Fighting the Childhood Obesity Epidemic

I grew up in the 1960's when we had very few obese people. People were generally more active then (kids actually played outdoors), ate simpler (non-processed) food and soda was a rare treat. As a former owner of a health club, I can tell you it's as simple as these three factors.

I am the President of the local Police Athletic League in my town, as well as a coach in baseball and basketball. I have been involved with this organization since I was a kid playing sports. For a baseline, we have a population of about 11,000 residents.

I always marvel when I see kids at my sons' school events that I do not recognize, let alone know who they are. Our K-8 school system (which we serve) is approximately 900 kids. Our baseline registration for any sport is about 250. That means we are reaching about 27% of the kids. Our board constantly discusses ways to get more kids involved (and active), and we are constantly trying new and different approaches to get kids out to play rec-level sports. To be honest, little works, and many of the kids seem to be involved in no physical activity whatsoever. very troubling.

What's the reason? I can speculate all I wish; cost of registration (we do try to keep it low and work with anyone who needs financial help), kids don't like the competitive nature of team sports, parents have become complacent with kids activities, the almighty video game has taken over. Maybe it's a combination of elements. Maybe I'm jaded, but it really does have to start at the parental level. Accepting mediocrity and rewarding participation has become cultural. The "trophies for everybody" mentality. It may be a cause and effect relationship, but I am by no means an expert.

Hope I don't sound jaded. The best feeling in the world as a rec-level coach is seeing that kid who has struggled all season get a hit or sink a basket. I just wish more kids were involved.

What you need to do babyjock is to contact those in charge of public schools and urge them to put 45 minute recess back into the school system so the schools let these kids run around and play after lunch so they burn off what they eat and get them outside for fresh air. The govt thinks that by changing the lunch menu to suit their power struggle needs to get votes and claim healthier foods alone is the answer, are clueless because kids today get 15-20 minutes to woof down their lunch so that they have those 5 minutes to rush to the next class so theyre not late and get a detention slip because they shorten recess with no outlet to decompress, get exercise for the body and mind. Another thing is kids are eating lunch at 9:30 and 10am and thats it for the day. Some of these kids play sports after school and have sat in school all day and are starving from early lunch times. Thars a problem too. Si all these educational genius bureaucrats can come up with all fancy ways to force kids to est the foods they want them to eat but without an outlet to byrn off the food such as regular recess periods and phys ed programs that stress exercise, then theyre wasting their time and only changing the food so they can fool the sheep into believing theyre really doing something for the kids but in reality theyre just looking for an easy way to get votes

I eat lunch at a public school every day for the last 21 years.

The lunch programs are trying very hard to satisfy the new regs.
The kids are taking the veggies and throwing them in the trash.... it is a crying shame. many then go to their bookbags and pull out chips and crud by the gaggle and share them with their friends.
Like soulslam i have seen participation drop. Well organized, parent driven sports are thriving, but they reach a small number of kids...

this is what i am seeing from my end of things

Get rid of gym class and replace it with some intense speed, agility and core training.

Open the gyms. Drive thru your towns and count how many school gyms, rec. center gyms, etc. and compare the hours they are available to kids and the hours they are not. It is unbelievable -- all the wasted space. For example, in our town they run a 2 hour open gym on Sunday mornings 8-10. At exactly 10, the "gestopo" is turning off the lights. The gym sits empty and unused the rest of the day. What did they do? They built another one across town.

Connecting with baseball, as winter approaches, my kid needs a place to throw indoors. A gym somewhere would be ideal. Unfortunately we can't get in.

It's funny this was asked because just yesterday I went on-line to look up the regulations on the school lunch program. My son of course is an athlete and he is given the same lunch as every child in the school. He should be given a meal that satisfy his requirements for being a student athlete.

I really believe obesity in this nation is the pre-packaged meals, the fast food industry, the need to have what everyone else has, the television, internet and of course video games.

I truly beleive if you want change to happen you have to start at a young age and it will catch on with good education.

