MidMichigan Medical Center Helping Combat Childhood Obesity

In the United States about 1 in every 5 children suffer from obesity.

That’s why MidMichigan Medical Center Alpena is taking part in a new program called 5210.

Those numbers signify four easy ways parents and children can help battle childhood obesity.

5 or more fruits and vegetables a day, 2 hours or less of recreational screen time, one hour or more of physical activity, and zero sugary drinks.

MidMichigan Cedical Center Pediatrician Dr. Amin Akhlaghi says that one of the easiest ways to combat childhood obesity is to simply model healthy behavior for your children.

“You don’t want to be hyper–vigilant about don’t eat this, don’t eat that. But if you just decrease the number of sugary drinks you drink every day, eat more vegetables, get out as a family and exercise or do some kind of physical activity on a daily basis or weekly basis – any amount of healthy behavior that you can model for your children at an early age will affect how they develop later on.”

If you’re interested in learning more about the 5210 program you can contact Melissa Tolan–Halleck at 989–356–8106.