PEDIATRIC HEALTH FORUMSHave you struggled to find medical services for your child? Do you have ideas about how to make pediatric care better?The Pediatric Healthcare Coalition for the Tennessee Valley is sponsoring meetings this week at the following locations for families and communities to share their stories.Bethlehem Center7 p.m. Monday200 W. 38th St., ChattanoogaGaston Community Center7 p.m. Tuesday218 N. Frederick St., Dalton, Ga.East Side Elementary School4 p.m. Thursday1603 S. Lyerly St., ChattanoogaDuPont Elementary School7 p.m. Thursday4134 Hixson Pike, HixsonSource: The Pediatric Healthcare Coalition for the Tennessee Valley
The state of children’s health in the tri-state region can usually be found at the bottom of national health rankings lists.
While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week heralded a nationwide drop in preschool-age obesity rates, Tennessee is one of three states where the problem actually has worsened in the last several years.
One in three children in Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama is overweight. And data collected on low-income children ages 2 to 5 in Hamilton County found that that more than 35 percent are at risk for becoming overweight.
Among children with asthma, Alabama and Tennessee are tied for worst in the country, with one in eight children afflicted. The two states also are among the 10 worst for low-birth-weight infants.