LA’s Water Campaign Aims to Help Prevent High Rates of Childhood Obesity

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Sugary drinks, which can represent up to 40% of a child’s total caloric intake, are a leading cause of obesity among children, reported an article from Los Angeles, where new water campaigns are popping up throughout the city.

Leading the country with the highest obesity rate for children between the ages two and four, California (38.6% Latino) is trying to help parents and kids put the sugary drinks and sodas down the drain with their new water campaign. The campaign, “Water: The Healthiest Choice”, is geared at helping bring information to parents, caregivers, and kids to choose water over sugary drinks.

Dr. Simon, the director of Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health advises parents in a recent article,

“We want to encourage parents to choose the sugar-free, calorie free, and obesity free drink for their children – water,” said Dr. Simon. “There are easy, simple ways to make water more appealing to kids. Parents can go to ChooseHealthLA.com for tips and easy recipes.”

The campaign is part of Choose Health LA, an Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Initiative of the Los Angeles County Department of Public health to help prevent chronic disease in the county. Funding for the campaign came from a grant from the First 5LA.

The multilingual campaign will be put on billboards, bus shelters, as well as broadcasted on local news and local radio stations. Free reusable water bottles were given away to kids at the kick-off of the campaign with the branding on the bottles for kids to “Choose Water”.

Starting Latinos kids off with choosing water instead of sugary drinks may help prevent the high risk of diabetes and other chronic diseases that Latinos already face.

Television Advertising usually plays a part to ensure Latinos drink and eat sugary beverages and unhealthy foods, studies show. Continuing campaigns that combat that advertising by promoting a culture of health aimed toward Latino families may help ensure less risk of chronic diseases and healthier futures for Latino families in the minority-majority state of California.

By The Numbers By The Numbers

1

Supermarket

for every Latino neighborhood, compared to 3 for every non-Latino neighborhood

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