Kids need to play sports, kids need to play, but it is our responsiblity as parents to get involved and make it happen. They were not asked to be born and we are their mentors. We need to take time to help them want to be active and healthy!

clmom: why should your son, an athlete, be given a different meal than the kid who is in band or debate? i feel he should be allowed to purchase a different meal... at our school, kids can and do purchase extras

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Originally posted by trojan-skipper:
clmom: why should your son, an athlete, be given a different meal than the kid who is in band or debate? i feel he should be allowed to purchase a different meal... at our school, kids can and do purchase extras

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Originally posted by clmom12412:
It's funny this was asked because just yesterday I went on-line to look up the regulations on the school lunch program. My son of course is an athlete and he is given the same lunch as every child in the school. He should be given a meal that satisfy his requirements for being a student athlete.

Hate to break it to you but just because your kid plays a sport dont make him any more wpecial than any other student. Since you feel he needs a special diet, you have the option to send him to school with a bag lunch with all the necessary foods you feel he needs to eat. Since you mention its up to the parents to get involved, the option is already there to send them to school with a bag lunch. Hot lunch is optional.

Another thing concerned parents can do if their kids play sports is within your booster club, have the parents kick in money for pregame sandwiches and stuff like that since theres a long time between linchtime and game time

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I would really like to hear your thoughts and opinions on the childhood obesity epidemic. Do you have any ideas? What can we do to help change the way things are?

I used to be very active before I learned how to use a computer. I used to be thin and in good shape. Now I am fat and out of shape, but I've become pretty good on the computer. Now days I can do many things using just my fingers. I don't even have to move to change channels. Don't even have to walk to answer the phone. My mower pulls me behind it as does my snow blower. Think I've forgotten what hard work is like. Many young kids will never know what hard work is like. Even the games have changed from outdoor activities to effortless indoor games played with your fingers. Too many things that just don't burn off many calories.

PG, try taping your Stalker to a bar bell.

Bum, That's a good one. One of our guys actually builds us racks for the gun to sit on. Our guys don't even have to lift the radar gun or pull the trigger.

Man was much better off as a hunter-gatherer. The advent of farming was the beginning of the gradual slide downhill. Fast food is nothing but farming on steroids. The worst of which is known as McDonald's. 99 Billion served. The good news? McDonald's is worldwide. Pretty soon everybody will be too fat and sluggish to wage war.

Drink water. Exercise. Lose weight.

I'm one of those who always blah blahs on to my kids about summers when we would get on our bikes in the morning and be gone until supper time. But truthfully, one of our favorite parts of the day was taking stacks of quarters up to th 7-11 to play Galaga and Astroids until we were broke and our hands were blistered. Every day.

If I'd have seen an XBox back then, I would have probably sat and played it until I faded from existence.

I first started seeing coke machines in the hallways in the mid 70's in Jr. High, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I didn't even have to ask my mom for a Coke - I could just walk up and buy one. I also bought Swiss Rolls every day in the cafeteria, which were pretty much sugar wrapped around whipped lard.

Looking at my generation and the explosion of heart disease and diabetes, I really feel like the mid/late seventies were an inflection point, where we took a turn for the worse.

Some of us were rescued by an outrageously narcissistic decade of weight lifting and aerobics ( for all the wrong reasons but to good end i guess) but for the most part this generation is a wellness trainwreck due to what started in the 70s. It's going to take a lot of efforts like the OP's to reverse it.

JMHO.

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Originally posted by trojan-skipper:
I eat lunch at a public school every day for the last 21 years.

The lunch programs are trying very hard to satisfy the new regs.
The kids are taking the veggies and throwing them in the trash.... it is a crying shame. many then go to their bookbags and pull out chips and crud by the gaggle and share them with their friends.

I teach in a Title 1 school. 90% of the students qualify for free lunch. These kids do not throw their veggies or fruits away. School is the only place some of them get fresh vegetables and fruit, and they don't have the money to buy junk food.

That said, like other kids, they have succumbed to a sedentary life style. Along with a diet of cheap carbohydrates at home, they follow the national trend in obesity.

