CIOF Advises Caution Regarding CDC Obesity Study

/24-7PressRelease/ - Douglas Castle, Senior Advisor to The Board of Trustees of CIOF stated in an interview this morning that, "Those of us affiliated with the Children's International Obesity Foundation are inclined to advise the general public to take this seemingly "good" news with more than a modicum of caution, and to view the results with some healthy skepticism.

"The cited CDC study is quite preliminary and general in its nature, and may be subject to a variety of statistical flaws and external influences which may render the study less than indicative of reality. At CIOF, we believe that more studies must be conducted over a far greater period of time, and with tight scientific controls before any credible claim of a 'leveling off' can be made.

"But even more importantly, if the best hope that this study can offer us is that childhood obesity has leveled off to a mere one in three children, this result is wholly unacceptable.

"Education and programs must continue, as must aggressive causal and treatment research, if we love our children enough that losing one out of every three of them to complications resulting from the obesity epidemic is still a totally unacceptable reality.

"The war against overweight and obesity in children and teens must continue to be fought in all quarters, including homes, schools and our social institutions.

"Perhaps our greatest enemy is the deadly complacency that typically overcomes and dulls the populace every time any news of "stability" or "stabilizing" of any negative factor in our lives makes its way to the headlines. We foolishly drop our guard and cease our efforts prematurely out of a sense of false relief.

"At CIOF, we remain on high alert. Our work is only beginning. We do not want a mere 'leveling off' - we won't be satisfied until we have eliminated the problem."