Obesity a Weighty Issue Among LA's Children

Updated 7:43 AM PST, Mon, Jul 6, 2009

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Too many Southland children are overweight, and more needs to be done to get them to slim down, according to Los Angeles County's top health official.

"The levels are much too high," Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of the county Department of Public Health, told the Pasadena Star-News. "There's a lot that can and must be done."

The comment came in response to a recent report that found that while California adults are becoming thinner, their children are becoming heavier.

California's adults ranked 41st out of 51 (including the District of Columbia) in obesity rates, while the state's children, aged 10 to 17, ranked 28th, according to the report from the Trust of America's Health and the Robert Wood Foundation.

A similar study found that nearly 23 percent of the county's fifth-, seventh-, and ninth-graders are considered obese, although the rate has remained stable for the last few years.

Fielding called childhood obesity an epidemic that should get as much or more attention than other recent health headlines, such as HIV scares in the adult entertainment industry.

"Kids who are overweight and obese are much more likely to be overweight obese adults and having all the problems associated with that," Fielding told the Star-News.

Fielding said he hopes a new state law will affect people's food choices. The law requires restaurants with at least 20 stores statewide, or 17,000 locations nationwide, to provide brochures that list calories, sodium, saturated fat and carbohydrates for menu items. In January, the law will require restaurants to list calories directly on menus.