ODH chief: Childhood obesity an epidemic in Ohio

Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Alvin Jackson told a crowd at a health fair in Hamilton on Saturday that childhood obesity is an epidemic in Ohio and may cause the state’s youngest generation to be the first to have a shorter life span than their parents (Source:   “Child obesity called an epidemic,” Hamilton Journal-News, Aug. 17, 2009).

“I don’t think people realize this is an epidemic,” said Dr. Jackson. “We need to have the same type of alarm for this disease (as there is for swine flu) because it’s going to have a major impact on our children’s lives and is going to cost us billions.”