When asked about national concerns, adults put school violence and gun-related injuries in the top 10, according to a University of Michigan research study released last month. Although childhood obesity remained a the top health concern for children in 2014, a nationwide sample of adults were asked to identify the biggest health concerns for kids in their communities, as well as kids nationwide.
Overall, childhood obesity ranked at the top of both lists: 29% of adults rated childhood obesity is “big problem” for children in their local communities and 55% think it is “big problem” nationwide.
“Obesity remains a top child health problem overall, which has been a persistent concern in our annual top 10 polls along with others like bullying, smoking and drug abuse,” said Matthew M. Davis, M.D., M.A.P.P., director of the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health.
“But this year’s top 10 lists differ in key ways. School violence and gun-related injuries are on the list of big child health problems from a national perspective, but not a local community perspective.”
Recent shootings and other instances of violence in schools may have prompted concern among adults from a national perspective, said Davis, who also is professor of pediatrics, internal medicine, public policy and health management and policy at the U-M Medical School, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and School of Public Health.
The school shooting is a big issue, in our area all schools now have off-duty officers who will spend their few days of the week off protecting our schools. The cops here do not get paid much either so for them to do this on their day off (when most of us don’t even want to go mow the lawn) is very heart-warning. It won’t solve the issue though.