SECOND OPINIONS

PUBLISHED MONTHLY-000 0f; ff0; ;f0American Acaidemy of Pediars ft141 Northwest Point Blvd. -o Ek Grov Village, IL 60007

AAP News, the official newsmagazine of theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics, is dedicated toinforming, educating and inspiring readers on

matters related to pediatric health care.

EDITOR IN CHIEFAnne Hegland

ASSOCIATE EDITORTrisha Korioth

SENIOR WRITER/EDITORCarla KempSTAFF WRITER

Alyson Sulaski WyckoffEDITORIAL INTERNNicole L. JosephART DIRECTORMichael Hayes

PRE-PRESS PRODUCTION SPECIALISTMark A. Krajecki

WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENTTaryn Houghton Rosenkranz

NMEDNOL ADVNSORY BOARDMika Hiramatsu, M.D., FAAP, Chair

Castro Valley, Ca/if.Stuart J. Brink, M.D., FAAP

Waltham, Mass.William L. Coleman, M.D., FAAP

ChapielHi/ll N.CGilbert L. Fuld,M.D., FAAP

Keene, N.Hl.Daniel Levy, M.D., FAAP

Owings Mills, Md.Molly A. O'Gorman, M.D., FAAP

Salt Lake City, UtahJohn M. Pascoe, M.D., FAAP

Dayton. OhioMichael J. WeVlch. M.D., FAAP

San Diego Calif.

whose clothing has the odor of tobacco can't disguisetheir habit. Our young patients often are the first tonotice. Speaking for myself as a "night owl," drawn tolong evenings at the computer, I find it hard to remind mylike-minded son about the benefits of early bedtime.When bedtime rolls around, we both need to heed thatadvice. I can't talk the talk if I can't walk the walk upstairsto bed. My letter ends with a question:When it comes tocounseling our patients about obesity in both primarycare and specialty clinics, have there been studies inves-tigating the presence ofoverweight in the pediatrician interms of the impact of counseling children? Maybe itdoesn't matter at all. Can we look?The pitch has been made thatwe target everyone in our

efforts to reverse the epidemic. I assume we wouldinclude health care providers and public health officialsas well. At least, let us start talking about it.

Angela Lin, M.D., FAAPWestwood, Mass.

Editor's noteoThis letter is in response to the vice pres-ident candidates' statements about obesity (February2004 AAP News, page 57).

Much has been written with great insight about theepidemic of obesity. Likewise, much has been proposedabout possible strategies for individual physicians andthe AAP to remedy this problem. In addition to raisingawareness among families, politicians, industry andschools, shouldn'twe be talking about the importance ofbeing role models when it comes to diet and physicalactivity? It's an age-old dilemma that caregivers andhealth care providers sometimes advise: "Do as I say, notas I do." After all, we're being watched. In other areas ofhealth care, our patients are paying attention to ourbehavior, and they may look to us as role models(whetherwe like it or not) . They notice whetherwe strapour own kids into car seats, and then, whetherwe buckleup ourselves. When we cycle through tovn, it is noticedifour chfldren (and we) are wearing helmets. Physicians

The Academy unveils a new public service adver-tisement (PSA) this month aimed at encouraging kidsto exercise, eat right and have regular check-ups withtheir pediatrician.Over the headline 'No remote. No mouse. No

controller.' the color ad -part oftheAcademy's obesity-prevention emphasis -shows a group ofchildren play-ing soccer in a park. "Get the ball rolling now, because a

healthy future starts today," says the ad, which also urgesparents to visit the AAPWeb site to find a FAAP.The ad debuts in a 24-page children's health guide in

the May issue of Parents magazine(circulation 2.1 million), which goes Eon sale later this month.Academyyspokespersons are quoted exten- isively on a broad range of topics_such as breastfeeding,SIDS, obesity,,sports, mental health, and the treat-ment of insect bites, bee stings andburns. Also covered are healthy-liv-ing habits like car and bike safety,_and protecting kids from the envi-ronmental hazards oftobacco, leadand mercury.

ASpanish language version ofthe ladw i appear in thze June/JUly issueofthe Hispanic family magazine Ser j -Padres (circulation 500,000), a sis-ter publication ofParents magazine."The Academy is breaking new

ground with this ad," says JohnMitchell, M.D., FAAP, chair of theAAP Committee on Membership,which developed the ad jointlywiththe Committee on PublicEducation, the Task Force on

Obesity, and Communications andMembership staff. "The ad in thepediatric guide means many of ourpediatric messages will reach mil-lions ofEnglish and Spanish-speak-ing Americans."Developing the PSA fulfills an

important need within the mem-bership to promote pediatrics to thepublic. It was a fascinating process

that took into account the views of our rank-and-filemembers, committees and staff.We wanted the ad to beissue-driven with a gentle plug that the FAAP designationis the gold standard when looking for the right children'sdoctor," Dr. Mitchell added.TheAcademy is exploringways to enable pediatricians

to adapt the PSA for use in their own communities.Reprints of the AAP/Parents magazine guide,

courtesy of Johnson & Johnson which also providedadvertising support for the guide, will be included in theMayAAP News.

AAP SE PUNAER:

Carden Johnstn, M.D., FAAP

Joe M. Sanders0Jr.;, M.D., FAAPAssocia:teExective DirectorRoger F. Suchyt, tM.D., FAAP

DeDartmnet ofF&cafin Director

No remote. No mouse. No controller.No pmWobm. Children who are active and enjoy good eatinghabits have a better chance of staying fit as adults. And thatmeans lose chance of a weight-related health problembecause adult diseases start in childhoocl.

So, help put your child in the game early on by eoriouragingdaily execi ad healthy eeting. Ren-br to x*"hed regularcheckc-ups with a pediatrician - the only doctors exclusiveytrained in the ongoing health and cam of children. Got the bellrolling now, because a healthy future starts today.

For more information on keeping your children fit, or to finda pediatrician who is a Fellow of the American Academy ofPdiatrics IFAAP). visit www.asp.org

1190 AAP News www.aapnews.org April 2004

We should be role models in campaign against obesit

APad campaign encourages healh liestye

American Academy of PediatiricsDEDICATED TO THEo HEALTH OF ALL1 CHILDREN'