Childhood obesity is a complex problem crying out for innovative solutions. Obesity is particularly problematic in Northeast Ohio where approximately 40 % of Cleveland school-age children are overweight or obese. “Be Well: Young & Obese” is a one-hour documentary that explores obesity through the eyes of four local children and their families struggling to fight fat. Within these personal stories, the show highlights various interventions to encourage children to adopt healthier habits in their homes, in their schools, and in their neighborhoods. Physicians and public health experts offer additional insight and recommendations in a series of on-set interviews. The program explores groundbreaking research and public policy changes poised to attack the insidious nature of childhood obesity by taking viewers on in a journey that stretches from inside a pregnant woman’s womb to the farm and the school cafeteria. The show reveals several new findings in the medical and academic world regarding the consequences of childhood obesity, as well as strategies to attack the problem. These include the realization that some obese children are already losing organ function as illustrated by the case of the 12-year old girl whose liver is failing due to fatty liver disease. Another significant issue centers on the emerging clinical emphasis to help obese pregnant women who want to have children lose weight before they get pregnant. This stems from the burgeoning field of “cellular programming.” The show highlights local cutting edge research in which scientists are piecing together the molecular pathways by which obese pregnant mothers can unknowingly program their fetuses to become obese children.
