Let’s Start with Schools
Combating the overweight and obesity epidemic in this country has been an uphill battle, to say the least. It’s naive — even irrational, to believe that we could fight to change all of this over night. This will be a process. And make no mistake: we will have to fight to regain control of our health. Sometimes it seems like the problem is so overwhelming at this point, it’s tough to know where to start…
One of the other questions we need to ask ourselves, when sorting through the whirlwind of issues plauging our health today is — where, and with whom can we have the biggest, lasting, most meaningful impact?
The answer: our kids.
Obesity rates have more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years (2). “Obesity is such that this generation of children could be the first basically in the history of the United States to live less healthful and shorter lives than their parents,” said Dr. David S. Ludwig, director of the obesity program at Children’s Hospital Boston. Our kids are headed for trouble, and that’s an understatement.
In order to make a meaningful difference in the lives of our kids, we first need a clear picture to see what we’re up against.
Right now, the food industry is spending nearly $2 billion dollars targeting the attitudes and preferences of our kids’ food choices (1). This tactic often works to undermine parent’s positive efforts to feed and teach their children about healthy food. And despite well-meaning efforts to get better quality, healthier food into the school lunch program, Congress decided to consider pizza a vegetable. (I know, right?)
The environments and communities in which we live are becoming less and less conducive to daily physical activity. Because activity is no longer built into the fabric of our daily lives, the environments in which we now find ourselves in persuade us to be sedentary for most of the day, then— if we’re lucky and possess the disapline—make time to “work out” for 30–60 minutes. With increasing political pressure to dedicate more time to core subjects like math and reading, 44% of school administrators have cut significant time from Physical Education classes and recess (3).
All of these issues (and so many more…) seem to be making it increasingly difficult and burdensome for kids to grow up to be happy, healthy, and strong.
Some feel the situaiton is hopeless. I don’t believe that’s the case.
One of the most logical and promising setting for positive change is in our nation’s schools. Kids are in school for 7–8 hours a day, which makes for a captive audience. Many eat up to 70% of their food intake for the day at school, which opens up an incredible opportunity to cultivate good health habits regarding food. The education system is designed to teach children how to learn, work, and grow so they can thrive later on in life. While no one would argue that math and reading should be important subjects for learning…with the obesity epidemic wreaking havoc on the quantity and quality of life in this country— shouldn’t health maybe make the cut?
Strategies like school gardens, revised nutrition and food education programs, active classroom activities, and the revival of recess have shown promising progress in our nation’s schools over the last couple of years (4). And this is just the beginning. We need to continue to focus our energy towards efforts set in schools, because this is where, and with whom we can have the biggest, lasting, most meaningful impact in efforts to combat the larger obesity epidemic in this country. After all… what could be more important than the health and happiness of our kids?
Let’s make sure the Next Generation has a better, brighter future. Let’s fight for their health. Let’s start with schools.
-LC
1 Kovacic, W. e. (2008). Marketing food to children and adolescents: A review of industry expenditures, activities, and self-regulation: A Federal Trade Commission report to Congress. Federal Trade Commission.
2 Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Kit BK, Flegal KM. Prevalence of childhood and adult obesity in the United States, 2011–2012. Journal of the American Medical Association 2014;311(8):806–814.
3 IOM. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. 23 May 2013
4 Silveira JA, Taddei JA, Guerra PH, Nobre MR. The effect of participation in school-based nutrition education interventions on body mass index: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled community trials. Prev Med. 2013 Mar;56(3–4):237–43. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2013.01.011.
