YMCA of El Paso’s President & CEO Pens Op-Ed to Encourage Families on their Health Journeys

September is Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, and while the dangers of childhood obesity are well chronicled, many families need support changing their children’s habits with the ultimate goal of improving health.

That’s why the YMCA of El Paso — a leading community-based organization dedicated to improving health — wants families to understand the dangers of childhood obesity and ways to reverse course through improved eating habits and increased physical activity.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), childhood obesity has more than tripled in children and adolescents over the past 30 years. Today, obesity affects one in six children and one in three are overweight, which poses greater risks for a number of health problems such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and some cancers.

A family that changes together gets healthy together — building a culture of health that helps families adopt healthy habits is key to reducing childhood obesity rates.

Once a family gets the proper education and support when it comes to weight-related risks, they can work together to incorporate healthy eating habits and more physical activity and into their daily routines.

In addition to being healthy at home, there is a need to maintain healthy habits while attending out-of-school programs. To create healthy environments for all children the YMCA of El Paso is implementing Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Standards in their after school programs. The goal is to make the healthy choice the easy choice for your child while he or she is in the YMCA’s care.
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To learn more about the YMCA of El Paso’s commitment to health, click here to continue reading or visit www.elpasoymca.org.