Fighting the Childhood Obesity Epidemic

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Originally posted by PA Dino:
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?

It has worked in those areas.

The restaurants are now forced to supply calorie and fat data for their menus. It's posted in public in McD's. This is an extra cost for restaurants. Based on the people I saw in McD's the other day, I would say 80% of the diners could care less about the data.

Matt13 Quote

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It has worked in those areas.

It has not worked in those areas.

Your turn.

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Originally posted by Matt13:

quote:

Originally posted by PA Dino:
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?

It has worked in those areas.

In a way yes, and no.

Last week, one of my coworkers, was eating a huge hamburger for breakfast, and brought in a box of designer donuts all chocolate with chocolate icing for lunch. It took every effort I had to keep my thoughts to myself.

It wasn't my business to say anything. Why would I even think to do that? Well, because I pay dearly for my health benefits, I know she has none. One day when she gets very sick, you and I will have to take care of her.

I brought my kids up on healthy foods and snacks and they ate from the salad bar that was offered way back in elementary school. That was our responsibility as parents and I never expected anyone to do my job, and they as adults have made good choices and will educate their children the same.

Everywhere you go you see material for healthy meals and snacks and there are publications for parents, there is enough out there to try to get it right.

Yes, children learn from their parents but you can't learn from an adult that eats hamburgers for breakfast and chocolate donuts for lunch.

The movie SUPER SIZE ME should be shown to every child from late grade school/early middle school and up, year after year, they will get the hint sooner or later.

I don't think that the government should intervene, I belIEve that education begins at home, but it doesn't always work that way for inner city and poor rural children. They don't have as many choices as other children do.

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brought in a box of designer donuts all chocolate with chocolate icing for lunch. It took every effort I had to keep my thoughts to myself

it would have taken every effort I had to keep my hands off those donuts.

hey RJM... we played Michigan rummy a lot too! In my family we called it "6-7-8 and wait"... for those who've played you know exactly what i mean.

this has been a good thread.. many insightful comments.

it is the diet it is video games andno exercise

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I don't think that the government should intervene. I believe that education begins at home. But it doesn't always work that way for inner city and poor rural children. They don't have as many choices as other children do.

As my kids went through the K-12 experience one of my complaints was bringing inner city solutions to the suburbs with the philosophy one size fits all. But, not all city school district parents are ignorant. I could see some of them requesting the government not interfere with their lives.

When I was a young boy I ate like a cow. That was when they first came out with the 10 cent hamburgers. I would eat a half dozen along with a big batch of greasy fries. I could eat a whole pizza and still keep eating. Never had to worry about gaining weight let alone being obese.

Now with each quarter pounder I gain half a pound.

I'm pretty sure it has something to do with with activity.

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Originally posted by PA Dino:
Matt13 Quote

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It has worked in those areas.

It has not worked in those areas.

Your turn.

The number of users of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs have been trending downward.

In particular, since we are talking children:

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6131a1.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyout...cohol_trend_yrbs.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyout..._drug_trend_yrbs.pdf

So, yes, long-term trends are showing a decline.

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The number of users of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs have been trending downward.

In particular, since we are talking children:

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6131a1.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyout...cohol_trend_yrbs.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyout..._drug_trend_yrbs.pdf

So, yes, long-term trends are showing a decline.

Your source, the CDC, is a Federal Agency under the Dept. of Health and Human Services with a budget of 9.2 billion dollars. The Director is appointed by the President. The current Director, a graduate of Columbia University (as was the President) was the Health Commissioner for New York City.

When it comes to collecting data, the CDC is a direct arm of the Office of the President used to validate policies and justify budgetary decisions for funding programs that fit the ideology of the President. Therefore, there is ample reason to look skeptically at figures developed by the CDC especially regarding the effectiveness of anti smoking campaigns on children.

I say especially anti smoking because the current Director is famous for his war on smoking in the City of New York, where as Health Commissioner under Mayor Michael Bloomberg he waged war on smoking primarily by banning the practice where possible and taxing it excessively in order to persuade adults to quit.

Even if you accept the statistics, and there is certainly reason not to, the methodology of data collection is questionable.

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NYTS is a school-based, self-administered, pencil-and-paper questionnaire given to middle school (grades 6–8) and high school (grades 9–12) students to collect information on key tobacco control outcome indicators used to monitor the impact of comprehensive tobacco control policies and programs (e.g., prevalence of tobacco use and smoking cessation, tobacco-related knowledge and attitudes, access to tobacco, exposure to tobacco advertising and promotions, and secondhand smoke exposure).*

What reasons would a middle schooler and high schooler have to answer these types of questions inaccurately? Disinterest....fear.....or perhaps the most at risk population is the one that doesn't regularly attend school and is least likely to participate in any testing let alone one for the government.

But let's say the statistics are accurate. Let's say the smoking campaign has achieved the astounding results documented. What are we to make of this sentence that was slipped in without further comment?