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Originally posted by wraggArm:
I really feel like the mid/late seventies were an inflection point, where we took a turn for the worse.

High Fructose Corn Syrup

quote:

Originally posted by trojan-skipper:
clmom: why should your son, an athlete, be given a different meal than the kid who is in band or debate? i feel he should be allowed to purchase a different meal... at our school, kids can and do purchase extras

And no one is stopping kids from packing their own lunch !

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Originally posted by AntzDad:

quote:

Originally posted by wraggArm:
I really feel like the mid/late seventies were an inflection point, where we took a turn for the worse.

High Fructose Corn Syrup

Yep. Blame 7-11 and the advent of the "Big Gulp".

There is a leading-edge strategy in healthcare that is loosely termed "hot spotting." It consists of deep statistical analysis of medical usage and spend that basically drives a street-by-street visualization of medical spend in a specific geography. What is found is that quite often, very localized, distinct "hot-spots", or areas of extremely high usage (lots of unhealthy people, high hospital admits, unusually high emergency room utilization, etc) emerge from this analysis. It could be for instance an inner city apartment development. The local healthcare system (hospital, etc) actually then embeds social workers, dieticians, even clinicians on-site at the hot spot. Get to know the people, show empathy, identify the problems and work the solutions - which are personalized and unique to the issues and needs of each "hot spot." The payback in these programs has been tremendous in terms of improved health, improved healthcare outcomes, lowered utilization of the system and lowered costs.

There are numerous articles and papers on the success of this emerging strategy.

I think this same hot-spotting strategy could easily apply to the childhood obesity epidemic. Sweeping, blanket legislation is not the solution, but it can help provide "air cover", however what's most needed is tactics and strategies that help people change the way they eat and care for their body at "ground zero" level.

It's extremely important and we all need to be concerned about our current trajectory.

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There is a leading-edge strategy in healthcare that is loosely termed "hot spotting." It consists of deep statistical analysis of medical usage and spend that basically drives a street-by-street visualization of medical spend in a specific geography. What is found is that quite often, very localized, distinct "hot-spots", or areas of extremely high usage (lots of unhealthy people, high hospital admits, unusually high emergency room utilization, etc) emerge from this analysis. It could be for instance an inner city apartment development. The local healthcare system (hospital, etc) actually then embeds social workers, dieticians, even clinicians on-site at the hot spot. Get to know the people, show empathy, identify the problems and work the solutions - which are personalized and unique to the issues and needs of each "hot spot." The payback in these programs has been tremendous in terms of improved health, improved healthcare outcomes, lowered utilization of the system and lowered costs.

I'm blowing the whistle and throwing the yellow flag on this one. Penalize you fifteen yards for buying into all we have to do is show we care and spend a bunch of money on social workers, dieticians and clinicians who once "embedded" will be harder than a deer tick to get out because the problem will never be solved as long as the flow of public funding is wide open. That's just human nature. You can't make people do something they don't want to do.

Dino:

Did I say anything about public monies? These are strategies driven by private institutions, health systems and yes, even for-profit health insurance companies investing these monies, because the payback hits the bottom line.

Private sector entities will most likely make millions because of hot spotting in the not too distant future - and not because they are soaking the taxpayer by feeding off the government teat. And this is not even taking into account the massive land-grab currently underway wherein private insurance companies are buying health systems or partnering with them to form Accountable Care Organizations - which already implement some of the hot-spotting tactics on a wider scale. ACO's will earn billions for these entities, and quite possibly, along with micro-strategies such as hot-spotting, finally turn the tide on our spiralling health care costs and utilization at the same time. It has little or nothing to do with the "nanny state" or entitlements, its all about good business.

I work in the food services department of a large school district in Ohio. We are responsible for purchasing, preparing, and serving all student meals in our district. We have been jumping through hoops in order to follow the new regulations, which were dropped in our laps just 2 months before the start of the new school year.

