As the obesity problem grows, kids' chairs are feeling the burden

2/21/2012

On-site clinics are staffed with healthcare workers who can educate employees on ways that they can make themselves healthier. This can include smoking cessation tips and information on how to lose weight. With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimating that one-third of U.S. residents are obese, services like these are more important than ever.

Recently, CNN reported that children in America are becoming so large, that many are having difficulty fitting into their seats at school. In fact, manufacturers of desks and chairs for schools are now making larger seats to accommodate obese children.

The news source spoke to Phil Wu, a pediatrician who leads Kaiser Permanente's pediatric obesity prevention and treatment effort, about how being forced to sit in a larger chair that's different from their peer's seats may impact kids.

"At all ages, kids don't want to feel different," said Wu, quoted by CNN. "They get ostracized by the peers in subtle and not-so-subtle ways."
    

Wu added that sitting in a different chair further sets obese children apart others. These kids already feel self-conscious because of their size, and this action may make them feel worse.

On-site clinics can give workers the information they need to make healthy meals at home, which may lead their children and spouses to eating better as well. 

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