Fair / 16° F
Area Communities Pave the Way for Healthy Kids [UPDATED]
Published 12:17pm Friday, November 5, 2010 Updated 2:40pm Friday, November 5, 2010Story by Katrina Mouser, RD
Photography by Sara Boyum Photography
Meet ‘Emily,’ a 14-year-old Justin Bieber-obsessed girl at a secondary school. She had swimming today during gym class, but handed her teacher a forged note and sat on the bleachers beside the pool. There’s a football game tonight, and of course LOTS of classmates are going, but no one invited her. So instead, ‘Emily’ rides the bus home, watches MTV and makes a plate of nachos, piled high with cheese. She steps her 5’3” body on the scale in the bathroom, and it reads: 216.
HOW DID SHE GET HERE?
Even though ‘Emily’ is a fictitious character, this scenario is becoming more and more common among our children and adolescents – and it’s not just a matter of looks, it affects kids’ lives. In the last two decades, childhood obesity has tripled in the United States with over 16% of 6- to 19-year-olds being classified as obese. This statistic is staggering, and should make us all consider how this epidemic has occurred in such a short period of time.
WHAT/WHO IS TO BLAME?
The answer is complicated.
Children and adolescents today are much less active as a group. Sedentary activities — namely television, computers, and video games — attract many children to stay indoors, no matter the weather outdoors. Fewer children walk or ride their bikes to school – or just around the neighborhood.
Eating patterns for children have changed drastically. This includes an increase in eating at restaurants/fast food and other places away from the home. In 1977, 4.8 percent of calories consumed by children were from restaurants/fast food. By 1996, that amount jumped to 14.8 percent. Foods available at restaurants/fast food are typically higher in fat and calories, while contributing little to the food groups of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and dairy products.
Beverage consumption has shifted from nutrient-rich to nutrient-void. From 1977 to 2001, milk consumption dropped from 3.46 servings per day to 2.75, while soda consumption increased 48 percent during that same time frame.
We’re all too familiar with the ‘super-sized’ portion sizes available, and children are not exempted from this trend either. Most children do not know how to regulate their food intake, and if they are presented with huge portions, they are likely to consume more than their needs.
Fewer and fewer children are starting their day out with breakfast, but more and more children are snacking, which again leads to overconsumption. The types of snacks chosen are usually pre-packaged, high in fat and calories and low in nutritional value.
WHAT ARE THE ASSOCIATED RISKS OF CHILDHOOD OBESITY?
These children are setting themselves up for a challenging future – physically, socially, emotionally, and medically. Studies show that 25 percent of overweight preschoolers, 50 percent of overweight school-age children, and 75 percent of overweight teenagers will go on to be obese adults, where these problems are only compounded.
The number one medical concern for overweight and obese children is an increased risk for cardiovascular-related problems, including high blood pressure or dyslipidemia (high cholesterol, triglycerides, etc). The incidence of type 2 diabetes in children was first recognized in the 1970s, and is now a common diagnosis among obese children. Sleep apnea, gallbladder disease, depression, and orthopedic-related problems are also more common than uncommon.
STEPS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
In west central Minnesota, we can be encouraged that some groups are taking steps to combat childhood obesity. Here are a few examples that will bring us closer to providing our children with a healthy community for them to make good choices.
Minnesota has a grant in place, referred to as SHIP (Statewide Health Improvement Program), which is aiding several communities locally. Two of the initiatives focus on improving physical activity and improving healthy eating (specifically increasing fruit and vegetable consumption) in the school setting.
According to Karen Nitzkorski, who is working with SHIP, the Perham-Dent School District is implementing ‘Walking School Buses’ to increase physical activity among children. The walking school buses are led by trained adults, who walk around neighborhoods ‘picking up’ children on the way to school. They are hoping to set up 1-2 walking school buses per elementary school. As a kickoff effort, the district, along with Breckenridge School District, participated in the International Walk to School Day on October 6, encouraging all children living within a mile to walk to school that day. For kids who live outside that distance, they got creative and parked a mile away and walked!
Also in the Breckenridge School District, the food service supervisor, Stephanie Beyer, RD, is focusing on implementing the Farm to School program. Farm to School is a national program that promotes the use of locally produced foods in the school lunch program. So far, the school is working on securing locally grown tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, cantaloupe, white-wheat flour, apples, wild rice, and flax seed to incorporate into their menus. As we’re all encouraged to eat and shop more locally, this is an exciting step for school districts to take!
The ARENA (Athletic Republic Exercise Nutrition All) program at the Athletic Republic in Fergus Falls has the right idea to help kids who are already in trouble. It is a 3-pronged program, consisting of physical activity, nutrition education, and family involvement – all which lead to a healthy lifestyle. School-year-long scholarships from the Lake Region Healthcare Foundation are awarded to kids who qualify for the program. The kids get one-on-one attention with a personal trainer and nutrition education for the family from a registered dietitian at the hospital. The kids keep a daily food and activity journal to help keep them accountable, and have their weight, blood pressure, and stamina measured regularly. In addition to weight loss, the most marked improvement in these children is a lowering of blood pressure after participation for a year.
In the Fergus Falls School District, some important changes have been made as well. The FACS (Family and Consumer Science) Department secured a grant to provide food models in all kindergarten classrooms in an effort to teach proper portion sizes. The Kennedy Secondary School has also changed their lunch hour to be a closed campus, encouraging the students to participate in the school lunch program.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP?
I think we all know a child or teenager who is struggling with being overweight. The best thing we can all do is to not isolate or disregard them, but rather embrace and encourage them as we would any other child.
As the speed of our culture continues to increase, we as a people group are going to demand more and more easy solutions. However, this is an area where we cannot afford to take shortcuts. It’s going to take a concerted effort from all of us to help prevent the increase in rate of childhood obesity. Think about how you can make a positive change in your own life that will influence children and adolescents in your periphery! Now that’s exciting – and more importantly, worthwhile.
HELPFUL HINTS:
1. When kids get home from school, implement a “30 minutes of play first, then homework, then TV if time” rule. This will ensure your child gets their physical activity for the day and will help energize them to do homework.
2. Research continues to show benefits in children who share in family meals. If dinner is not possible, try breakfast instead. In addition to nutrition benefits, it keeps the communication lines open and allows your family to slow down together.
3. Plan active family time, to show your kids that you are committed to physical activity as much as they should be. Let your kids take turns choosing the destination or activity.
4. To help control portion sizes at home, serve only plated meals on the table. Allow extra vegetable sides to remain on the table, but have the entrée and bread/rice/potatoes out of sight.
5. We can’t expect our kids to make good food choices if they don’t have any good options! Unload your cupboards of high-fat, high-sodium snack foods, saving these foods for special occasions outside the home.
For additional resources, please refer to the American Dietetic Association’s website: www.eatright.org/childhoodobesity