A quick breakdown: a meal (lunch) has 5 components: fruit, vegetable, grain, protein, milk. We are required to serve 1 fruit and 2 vegetables at every meal. At least half of all grains must be whole grains, although our district is striving for 100%. Milk must be 1% or fat free, otherwise known as skim. In order to qualify as a "meal" a student must take 3 of the 5 components, and at least 1 has to be a fruit or vegetable.

Our district qualifies approximately 87% for free or reduced meals. Like someone already mentioned, for many of our students, breakfast and lunch at school is the only food that is prepared for them. We also have a large number of food that students will not eat, despite our efforts to provide nutritious and tasty meals. Part of the problem lies with students not being willing to try something new, and I don't know if there is any way to change that. Of course, students will be hungry if they are not eating all five components of their meal. I know I would be hungry if all I had to eat was a hamburger patty, bun, and carton of milk, but it's not as if the food isn't available to them.

I honestly think the bulk of the problem lies in the home, whether from apathy or ignorance. It's kind of sad when you can't get anyone to try cantaloupe because they don't know what it is. It's also sad that a child would feel that they don't have to eat their carrots or salad because they can get chips or cookies when they get home, which have most likely been purchased with food stamps in direct competition with the money being spent on the school lunch program.

Kids have been complaining about having to eat vegetables since long before I was born, and will continue long into the future. It's not going to change because the government says so.

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Originally posted by OH BBMom:

I honestly think the bulk of the problem lies in the home, whether from apathy or ignorance. It's kind of sad when you can't get anyone to try cantaloupe because they don't know what it is.

Very thoughtful post, and I really agree that it starts at home. Certainly, there's going to be a percentage of folks that won't be reached and will resist. But there are a wide variety of reasons at play in terms of why these situations occur. Sometimes its as simple as a matter of access to fresh foods in inner city neighborhoods. Just making a dent with 25% would make a tremendous difference. I think preventive care and better access to thoughtful preventive care is a part of the solution, but certainly not the end-all-be-all. I've never met a kid who doesn't gobble-up strawberries, and strawberries are quite healthy. The problem is getting strawberries.

I really liked the NFL's "Play 60" campaign from last year. I don't know what larger programs are tied to it, but it sure made play look fun - and healthy. You know, a few hundred thousand kids decide to go "Play 60", then realize, wow, that's fun, pretty soon they're out "Playing 120" on the weekends.....Ah well, I'm just the dreamy optimist...

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Originally posted by like2rake:

quote:

Originally posted by OH BBMom:

I honestly think the bulk of the problem lies in the home, whether from apathy or ignorance. It's kind of sad when you can't get anyone to try cantaloupe because they don't know what it is.

Very thoughtful post, and I really agree that it starts at home. Certainly, there's going to be a percentage of folks that won't be reached in any form and will resist. But there are a wide variety of reasons at play in terms of why these situations occur. Sometimes its as simple as a matter of access to fresh foods in inner city neighborhoods. Just making a dent with 25% would make a tremendous difference. I think preventive care and better access to thoughtful preventive care is a part of the solution, but certainly not the end-all-be-all. I've never met a kid who doesn't gobble-up strawberries, and strawberries are quite healthy. The problem is getting strawberries.

I really liked the NFL's "Play 60" campaign from last year. I don't know what larger programs are tied to it, but it sure made play look fun - and healthy. You know, a few hundred thousand kids decide to go "Play 60", then realize, wow, that's fun, pretty soon they're out "Playing 120" on the weekends.....Ah well, I'm just the dreamy optimist...

quote:

Originally posted by OH BBMom:
I work in the food services department of a large school district in Ohio.

BTW OH BBMom, my mom worked in food services for our public school district for 20 years, from the late 60's into the 80's, in both service and prep.

She was the "lunch lady" at my elementary school for my 1st through 3rd grade. It was awesome, like she was a celebrity. Plus, she'd put aside a special hot pack just for me, things like having the hot dog or burger outside of the bun so the bun didn't get all gooey during the on-site reheating cycle. Or, two burritos instead of one. Needless to say, the benefits of this setup to me were innumerable!

