SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — University of Utah officials are hoping to prevent childhood obesity by targeting teen mothers during pregnancy.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/qUzzfa ) 54 percent of the 400 teen moms and 28 percent of the 800 children at the Teen Mother & Child Program in Salt Lake City are overweight or obese.
Joni Hemond, the clinic's pediatric medical director, says the program is aimed at educating teen moms about obesity while their children are still in the womb.
The clinic is providing teen mothers tips for healthy lifestyles that officials hope will translate to their kids.
Hemond says once a child is obese, they'll likely remain obese. So the best chance to avoid it, she says, is to keep children from becoming overweight in the first place.
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com
