[Dr. Evangelina Casteneda is a Plano physician, member of the Dallas American Diabetes Leadership Council and frequent speaker on the topic of juvenile weight management.]

Texans love to point out that ‘Everything’s bigger in Texas .’ From our cities to our cars, we’re proud of the state we all call home. Unfortunately, it’s the waistlines of our children and adult populations that are also bigger in Texas . And getting bigger.

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, Texas ranks sixth highest in the nation for obesity, with more than 63 percent of Texans (two of every three people) either overweight or obese. More than a third (35%) of school-age children in Texas are overweight or obese, and it is projected that the number of the state’s youth diagnosed with Type II diabetes will triple within the next 25 years. For African-American, Hispanic and socio-economically challenged white children, the risks are even greater.

Compared to kids who are leaner, obese children are sick more often, miss more days of school and are susceptible to a variety of chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease and asthma. Diabetes alone has the potential to cripple the health of our youngest Americans and our economy. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) projects that one-third of American children born in 2000 will eventually develop Type II diabetes if current eating and exercise trends are not reversed. This figure is even more staggering for minority children: nearly half of African-American and Hispanic children will become diabetics if they do not change their eating and exercise habits.

We must find a way to stem the tide of this growing health epidemic before it overwhelms our schools, our hospitals and our workplaces. And rather than point fingers of blame, this problem must be addressed by all of us - in our homes, churches, schools and communities.

We can begin by encouraging our children to keep their bodies in optimum health by eating nutritiously at meals and snack time. Try to establish a set meal time at home, and provide low-fat, low-sugar and low-salt meals and snacks. Begin the day with breakfast so that children do not overeat later.

Nutrition is only one part of the equation. We must also encourage our children to be more active. On average, children spend more than five hours a day inactive, involved in activities like watching television or playing video or computer games. Daily exercise and limiting children’s time in stationary activities to two hours per day is necessary to help children live healthy.

As a community, we also have a unique opportunity to participate in Shaping America’s Youth (SAY), a nationwide initiative to identify and centralize information on the efforts to reverse these trends of being overweight and inactive . The Shaping America’s Youth 21^st Century Town Meeting will be held on Saturday April 22 from 9:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Dallas Convention Center . SAY ’s goal for the meeting is to have more than 1,000 participants representing Dallas ’ diverse population. Residents from all areas of the Dallas metropolitan area, from every economic and educational level, and representing all ethnic groups, are encouraged to register online at http://meetings.shapingamericasyouth.org or by phone at 800-SAY-9221.

I encourage community members from all walks of life to attend the Shaping America’s Youth Town Meeting to help begin to solve this national problem at the local level. Good health is directly linked to higher achievement, so we owe it to our children to make a positive change here in North Texas . Please join me in finding solutions that will make our children healthy and our community a healthier one. Because bigger isn’t always better.

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