Hello like2rake,

What wonderful memories you have of the time with your mom at school! Unfortunately, those little things your mom did for you are now forbidden in our programs! I work in the office as a bookkeeper, which is how I have access to the information I have posted.

It is unfortunate when districts have such large numbers of free and reduced students that they are dependent on the government programs to provide food choices. Our students like strawberries also, but you can't serve strawberries every day.

I too am a fan of the NFL's Play 60 campaign. Our district has partnered with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, which is taking a multi-pronged approach to fighting childhood obesity. Along with the new meal standards, they are encouraging new and creative ways to promote physical activity. We now have several elementaries participating in yoga and stretching classes in the mornings. These have the added benefits of keeping the students calm and focused, as well as getting in some much needed exercise.

like2rake,

I'm open to being persuaded but regardless of where the money comes from, how would a strategy like "hot Spotting" work on obesity when we as a society have made no progress on other vices and detrimental habits such as smoking, alcohol and drug abuse. I would think that with the detailed data we have on these things, we would have learned this approach long ago, if it works? In other words, how can we expect obesity to be impacted when we have a fast food joint on every corner, the gas station sells junk food and TV sells sugar to children and adults feed their kids **** because they have no time to sit down at the dinner table with them. Just to name a few reasons......

And...what role does genetics play in obesity?

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Originally posted by BabyJock:
Now, I'm sure you all know about Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign, but we feel that it's not enough. Parents also need information. They need to be educated on how to keep their kids healthy. They need to know how to build a healthy lifestyle in their child-- not just a fad.

Why do we need to be educated by the government or even you for that matter?

I undertand basic education...I was taught the balance between the basic food groups when I was in school. Today, I understand what's good for me and what's not. I'm capable of making my own decisions and living with the consequences.

And being poor doesn't mean you're stupid. Regardless of your financial status, you should be able to figure this stuff out.

We DO NOT need any more government intrusion in our lives. Michelle Obama and Michael Bloomberg can go fly a kite.

Hey, that would be good exercise too!

OK let me educate those parents. If you sit on your butt and eat cheeseburgers, fries, shakes, candy bars, chips, cookies, you are going to get fat. If your kids see you doing this they are going to think its the way to go so they are going to do it. And guess what parents? They are going to get fat just like you. If you spend all of your time on a smart phone, computer, video game, TV then your going to get fat. If your kids are doing the same thing guess what? They are going to get fat just like you.

Now parents I find it very hard to believe that you don't know that these things will make you fat. What do you think made you fat? So guess what, your kids will be fat as well. So put down the bad food. And you do know what the bad food is dont you? And get off your butt and exercise and do some physical activities. And the chances are your children will follow suit. I have yet to see a 12 year drive himself to McDonalds.

Otherwise continue to get fatter and watch your children get fatter. And wait for the government to step in and save you and your family. Good luck.

quote:

OK let me educate those parents.

Oh Coach, Coach, Coach. Your direct approach lacks empathy and, I hate to say it, but may not be popular, politically correct and just might, hurt someones little feelers!

Many here might suggest sensitivity training for you, me and a diminishing number of folks like us! It's got to be "somebody else's fault."

LOL

I have no idea why our government can not get a handle on this problem? Why can't it fix this epidemic? We can put a man on the moon but we can't get the moon pie out of the 12 year olds lunch box. What a shame.

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Originally posted by njbb:

quote:

Originally posted by trojan-skipper:
clmom: why should your son, an athlete, be given a different meal than the kid who is in band or debate? i feel he should be allowed to purchase a different meal... at our school, kids can and do purchase extras

And no one is stopping kids from packing their own lunch !

Many school districts are now preventing students from bringing bag lunches, or inspecting them to assure they meet Michelle Obama's standards. If they do not meet the new standards the lunches have been taken away, school lunch provided, and parents reprimanded and billed.

Like many of you, when the sun came up in the morning I was outside going 1000mph all day every day, and in the summer it was past dark:30 before I came in. And only then to go to sleep just to wake up and start again the next day!

