solve the childhood obesity epidemic in African-American communities.

Jennifer Cooper, Legislative Director at the National Indian Health Board remarks on how to solve the childhood obesity epidemic in American Indian communities.

Dr. Rose Gubitosi-Klug, M.D., Ph.D. from Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital and Salena Williams, a teenager that has overcome childhood obesity, discuss their experiences with the epidemic in Cleveland, OH.