Surgeon general praises Lawrence's anti-childhood obesity efforts

By Jill Harmacinski
Staff Writer

July 01, 2008 01:47 am

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LAWRENCE — An award-winning battle against childhood obesity is being waged in Lawrence and yesterday afternoon U.S. Surgeon General Steven Galson stopped by to congratulate local folks fighting this national health care epidemic.

In this country, more than 6 million children ages 2 to 19 are overweight or obese, said Galson, a Navy rear admiral who attended Harvard's School of Public Health. He likened childhood obesity to influenza and the HIV epidemic, which also threatens the nation's health.

"This is a condition sweeping the country. If we don't do more about it, this generation stands to have a shorter life span," Galson said. "We need to make this issue one of the highest national health care priorities."

Galson praised the work being done at the Greater Lawrence Family Health Care Center, which has four clinics in Lawrence and works in partnership with the New Balance Foundation. New Balance in 2007 donated $150,000 to the health care center, which in turn is used for programs, activities and resources for overweight children and their families in Lawrence.

Dr. Jeffrey Geller, a health center physician, led a brief presentation on the clinic's programs to empower and enrich overweight children. More than half the children treated at city health clinics are overweight. Children in the city also fall below statewide averages for nutrition and exercise standards.

Statistics also are stacked against residents of Lawrence, one of the poorest cities in the state. People living in Andover, a more affluent neighboring community, generally live 15 years longer than Lawrence residents, Geller said.

With help from the New Balance Foundation, the center has groups for toddlers, boys, girls, teens and families to learn about healthy eating choices and regular exercise. Geller described the effort as a sort of professional passion.

"We're talking about what I love. Helping people by bringing them together," Geller said.

He said that practicing medicine in a community health center has "less to do with medicine" and more with "empowering the community." New Balance's contribution to the programs "has really allowed us to go over the top," he said.

Galson cited the Lawrence programs as a "fantastic example" of a health center working to improve the community it serves. He presented the center with a federal Champions award.

U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas, D-Lowell, also attended the event, lauding both Geller and Anne Davis, founding trustee of the New Balance Foundation. The foundation's primary focus for the past five years has been on childhood obesity, said Molly Santry, a New Balance spokeswoman.

"The foundation is focused on the city of Lawrence and a host of nonprofits in the area and we want to do more in the area of childhood obesity prevention," Santry said.

Did you know?

r Overweight children have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight adults.

r The number of overweight children in the United States has tripled in the past three decades.

r Studies show 34 percent of children are overweight or at risk for being overweight.

r Research shows that if children see their parents eating healthy foods and maintaining a physically healthy lifestyle, they are likely to imitate them.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

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