We didn't play Call of Duty on TV back then. We WERE the game but outside and in the woods running, yelling and hollering having the time of our lives! My son unfortunately for most of his elementary and high school days (til his Junior year) was the poster child for exactly what we are discussing here. Playing video games and watching all these silly kid TV shows instead of being outside riding a bike or shooting hoops. Im to blame. As we all know they didn't issue parenting books when our kids were born so we just followed what everyone else was doing, ease of convenience, or just flat didn't get them outside enough. But like the OP said we do need to get this information out to new, soon-to-be-parents. Or else, this is only going to get worse and worse. Put down the cotton picking X-box and game station controllers and MAKE the kids get outside. Go WITH THEM is the key like CM said earlier. Be the example. Don't just point outside! It's the only way they will buy into it and know being healthy is important - now and for their future health.

I remember one time when my son was young he was HOOKED on this Teenage Turtle program. Obssessed is more like it. I walked in one day knowing he had watched hours of it and told him to cut it off for now. He said "no". Folks, I think for the only time in my life I can say I actually tranformed into a Transformer. I almost came out of my skin. I walked over to the VCR, picked it up and put it on the floor and proceeded to stomp on it. Well, needless to say it wasn't the popular thing at the moment but he got my point. (Bad example of how to handle disobedience as I wasn't always perfect! lol) And even worse, I went right out and bought another not long after! My point is this - had I known the direction he was headed I would have went and bought a new bike instead!

Ok, Im rambling now.

What is alarming is this report that just came out about how obesity is adversely affecting Military recruitment now as well. Just a sad state.

Military recruitment grapples with Obesity

Just an excerpt from the above link about how pricey obesity costs the military annually. How this money could be spent so much more effective.

"And with the military annually discharging more than 1,200 first-time enlistees before their contract expirations because of weight problems, according to the report, obesity imposes a hefty $60 million price tag for the military to recruit and train replacements."

I attended an overcrowded high school with 4,500 students in three grades. It was so overcrowded we had open campus since the cafeteria couldn't handle the crush at lunch. I ate at Pizza Hut and McDonalds almost every day for three years. It had zero negative effect because I ate a quality breakfast and dinner along with being an athlete. Forty years later I weigh the same as my college playing weight. The only difference is two inches left my chest and one inch found my waist.

The middle school and high school my kids attended had great food options. They had the school lunch with several options, salad bar and deli in middle school. In high school there was also Subway and McDonalds. My kids are conscious of eating well. They weren't raised on drinking soda, understand what soda does to vitamins and don't care for drinking it. They also weren't raised on dessert so they still see it as a luxury. There were days they said they ate a couple of slices of pizza and fries for lunch. But I never worried about it. On afternoon game days they brought their lunch along with energy bars to eat a few hours before competing.

The elementary school lunch was here's your tray, like it and eat it. My kids brought lunch two or three days per week.

On the burning calories side my kids were always playing sports. When kids were at our house the basketball court was often in use, even the girls.

I don't buy into the government needs to control what we eat. There were plenty of garbage foods when I was a kid (Cap'n Crunch, Sugar Smacks, Sugar Pops, etc.). What's missing is exercise and discipline. Don't blame the kids. Where you see an obese adult chances are there's an obese kid not far behind. If you see fit adults chances are there's a fit kid in tow.

I see three issues: 1) Schools eliminating recess and gym, 2) air conditioning - we had to get outside in the summer ... too hot in the house and 3) cable tv - parents afraid to let kids out. I don't believe life is any more dangerous now than when I was a kid. But now we have cable bringing very violent crime in the country into everyone's living room by the hour. No one outside Kansas knew about the "In Cold Blood" murders until the book came out. Today we would see a live broadcast of the coroner bringing out the bodies.

The reason I don't get into technology is we had Strat-O-Matic baseball and football when I was a kid. We had board games (Monopoly, Clue, etc.). We played Michigan Runmmy for pennies. We played them a lot sitting at a table. But it was only part of the day. We still got lots of exercise.

