SHELBYVILLE, Indiana – A national epidemic of obesity presently costs Americans more than $147 billion annually in related healthcare expenses. In Indiana, Major Pediatrics and Major Health Partners plan to help reverse this dangerous and costly epidemic through a new physicians and caregivers program titled “Major Easy 3,” according to Jack Horner, president and CEO of Major Health Partners.

“Dr. Paula Gustafson and her colleagues at Major Pediatrics are working with their infant patients and parents to help reverse what has become a raging multi-billion-dollar epidemic of obesity in this country,” said Horner. “MHP is supporting an expansion of this program, now called ‘Major Easy 3,’ to help parents and educators in the region stem the rising trend of dangerous obesity.”

Dr. Gustafson is scheduled to speak on the topic at the upcoming meetings of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in late July.

The Major Easy 3 program specifically targets toddlers and children under age five, although the program can be used by virtually any age group.

Horner noted that Major Easy 3 and Dr. Gustafson's presentations on combating childhood obesity have already received support and encouragement from other area healthcare networks, hospitals and government agencies. “These principles can be freely and easily adopted for use by basically anyone,” he said.

MHP funded the development of an all-new informational Web site at www.majoreasy3.org, which includes downloadable posters, white papers and other information about how to combat childhood obesity. Updates are made regularly through Major Easy 3 social media outlets on Twitter (www.twitter.com/majoreasy3) and Facebook.  

According to the national Center for Disease Control  (CDC), obesity levels in the United States have escalated dramatically over the past two decades, with nearly 30% of all Americans now considered obese. Indiana has unfortunately been one of the documented “leaders” in this epidemic.

“A state of obesity brings with it a whole host of healthcare concerns and dangers to well-being,” explained Dr. Gustafson. “Obesity represents a heightened risk of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, orthopedic problems, cancer and other health issues.”

The current obesity epidemic in the United States has been largely brought about by changes in lifestyles and eating habits, according to Dr. Gustafson. “What's even more troublesome is the fact that many people are drinking too many calories with sweetened juices and other drinks that may initially appear as healthy,” she said.

Major Health Partners has created the “Major Easy 3” program to help parents prevent childhood obesity and overweight conditions, which can prevent later health problems as a child becomes a teenager and then an adult.

“The Easy 3 program is simple and any one can do it,” explained Dr. Gustafson. “First, drink milk with meals; second, drink only water—avoid sweetened beverages between meals; and third, eat all meals and snacks at the table, avoiding eating in front of the television or computer.”

Since children drinking calories from juices in sippy cups can add more than 300 calories a day to their diets, simply drinking fresh water instead cuts out many unnecessary and fattening calories, she said.

The Major Easy 3 program has guidelines to help pediatricians provide critical information to parents and young children, including a downloadable white paper for physicians available at www.majoreasy3.org.

“Dr. Gustafson has been reaching out to other physicians and hospitals throughout the region and has been receiving enthusiastic support,” said Horner. “As we expand our initial Web site for the Major Easy 3 program and add more materials, we expect that the positive impact of this program will grow rapidly.”

MHP has also developed means for hospitals and doctors to use their Electronic Health Records (EHR) programs to track patient history and data, thus providing both a benchmark to measure effectiveness and to fulfill the “meaningful use” federal application requirement for physicians and health networks.

“Our program suggests that people ‘start small, but win big,’ and people can achieve this simply by deploying the three easy steps,“ Dr. Gustafson said. “A lot of attention is being rightly paid to childhood obesity at the moment for very good reasons, and we look forward to helping reverse this epidemic through the frontline involvement of physicians and medical professionals.”

About Major Hospital and Major Health Partners Major Hospital is the primary healthcare provider for Shelby County (Indiana) and serves patients and families throughout southeast Indiana through the hospital and its vertical practice groups in Major Health Partners. Founded in 1924, Major Hospital has served as regional leader in successfully delivering a wide spectrum of healthcare services, including oncology (www.benesseoncology.com) and orthopedics (www.ortho-renovo.org).  Ranked two years in a row as one of America's Top 100 Hospitals, and as documented by the national independent Press Ganey ranking service, Major Hospital enjoys a top ranking for inpatient satisfaction in central Indiana. It has also secured a national reputation as one the nation's leading hospitals in health informatics. For more information, please visit www.majorhospital.org.