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DAYTON — At 165 pounds, William Howard was heavy for a 4-foot-11 seventh-grader, due in large part to the steroids he took to fight asthma. His eating habits didn't help either.

But a funny thing happened after William began treatment at the Lipid Clinic at Children's Medical Center of Dayton, where a team of doctors, nurses and dietitians set him on a healthy track.

His family shaped up, too.

"When he started, I started," said William's mother, Lara Thomas of Dayton. "I'm checking how I eat, I read labels. I have more energy. My blood pressure's under control, my cholesterol's down."

A healthy lifestyle can be contagious, and that's what public health officials are hoping for as they roll out the "Healthy Lifestyle Campaign" the board of health for Public Health — Dayton & Montgomery County approved this month.

A major part of the campaign, expected to start this summer or early fall, will target childhood obesity, a growing national epidemic. Though still in the planning stages, officials hope to blanket schools, child care centers and other community organizations with information.

"Not only do the parents have to get involved, but the entire family, the social networks of the children, schools and indeed the entire community because the kids will have a greater likelihood of success if they're influenced by all the people they come in contact with during the day," said Montgomery County Health Commissioner Jim Gross.

Statistics vary depending on the age group, but up to one in three children in the Dayton area is overweight or obese, said Dr. James Ebert, the lead physician for Children's Lipid Clinic.

"All of the health problems that we used to think of as adult problems, such as high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and triglycerides and progression to Type 2 diabetes, we're seeing them, unfortunately, with increasing frequency in children and teenagers," he said.

Those ailments take a toll on one's health and the health care system overall. For those without health insurance, the bill gets passed along to everyone, driving up health care costs and insurance premiums.

Public Health and the county Family and Children First Council will team with Denver-based consultant Worldways Social Marketing, as well as other county, health, hospital and university officials, to devise campaign and intervention strategies.

Public Health has a plan for adults, too, though children can participate as well.

The Healthy Lifestyle Center at the former Wellness Connection at 1 Elizabeth Place will serve as a "magnet for health information," providing a fitness center, health screenings and educational programs, Gross said.

Gross said Public Health will fund the $165,000-a-year operation through an anticipated $30,000 in membership fees and the rest from recent savings generated from a staff realignment and reduction.