It came as no big surprise that childhood obesity is an issue facing many North Texas families. But what was shocking to some at the Child Health Summit on Friday was the age when the problem begins.
By the time they are 2, 27.2 percent of children in a six-county area are already "at risk" or "overweight," according to the first Community-wide Children’s Health Assessment and Planning Survey.
"That tells me that if we have programs beginning in junior high and high school, we may be starting too late," said Larry Tubb, senior vice president of system planning for Cook Children’s Health Care System.
The hope is that the detailed data, released by Cook Children’s during the summit, can help the community find solutions for the seven top health issues: asthma, accidents, abuse, access, mental health, obesity and dental care.
Hood County Commissioner Richard Roan said that he was aware that abuse was a problem in his community but that the survey’s in-depth data underscored its severity.
In Hood County, 15.6 percent of parents said their children had been abused or neglected. That’s higher than in any of the other counties, including Wise at 3.8 percent, Parker at 8.1 percent, Denton at 3.2 percent, Tarrant at 6.1 percent and Johnson at 8.6 percent.
"We have numbers that scare us, thanks to the data," he said. "This will be a catalyst and give us reason to take it back to the community so it gets wider exposure."
That’s exactly the kind of reaction that Cook Children’s officials were hoping for.
"At the end of the day, if we don’t use the data, it is a waste of everyone’s time," Tubb said.
Dr. Bing Burton, director of the Denton County Health Department, said he wants to take the data to his community and conduct a minisummit to spread the word about the health concerns.
The survey is also expected to help community leaders choose where to focus. A case in point: While it’s well-known that child safety seats save lives, the survey found that it’s easy for parents to get them, so it’s not a top concern.
Tony Shuman, president and CEO of the YMCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth, said the data are vital.
"This will help keep the issue on the front burner and moving forward," he said.
The data are also expected to help in addressing asthma.
The chronic lung disease affects some 11,000 children in the six-county area, with the least problems to the northwest, the survey found. And 25 percent of children ages 8 and 9 have asthma.
If the data can be tied to research from the Environmental Protection Agency, North Central Texas Council of Governments and other organizations, it might be possible to find the root cause of asthma in this area, Tubb said.
Over the next decade, Cook Children’s plans to focus on making the area one of the healthiest places to raise a child, Tubb said. The summit is expected to become an annual event.
Although most of the survey focused on problems, there’s also good news: 84.8 percent of those surveyed reported that their children have good or excellent health, Tubb said.
"That’s outstanding and speaks volumes about what has been done," he said.
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By the numbers Nearly 95,000 children do not eat healthful meals, as reported by parents.
30 minutes of exercise, five days a week, reduced academic and behavioral problems by half.
About 94,000 children, or 15.3 percent, are injured annually and require medical care.
Nearly 12 percent did not access needed mental-health care.
Nearly 11 percent of children have mental-health issues.
Almost 8,000 children with dental problems did not seek care.
More than 48,000 children have a dental problem.
Getting mental-health care is the hardest, followed by finding specialty doctors.
For more survey data, visit www.cchaps.org.
Source: Cook Children’s Health Care System
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