6 u A b C o m P r e H e N S I V e C A N C e r C e N T e r

WHILE THE NUMBER of obese adults has grown, so too has

the number of obese children. Fifteen percent of children and

teens ages six to 19—almost 9 million kids—are overweight,

according to data from the National Health and Nutrition

examination Survey. That number has tripled since 1980.

Survivors of childhood cancers also are at a particularly

increased risk of obesity, says Kimberly Whelan, m.D.,

m.S.P.H., associate professor of pediatric hematology-

oncology and uAb Comprehensive Cancer Center associate

scientist. “We have found that, compared to their siblings,

survivors are likely to be less active,” she says. “There are several factors that contribute to

obesity in survivors: if they received cranial radiation, which impacts the pituitary gland;

radiation to the neck, which can lead to thyroid issues; or some treatment modalities such as

amputation or high doses of radiation, which can lead to physical inactivity, a main cause of

obesity.”

Females who were treated before age four are more vulnerable to obesity compared to

older patients or male survivors, Dr. Whelan says.

Dr. Whelan directs the Taking on life after Cancer (TlC) Clinic at Children’s Hospital of

Alabama, which follows childhood cancer survivors for years after their treatments to track the

long-term effects of those treatments. obesity is one late effect the clinic frequently sees, but

while obesity plays a role in adult cancers, its role in childhood cancers is less certain.

“None of the studies have shown that four-year-old who is obese is at an increased risk

of developing cancer,” Dr. Whelan says. “but we know obesity can impact other risks, and

that our survivors are at an increased risk of adult-type cancers. With the increasing rates of

obesity in children, does that increase survivors’ risk of second cancers? We don’t have the

answer to that right now, but it’s an important question to address.”

Growing Up? Obesity in Children

adults who earn less than $15,000 a year are

obese, compared to 24.6 percent of those

earning $50,000 or more. About 33 percent

of those who did not graduate high school are

obese compared to 21.5 percent who gradu-

ated from college or technical school.

One way the Cancer Center is address-

ing this disparity is through its Deep South

Network for Cancer Control (DSN), which

works throughout Alabama and Mississippi

to raise awareness of (and to try to eliminate)

cancer health disparities and develop many

ways to combat them.

Among its efforts is the Body & Soul

initiative, developed for African-American

churches, which encourages parishioners to

eat a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables.

Since its implementation, 50 percent of con-

gregation members are eating at least four

to five servings per day. Likewise, DSN’s

WALK campaign has generated a significant

response by encouraging residents to increase

their physical activity by joining neighbor-

hood walking teams. So far, more than 1,800

people have enrolled in the campaign.

“Our communities are really interested

in obesity and nutrition right now, and we’re

hoping to capitalize on that as much as pos-

sible in our outreach efforts,” says Claudia

Hardy, M.P.A., DSN program director. “This

is a priority area for the DSN going forward

because obesity is a major problem in our tar-

geted areas.”

According to Dr. Demark-Wahnefried,

better nutrition is more likely to improve

Kimberly Whelan, M.D.