Fat or Fit? More Children Are Overweight

Public Service Campaign Targets Kids To Get Moving

Here is a tough question for some parents to face: Is your child fit or fat?

Everyone from the president to orthopedic surgeons are trying to get kids moving again for good reasons.

For millions of children, summer is full of activity. But the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says that far too many children are sitting around too much, and their bodies will pay the price.

"The whole leg looks kind of bowed, if you will," said Dr. Kevin Latz of Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., as he looked at an X-ray.

Latz tries to undo the damage when too much weight puts pressure on important growth plates and causes damage to young bones.

"(We have) a pin that (is inserted) through the bones, which is connected to a bar outside the body, and you gradually stretch it. It's a fairly dramatic surgery to do to a child," Latz said.

The AAOS has started a new public service campaign because of the statistics on overweight children. Doctors say that as many as 13 percent of children ages 6 to 11, and 15 to 30 percent of adolescents, are overweight.

"That number is easily 25 to 30 percent of my patient population here at Children's Mercy Hospital. It's a shocking number, actually," Latz said.

It is shocking, in part, because the problem is preventable, and does not require any organized sport or special equipment.

"Just getting out and walking, ideally as a family, will get the job done," Latz said.

To learn more about healthy bones, or watch the entire public service announcement about big kids, click here.

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