With childhood obesity rates on the rise – approximately 30 percent of children and adolescents are overweight and 15 percent weigh in as obese, according to the American Obesity Association – the American Heart Association recently named BU professor Paula Quatromoni as the Childhood Obesity Initiative spokeswoman to try to raise awareness and lower these rates.
In addition to her new post, Quatromoni will keep her assistant professorship at Boston University’s Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.
Quatromoni says she is used to dealing with the media and looks forward to playing a larger role as spokeswoman for the AHA. She said she was not previously affiliated with the organization.
“I enjoy the media interactions because it is so important to translate the research and the science for public consumption,” she said. “[It’s] always a challenge, and I want to get it right so that people end up with accurate, evidence-based information with recommendations for action that are personally relevant, easy to incorporate, and sustainable.”
Sargent Dean Gloria Waters said she thought the appointment of Quatromoni reflects positively upon the university’s growing nutrition program.
“The choice of Professor Quatromoni as the spokesperson for the American Heart Association Childhood Obesity Initiative is a reflection of the importance of the work she is carrying out in this area, as well as the respect that she has obtained by those in her field,” she said.
Quatromoni has served as co-investigator for the Framingham Heart Study and also founded a program called KidSTEPS, which studies eating and physical activity patterns of children in hopes of finding a way to decrease the rate of weight gain in middle-school age children.
AHA Metro Boston Communications Director Tom Keppeler said the AHA approached Quatromoni about becoming their spokesperson because of her dedication to the field.
“Dr. Quatromoni is an incredibly knowledgeable nutritionist with top-notch credentials,” he said. “[She] lends a clinical and scientific expertise to the movement.
“While those of us on staff at the Heart Association work through many different avenues to change systems and ensure a healthier community, we often rely on volunteers such as her to convey the science behind what we do,” he continued.
As spokeswoman, Quatromoni will work to promote the newly formed Alliance for a Healthier Generation between the AHA, the Clinton Foundation and the children’s television network Nickelodeon.
Nickelodeon recently aired a special on health, called “Let’s Just Play,” that was hosted by former President Bill Clinton and journalist Linda Ellerbee.
College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Dinah Thibeault said the anti-obesity cause is a good one, citing increasing cases of diabetes as a reason action needs to be taken.
“I think that America has a real problem with over-indulgence,” she said. “If you look at other countries they may have really rich diets but they know how to balance them out by staying active. I think it’s important to do something about it because if children don’t learn healthy eating habits now, then they never will.”