And you can add into that mix RJM some peoples belief that it's the governments job to raise their kids and create programs to assist them in that. If people need and want the government to raise their kids go for it. But stay out of my life with that c rap. I will take personal responsibility for my actions and expect my kids to do the same. And I am not willing to sacrifice my liberty to make choices and hand it over to anyone even the government. When you have spent your entire life waiting at the end of the road for the check to arrive you tend to expect others to rescue you from yourself. We have a lot of people in this country that think its the governments job to raise their kids. We have a lot of people in this country that have no problem handing that responsibility over to the government. Leave me out of that I don't need it and don't want it.

you can pry my air conditioning out of my cold dead hands....

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you can pry my air conditioning out of my cold dead hands....

55mom,

I'm with you on that one!!!

Let me be sure to make it very clear that I also do not condone in ANY way for government to intervene and begin running families in regards to how they raise their kids.

Everything begins at home with the parents so like many have said if the kids see Ma & Pa sitting on their rears eating Bon Bon's then guess what, the kids will most likely do the same.

I have a young couple that live up the road from me. They have a small boy that's maybe 4yrs old. I can remember her jogging after she had him and pushing him in one of those baby carriages that you see joggers pushing that are built for such. I saw her pushing it again the other day and guess who was trying his best to stay up with her? That little boy! Jogging right there beside his mom.

I remember my dad getting AC right as I was going into the Marines. I never even knew what it was until I came back from bootcamp and walked into their bedroom. It was SO cold in there that I looked around to see if maybe there was a slab of meat hanging in the corner! Freezing! And he wouldn't open the door! Thank goodness I was only home for about a week so I could get to my duty station.

YGD

I can't agree more with the posters.

Trying to stop childhood obesity by regulating dietary intake and exercise at the school level will do little to really fix the problem.

Unless the problem is fixed at the parental level then it will never get fixed. You have the kids run in the gym for 35 minutes, you can give them a good lunch and that is great but if the kid goes home and eats and drinks nothing but garbage at home you aren't accomplishing much.

Kids mimic what their parents do. If the parents watch what they eat, limit garbage foods and sugary drinks then the kids will have no choice but to follow suit. But fat, lazy paarents will have the same high calorie, low nutrition foods in the house as their fat kids. Kids will eat junk if it is available because salty, fatty foods taste good to kids. McDonalds made billions off of this fact.

Many kids today view going outside as some kind of punishment, not as an opportunity to have fun. It is so much easier to sit in front of a TV playing some stupid video game. It involves no effort.

You want to stop obesity? Have parents do three things.

1. Throw out all of the junk food in the house. Get rid of all the soda. Make these things treats for the family to use as a reward and not as a staple of daily living. Make sure the parents are following the same rules. Actually cook a real meal, or at least look at what is on the back of the box if you have to get something pre-prepared. It is so much easier going to pick up a chicken from KFC than cooking it yourself but if your kids are fat then you have no one to blame but yourself.

2. Unplug the TV. There is no reason that the TV should be on with the kid planted in front of it when there is a sunny day outside. That means you have to leave it off too. Kids mimic parents, dad sitting on his tush watching another rerun of Big Bang Theory at 2pm will be mimiced by the kid. And don't let kids play video games during the day. My son like Call of Duty, he plays it on weekends. There are kids that are under 12 that play the thing 5-6 hours A DAY. No excuse for it.

3. Actually go outside and encourage your kids to go outside. Don't drive the kid to a neighbor's house when the kid can ride a bike there. Spend your weekends doing something outside as a family. Again, kids mimic parents and if the mom and/or dad acts like going out in the sun will cause them to burn up and die then they will be the same way.


But I suspect that a large number of parents won't do these things. It is much easier letting jr. sit in front of the TV with a half a dozen cookies than it is actually encouraging him to go outside. Until parents realize that they are the primary cause of childhood obesity and not Big Fast Food or Big Soda then we won't solve this problem