Battle Of The Bulge Two experts rally to fight the pandemic of childhood obesity. Judith Doner Berne Special to the Jewish News "I see so much diabetes, it's really scary," according family practitioner Dr. Paul Ehrmann who says even n( parents should he aware of the dangers of childhood obesity. T wo athletic 50-somethings are teaming up to tackle childhood obesity. Health psychologist Dr. Keith Levick, Ph.D., and family practitioner Dr. Paul Ehrmann, D.O., recently pooled their experience and programs to launch the Family Health Institute in Farmington Hills. "This is a partnership;' Levick says. "The two programs have come together!" Besides being aware of each other's work, "We played ball together and our kids played ball together;' says Ehrmann, 56, a West Bloomfield resi- dent. "I grew up as a big kid. I struggled. I know the battle says Levick, 58. Other children nicknamed him "floss" after the bulky floss Cartwright in the long-running Bonanza TV series. Later, he became simply "Horse "Fortunately, I was an athlete and could hide behind it," says Levick, who played football for Southfield High School and later for Bowling Green State University in Ohio. So his interest in overweight kids is highly personal. A Winding Road Levick got his doctorate in counseling at Wayne State University in Detroit, writing his dissertation on obesity. He founded the Center for Childhood Weight Management (CCWM) for obese children in 1986. At that time, he worked individually and through com- munity education, sports clubs and doc- tors offices on weight management. "I was blazing the trails;' Levick says, although his career path then veered to business management training and coaching. Now he's resurrecting his pro- gram, he says, as "childhood obesity has become a pandemic." Ehrmann, a family care physician in Royal Oak who is on staff at Beaumont and St. John's Hospital Systems, played baseball and basketball at Oak Park High. "I was fortunate enough to burn off what I ate he says. A graduate of Michigan State University's College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ehrmann's advocacy for pre- ventive medicine took a more specific direction when he became aware of the children's obesity problem. Dr. Richard Carmona, M.D., U.S. surgeon general in the Bush admin- istration, testified to a congressional committee in 2003 about the need for increased physical activity, healthier eating habits and improved health lit- eracy among children. Ehrmann gave local legs to Carmona's words by setting up the Children's Health Initiative Program (CHIP), an elementary-school-based, grassroots healthy living program geared toward families. It won a Michigan Steps Up Recognition Award. "TVs are getting thinner and were getting wider," says health psychologist Dr. Keith Levick, who was ahead of the game in the battle against childhood obesity. Outreach Begins Just as they urge kids to get off their couches and out from behind their computers, Levick and Ehrmann are heading out to local communities to run eight-week programs for children of all ages and their families and to work with school districts that commit to improv- ing student health. Starting this month, they will be in community centers in Troy, Novi and Romulus running classes for children of all ages and sizes along with their parents. The sessions focus on learn- ing to become smart eaters, making Numbers That Tell The Story • One out of four American children and one of three in Michigan is obese. • Children today expend half as many calories compared to children 40 years ago. • Thirty-six percent of children have high cholesterol levels. • Twenty percent of 4-year-olds are obese. • By the age of 3, American children have fatty deposits in their aorta. By adolescence, deposits are found in their coronary arteries. • An overweight preschooler has a 25 percent chance of becoming an overweight adult. An overweight adolescent has an 80 percent chance of becoming an overweight adult. • Twenty-five percent of 6-12-year- old boys can't do a pull up nor can 55 percent of girls. • The average American child spends 48 hours per week watching, reading, listening to and playing with various forms of media. • Less than 12 percent of either par- ent spends an hour a week engaged in some form of recreational activity with their child. • A non-obese 7-year-old has only an 11 percent chance of becoming an obese adult whereas an obese 7- year-old has a 41 percent chance. • An obese adolescent has an 80 percent chance of becoming an obese adult. — Compiled by Family Health Institute, Farmington Hills Battle Of The Bulge on page 44 February 4 2010 43