Yes, it can.
While many agreed that childhood obesity has become a national problem, these parents were surprised to know that childhood obesity has actually tripled in the past 30 years.
And when I gave statistics about Philadelphia, parents were even more shocked. Overall childhood obesity is about 55 percent in our city, with North Philadelphia children being the most overweight - 70 percent of them are too heavy, according to Dr. Donald Schwarz, the pediatrician who serves as both the city's deputy mayor for health and health commissioner.
Despite these bleak statistics, with deliberate effort we can meet first lady Michelle Obama's goal of stamping out childhood obesity in a generation.
It's tough being a parent, but for the sake of our children and their health, we must take a revolutionary stand about our eating and exercise habits. If we are going to lick this obesity epidemic, parents cannot remain passive and must make some serious changes in their family's nutrition.
Stop thinking a little baby fat is cute. When children eat and drink more than their bodies need, they gain excess weight. Left unchecked, this excess weight could spell big health problems down the line like diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol.
Sorry, mom, but a hot sausage sandwich is not the breakfast of champions. A bowl of whole grains or a whole-grain English muffin with a tablespoon of nut butter is far more nutritious, quicker and less expensive, too.
Furthermore, according to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University, overweight children are at a greater risk of being absent from school than their normal-weight peers.
Sure, getting kids to eat healthy can be challenging, especially when they see us with crowd-pleasing chips, hot wings, pizza and a supersized soft drink.
