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En español: Niños
con exceso de peso, una epidemia |
This article originally appeared in the July-August 2003 issue of the Children's Advocate, published by Action Alliance for Children. An epidemic: Kids out of shapeBy Leslie AlbrechtWhy are some children overweight? Traditionally, people blamed parents and kids themselves. But with the current skyrocketing rate of childhood obesity, it's become clear that differences in parenting are not the only reason kids put on extra pounds. "More people have realized that environment is a factor," says Leslie Mikkelsen of the Prevention Institute, part of a statewide coalition called the Strategic Alliance for Healthy Food and Activity Environments. The amount of junk food easily available to children, along with the fact that "we have basically engineered physical activity out of our lives," says Mikkelsen, makes it difficult for kids to stay healthy. Nationally, the number of overweight children ages six to 11 has almost tripled over the past 30 years. In California, nearly a third of fifth, seventh, and ninth graders are overweight, and almost half can't pass a minimum physical fitness test. Apart from the emotional pain of being overweight, these children face serious health problems. "We're sitting on a time bomb," says Dr. Harold Goldstein of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy. "Overweight kids are at risk for cancer, heart disease, stroke, asthma, and what used to be called 'adult onset' diabetes." The Strategic Alliance sees childhood obesity as a preventable public health crisis like cigarette smoking-a crisis that can be stopped only by changing children's food and activity options. Why kids are overweightAdvocates like Mikkelson and Goldstein point to many "environmental" reasons why more children are overweight:
Positive steps
Next targetsThe Strategic Alliance is advocating for a comprehensive list of changes (see Children's Advocates Roundtable). One immediate goal, says Dr. Goldstein, is enforcement of Califor-nia's existing physical education re-quirement. PE often gets neglected in favor of academics, but a recent Depart-ment of Education study showed a connection between higher levels of physical fitness and improved academic performance. Dr. Goldstein comments, "We put the priority on academics because we want our children to grow up to be productive citizens, but what is the value of a good education if our children are going to be dying of heart disease when they're 30 and 40 years old?" The Strategic Alliance is also working to create more public discussion about how junk food is marketed to children. "It's time to begin to look at what kind of marketing is being done and to understand it from a public health perspective," says Dr. Goldstein. "Right now, it's completely unregulated, and they can market to toddlers. Our kids are swimming upstream against a tide of advertising that is trying to seduce them."
At school: Learning about fruits and vegetablesBy Marissa BrownellIn Los Angeles last February, 250,000 children tasted tangerines, thanks to the L.A. Nutrition Network's Harvest of the Month program. Each month, along with a produce sample, teachers receive a newsletter that includes tasty recipes and curriculum ideas using that month's fruit or vegetable, says Nonnie Korten, Nutrition Network director. The Nutrition Network, sponsored by the Los Angeles Unified School District, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the California Depart-ment of Health Services, also added fruit and salad bars to cafeterias. At Eagle Rock Elementary, in the network's Second Chance Breakfast Program, students who miss the 8 a.m. breakfast can get a good breakfast at recess. The network also sends chefs into classrooms to prepare healthy dishes with the students. At Dominguez Elementary, children plant vegetables and fruit in the school garden, then choose a plant for a research project-combining geography, language, and literature with healthy eating habits, says fourth-grade teacher Joan Oshiro. Dominguez Ele-mentary also holds a Reading-Is-Nutritious Read-A-Thon where community volunteers read a book and the class fixes a snack related to the book. Started in 2000 by a group of teachers, cafeteria staff, and administrators, the Nutrition Network is now planning to add physical activities, such as non-competitive sports and yoga, to its programs. Meanwhile, some teachers at Nutrition Network schools are finding their own ways to encourage movement. Lorainne Quan at Mayall Ele-mentary has her first graders dance to a musical movement CD every morning. At Dominguez Elementary School, children participate in JumpRope For Heart, sponsored by the American Heart Association.
At home: Healthy eating and exerciseBy Marissa BrownellWhen Karen Mathison brought Adam (10) and Kendra (14) to the Burbank Shapedown Program, both children were overweight. When the Mathisons' finished the program 10 weeks later, Adam and Kendra had lost weight, and the family had learned healthy habits that would continue well past the program's end. Shapedown, started by the Univer-sity of California at San Francisco, is offered at 100 locations in California, 1,000 nationally. The program involves the whole family to help children who are overweight. Like all Shapedown families, the Mathisons began with a private counseling session where they set individual and family goals and discussed issues that might be involved in obesity, such as family stresses, problems scheduling meals together, or low self-esteem. The Mathisons also attended a two-and-a-half-hour group meeting each week, where they learned about healthy foods, healthy amounts to eat, and the benefits of exercise. Shapedown encouraged the Mathisons to set and meet specific goals. "No single thing is hard to do," says Karen. "What my kids learned in 10 weeks should be taught in schools." Kendra began walking home from school, 1.5 miles, every day and says Shapedown taught her "to use moderation" in eating. Adam, who plays tennis and enjoys hiking with his family, says, "Shapedown taught me a healthy lifestyle instead of a diet." Kendra is now 16 and Adam 12-the weight has stayed off. To participate in Shapedown, a family must be referred by a doctor. The average cost is $375 per family, but if the child has a medical condition, such as asthma or diabetes, related to overweight, private insurance or Medi-Cal may pay for the program.
Extra pounds-another burden for the poorBy Jean TeppermanLow-income families have "the same stresses as other families but multiplied by 10-long commute times, low pay, holding down two jobs, paying the rent. When you're stressed out you sit in front of the tube eating. I do the same thing," says Laurie True, executive director of the California WIC Associa-tion, the federal Women, Infants, and Children nutrition program. "Food is entertainment," she adds. "You don't have the money to go to the movies, to go to the gym, to take a vacation. McDonald's is the only clean, cheerful place where you can bring your kids and feel like a regular person." More low-income women are overweight, and several recent studies found that poverty and overweight go together for children too. Why? Unhealthy foods are cheaper, so when people don't have much money, they fill up on food with too much white flour, sugar, and fat. Healthy food may be harder to find. A new report by the California Food Policy Advocates documents the closing of supermarkets in poor neighborhoods and the shortage of healthy food in the corner stores that remain. "Food insecurity" may contribute to obesity. UC Davis researcher Marilyn Townsend found that women who worry about having enough food are more likely to be overweight. When people worry about running out of food, she suggests, "there may be binge eating when food is plentiful." Poverty limits chances to exercise. Parents may not want children to walk to school or play outdoors in dangerous neighborhoods, which also may lack outdoor play areas. Low-income parents can't pay for after-school activities and sports teams. Poor education leads to poor choices. "Through WIC, we can see how much participants value getting the right information," says True, "but there's not much nutrition education around." Federal policies may contribute to the problem. Critics point to high-fat, starchy school lunches and the high-calorie, high-cholesterol foods provided for WIC participants. True says, "the package reflects the lobbies-the dairy, cereal, and juice companies, which have been taken over by soda companies." California WIC, she adds, has proposed cutting the juice and adding fresh fruits and vegetables.
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Extra resources from the Children’s Advocate bulletin (updated 12-06)
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| An epidemic: Kids out of shape | ||
| At school: Learning about fruits and vegetables |
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| At home: Healthy eating and exercise |
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| Extra pounds-another burden for the poor |
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| What YOU can do | ||
| Resources for healthy food and activity |
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| Extra resources from the Children’s Advocate bulletin (updated 12-06) |
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