Pamela Rhea Davis - Comment

As a 19-year long resident of Tennessee and a certified bariatric nurse, I have seen firsthand the ravages that obesity has on the body. Via the hands of a skilled surgeon, a multi-disciplinary bariatric program and a supportive family, I have been able to achieve and maintain a 160 pound weight loss that resolved my high blood pressure and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and reduced the effects of several other conditions caused by morbid obesity. What troubles me most though is how the ravages of obesity are now impacting our children. Childhood obesity affects more than 30 percent of children, making it the most common chronic disease of childhood. This number has more than tripled since 1980, and it is not a cosmetic problem. Today, more and more children are diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension and other co-morbid conditions associated with obesity. We must reverse this trend! By requiring menu labeling and vending machine labeling of caloric content, we encourage the first step toward improved awareness of our food choices and enable consumers to make better decisions. I am fully supportive of this act and encourage you to fully support this and additional efforts regarding the prevention and treatment of adult and childhood obesity. Thank you, Pam Davis, RN, CBN Bariatric Program Director Centennial Center for the Treatment of Obesity Nashville, TN.