WE CAN, Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity and Nutrition, is a public education outreach program designed to help children stay at a healthy weight by improving food choices, increasing physical activity and reducing computer and TV time. The program is a collaboration of four institutes of the National Institute of Health- the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLB), The National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NDDK), the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

 First Lady Michelle Obama has launched a national campaign against childhood obesity. The nation’s top health officials and the first lady have stated that unless something is done to reduce childhood obesity, America’s children are on track to live shorter lives than their parents for the first time in US history. As many as one in three children are overweight or obese and the situation is even worse in Georgia. The state ranks No. 3 in childhood obesity, behind only Mississippi and Arkansas, according to a report last year by the nonprofit Trust for America’s Health. More than 37 percent of Georgians aged 10-17 are obese.

TenderCare Clinic’s Health Education Department conducts a free weekly Weight Off Wisely program which is open to adults and adolescents, educating and encouraging participants to live a healthier lifestyle by making wiser food choices and incorporating more physical activity into their daily routine. TenderCare’s Health Educators also offer free seminars to parents of the Pre-K program at TenderCare Preschool in the areas of nutrition, exercise, stress management, and smart grocery shopping. If you are interested in preventing childhood obesity in your community, contact Pam Luke, Health Education Coordinator at TenderCare  (706) 454-5163.

— Dr. Barry B. Darugar is a general surgeon with TenderCare Clinic loated at 803 S. Main St., Greensboro.