The Maine Bureau of Health is currently embarked on the Healthy Weight Awareness Campaign to alert and educate the public to the dangers of childhood obesity, targeting soda consumption, television watching and food portion sizes.

There has been a startling rise in childhood obesity in the last several decades. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the prevalence of obesity in children ages 6 to 11 has increased from 4 percent in the early 1960s to 15 percent today; for adolescents ages 12 to 19, from 5 percent to 15 percent.

Obese children are more likely to become obese adults. More than half of Maine’s adult population is overweight or obese.

The Maine Bureau of Health has estimated that three out of every four deaths in this state are due to three C’s and one D: Cancer, Copd (emphysema), Cardiovascular disease, i.e. heart disease and stroke and diabetes. All except Copd are related to obesity.

What are some of the reasons behind this increase, which has properly been called the obesity epidemic and is widely believed to be a major public health problem? Researchers believe the major cause lies in environmental changes.

One of the commonly blamed causes is poor eating habits. Surveys show that more than 60 percent of our young people eat too much fat and less than 20 percent eat the recommended five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Studies show that our children obtain 50 percent of their calories from added fat and sugar. The prevalence of sugar sodas in their diets is astounding. Boys and girls between the ages of 12 to 19 who drink soda consume nearly 16 teaspoons of sugar each day from it. These are empty calories with no nutritional value, which increase their weight to unhealthy levels.

Excessive TV watching and a related lack of exercise is also blamed. Surveys show that more than a third of young people in grades 9 to 12 do not regularly engage in vigorous physical activity.

Here’s one sobering statistic, obtained from the Maine Department of Education: In 2001, only 5 percent of Maine high school students participated in daily Physical Education classes compared to 32 percent nationally.

The Maine Medical Association, an association representing more than 2,000 Maine physicians, discussed the increasing problem of childhood obesity at its annual meeting this past September and specifically approved a resolution which addressed the presence of vending machines in our schools. Many of these machines contain drinks and foods not beneficial to children’s nutrition.

It was also noted that soft drink companies pay school districts large sums of money, sometimes in the thousands of dollars, for the privilege. Apparently SAD 40 is the first Maine school district to reject soda vending machines. We applaud this decision.

The resolution urged many things, including:

. Remove of high fat and sugar content foods from school vending machines on school grounds and where appropriate; replace them with

healthier items.

. Express to our children and the school systems that our children’s health is more valuable than the revenues derived from vending machines containing less healthy offerings.

. Encourage physical activity to remain ” a regular part of everyday school practice.

. Support comprehensive school health programs, including physical education and nutrition.

The Maine Medical Association wholeheartedly endorses the current Enough is Enough/Healthy Weight Awareness ad campaign by the Maine Bureau of Health to address these issues and urges the state to stand firm through increasing opposition and criticism ” from the soda industry.

Jacob Gerritsen, M.D., FACP is chairman of the Public Health Committee of the Maine Medical Association. He lives in Camden.