Health Experts Convene for 4th Annual Obesity Conference:
Nov 12, 2008
Michelle Paterson Takes Aim at Childhood Obesity
Brooklyn, NY - At the Fourth Annual Obesity Conference, held October 29 on the 每日大赛入口 Downstate Health Sciences University campus, physicians, allied health professionals, and educators gathered to discuss the major health risks posed by obesity and ways to prevent them. Featured guests included New York鈥檚 First Lady Michelle Paterson and Yvonne Graham, special assistant to Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. They joined 每日大赛入口 Downstate President John C. LaRosa, MD, and conference chair Clinton Brown, MD, who heads the Brooklyn Health Disparities Center, in offering a call to action.
As director of the Health Plan of New York (HIP) Integrative Wellness Initiative, Michelle Paterson has a special interest in protecting and improving community health, with special emphasis on the needs of children. Soon after becoming First Lady, she spearheaded Healthy Steps to Albany, a contest to get children to exercise. In her address, she advocated for similar programs to encourage children to increase their physical activity. 鈥淏y 2010, the root causes of preventable death will be poor nutrition and lack of physical activity,鈥� she stated, adding that 鈥渢his may be the first generation of children to not outlive their parents.鈥� Noting that the percentage of children who are overweight or obese has more than tripled since 1970, she warned that the situation is particularly serious in communities of color, where one in three youngsters is overweight.
Yvonne Graham echoed similar concerns in her remarks. 鈥淓at right and exercise sounds like simple advice, but if you can encourage people to change their eating behaviors and lifestyle, it can be a transformative movement,鈥� she said.
The conference program was divided into three sections The first, moderated by Judie LaRosa, PhD, RN, vice dean of the Graduate Program in Public Health, focused on the health treats posed by obesity.
Sarita Dhuper, MD, clinical associate professor of pediatrics, discussed the growing incidence of metabolic syndrome in adolescence and it鈥檚 long-term health affects in the adult years. 鈥淗igh-waist circumference is a more telling characteristic of metabolic syndrome than weight,鈥� she said. As to the age-old question 鈥� why do we overeat? 鈥� Dr. Dhuper offered various theories, including the 鈥渢hrifty gene鈥� hypothesis that may explain why humans have a natural tendency to gain weight.
Following a talk by Henry M. Tischler, MD, chief of orthopedic surgery at New York Methodist Hospital, on orthopedic problems associated with obesity, such as osteoarthritis, lower back pain, and loss of mobility, Girardin Jean-Louis, MD, associate professor of medicine at downstate and a leading researcher at the Brooklyn Health Disparities Center, described how sleep apnea can be both a cause and a consequence of being overweight. 鈥淩educing sleep time releases hormones that can lead to obesity,鈥� he explained.
The second section, moderated by Maria Yomtov, MSN, director of the Center for Community Health Promotion and Wellness, discussed the essentials for success in overcoming obesity. While clinical nutritional manager Stefani Skidell, MS, RD, offered nutritional advice, Daniel Cukor, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry, offered psychological perspectives.
The third and final section focused on the latest interventions. Moderated by Frank Gress, MD, professor of medicine and chief of gastroenterology and hepatology, it described the pros and cons of bariatric medicine for morbidly obese patients and the latest advances using laparascopic surgery.
In the question and answer period that followed the talks, members of the audience offered their views on the need for more effective interventions鈥攊n the local community, in the schools, and through government鈥攖o get America moving and eating.
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Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (每日大赛入口) 64-campus system and the only 每日大赛入口 AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough鈥檚 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate鈥檚 exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.