Giant to Hold Childhood Obesity Summit

In an effort to educate parents and others in the local community about the issue of childhood obesity and what can be done to alleviate the growing epidemic, Giant Food Stores and local experts on the subject will participate in Giant’s first Childhood Obesity Summit Tuesday, May 17, at 10:30 a.m. at the at 315 York Road.

Participants in the Childhood Obesity Summit include:

• Susan Kassutto, M.D., pediatrician, Abington Memorial Hospital
• David Piccoli, M.D., chief, division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
• Mary Ann Moylan, in-store nutritionist at Willow Grove Giant
• Courtney Grove, program coordinator, Health Promotion Council of Southeastern Pennsylvania
• Cynthia Dawso-VanDruff, director of food service, Upper Moreland School District.

The panel discussion will be moderated by Sarah Glunz, a nutritionist with Giant Food Stores.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), childhood obesity affects approximately 12.5 million children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 years, or 17 percent of that population in the United States today.

“Obese children and adolescents are at an increased risk to develop such health issues as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes that can carry on into adulthood,” said Kassutto. "No child should experience ailments that could be prevented by appropriate care.”

According to Moylan, “Healthy eating choices begin at the supermarket for many families, which is why combating childhood obesity is an important issue to Giant. We offer a variety of nutrition classes for both kids and adults, including our Passport to Nutrition program, the first among grocery chains that creates an interactive and educational program for kids’ nutrition.”

“Healthy lifestyles begin at home and children very often follow the patterns set by their parents,” said Piccoli. “Therefore, it’s extremely important for parents to take an active role in their child’s health through healthier eating, regular physical activity, limiting time in front of the television and video games, and annual visits to the pediatrician.”

“Healthy foods often cost more than fast food items that are high in fat and sugar leading to nutritional issues among some low-income families,” said Grove. “HPC offers a variety of programs to allow low-income families throughout Philadelphia increased access to fresh produce in addition to nutritional education classes in local schools and throughout the community to encourage kids and their families to eat and enjoy more fresh fruits and vegetables.”

“We encourage healthy eating habits for our students by following the MyPyramid guidelines incorporating dairy, meat, grain, fruits and vegetables, the five food groups, into every meal we serve,” added Dawso-VanDruff. “The school district has also begun limiting sugar-sweetened beverages and other high fat and high sugar snacks from our offerings while increasing the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables available daily in an effort to improve nutrition among our students.”

Giant’s Childhood Obesity Summit is free and open to the public for anyone interested in attending. For more information, call Moylan at 215-784-1960.

Information courtesy of e3communications