Field Poll: Eating Habits, Inactivity Cited as Top Children's Health Risks

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Wednesday, April 04, 2012

Field Poll: Eating Habits, Inactivity Cited as Top Children's Health Risks

Forty-eight percent of likely California voters said unhealthy eating habits and a lack of exercise are the biggest threats to children's health, according to a new Field Poll, the Sacramento Bee reports.

Meanwhile, 22% of respondents said illegal drug use is the biggest threat to children's health (Garza, Sacramento Bee, 4/4).

The annual poll -- sponsored by the California Endowment -- surveyed 1,000 likely California voters in November 2011 (Tucker, San Francisco Chronicle, 4/4).

Additional Findings

According to the poll:

73% of respondents said they believe it is a community's responsibility to address childhood obesity (Sacramento Bee, 4/4); and
22% of respondents said reducing childhood obesity should be the responsibility of families.

Meanwhile, the Field Poll found that 57% of respondents said local governments should be able to tax sales of alcohol, cigarettes, junk food or sweetened beverages to pay for anti-obesity programs, if the proposals were approved by a majority of voters (San Francisco Chronicle, 4/4).

3
04/04/2012
Clark Norwood

Scott, you are the man! Exactly, replace healthcare with almost any current issue and the solution is the same. Thanks

2
04/04/2012
Scott Zettlemoyer

My mantra for the year:
We do not have a healthcare crisis we have a personal responsibility crisis in this country.

1
04/04/2012
Clark Norwood

I looked at the Poll link but did not see the break down of party affiliation. When 73% feel that it is a communities responsibility to be involved in the personal health issues of individuals I am looking to see the percent of Democrat-big government-control the citizens lives participants. If parents would refrain from buying all of the electronic distraction devices, stop buying the crap food they feed their kids because it's easy and fast. Buy your kid a bicycle and have them ride it, play outside with other kids like older generations did. Encourage their school board to change the physical education policy to require daily P.E. from K-12. If needed start at the early grades and continue each year up the grades until all grades are back on board. This would allow for a gradual reintroduction of the culture of exercise into the school systems as well as a gradual introduction of the fiscal resources needed to do it.