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A recent report indicated that the total consumption of cigarettes decreased by 32.8% from 2000 to 2011, whereas noncigarette combustible tobacco, which includes cigars and loose tobacco, increased by 123%.

One might believe that the problem is not being solved, it is simply finding a different outlet. What about the use of smokeless tobacco (snuff - dip) or marijuana?

The final resource you posted shows that there has been an increase or no change from 2009-2011 in marijuana, cocaine or other illegal drug use. No decreases in those two years.

No trends. I'm not drinking the cool aide. The government and social programs can't stop drug abuse, can't stop alcohol abuse, and it won't stop obesity. It's like Smokey Bear always said, "Only You can prevent forest fires."

There are numerous causes at work here, but there are two major players. One, the importance of physical education classes in schools is greatly overlooked. Often when budget issues arise P.E. is reduced. Countless studies have linked daily P.E. classes run by trained professionals to increased cognitive function and health. We need daily P.E. in schools. Not just the roll out the ball type, but healthy active classes that focus on movement for the entire student body. Second, many kids choose to be involved in many organized activities. When they are attending those activities, they are active, but they are not learning how to have an active lifestyle. They need to learn how to be active without being told what drill to run or what to do. Active play is essential.

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Originally posted by 55mom:
you can pry my air conditioning out of my cold dead hands....

This is still funny, three days later.

1. I'm a conservative republican.

2. In spite of (1), I think Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign is AWESOME.

3. Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" campaign was AWESOME in very much the same way.

4. Michelle O. isn't trying to tell any of you guys what to eat in your homes. (My guess is that she doesn't give a rip about our baseball-loving-mostly-caucasion-conservative a$$es.)

5. Everyone gets that the problem is in the home. That being said, don't you all think its still a GREAT idea to at least fix what's being served in schools? D&mn sure can't hurt. I'd be willing to bet that kids will start choking down whole grain pasta when they get hungry enough.

6. The demographics say that the lower income and inner city families need the most improvement in their diets. Sorry if that's uncomfortable to hear, but it is what it is.

7. Of all the possibilities, if you were to try to greatly influence the above demographic, who would you imagine might be the most appealing representative? (hint: Her initials are Michelle Obama)

Sometimes a good thing is just a good thing...go with it.

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I'd be willing to bet that kids will start choking down whole grain pasta when they get hungry enough.

All the nutritious food ends up in the trash can. I.E. your tax dollars are in there too. They just go home and eat the snacks and pop in the cupboards.

Nope. Schools are now not only feeding lunch but also breakfast and some dinners. They are being dropped off at pre school programs around 6 Am and being picked up at after school programs at 6 PM.

Parents are working multiple part time jobs to make ends meet.

When the kids get home, they lock themselves in their room with their computers and video games. That's just the way it is in a lot of homes. That's not where our future leaders are.

Thankfully we still have mothers and fathers that are taking their responsibility to raise their kids seriously.

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Originally posted by PA Dino:
All the nutritious food ends up in the trash can. I.E. your tax dollars are in there too. They just go home and eat the snacks and pop in the cupboards.

I'm willing to invest my tax dollars in wasted nutritious food until the correction takes hold. And it will. Much better than seeing sugar being "deployed effectively".

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Nope. Schools are now not only feeding lunch but also breakfast and some dinners. They are being dropped off at pre school programs around 6 Am and being picked up at after school programs at 6 PM.

Exactly. Follow Michelle's lead and get better food in the schools, since they're being leveraged so much.

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Parents are working multiple part time jobs to make ends meet.

They sure are.

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When the kids get home, they lock themselves in their room with their computers and video games. That's just the way it is in a lot of homes. That's not where our future leaders are.

The hell do you know where future leaders come from. Study Bill Gates.

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Thankfully we still have mothers and fathers that are taking their responsibility to raise their kids seriously.

Good for them. Unfortunately, just appreciating the 20% who already have the education, motivation, and direction they need doesn't do a dang thing.

Sorry, but I'm still sold that this woman is doing more to solve this problem than any one or any other governance that's out there.

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When the kids get home, they lock themselves in their room with their computers and video games. That's just the way it is in a lot of homes. That's not where our future leaders are.


The hell do you know where future leaders come from

All I know is I spent 25 years getting called to those homes and take my word for it, there are no leaders to be found there.

I guess we just have a fundamental disagreement on how much government should be involved in individual lives. I'd rather see more options in education, meaningful fulltime jobs that allow one person to stay at home or at least have a routine that allows for parenting and preservation of choices instead of the alternative. Your way works also. It just sacrifices a little more freedom and we are just about out of it.

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Originally posted by wraggArm:
I'd be willing to bet that kids will start choking down whole grain pasta when they get hungry enough.

Hunger is the spice that makes anything taste good.

It seems to me that the portions are significantly less and our prices went up more. The comment was made that kids can buy extra. Sure they can if you want to pay big money. I never took my lunch in 26 years of teaching. Now, I take my lunch everyday because I just can't make it until supper. One of our 6'4" football lineman begged one day for more. He told the lunch ladies that he is starving. In his case, he lost significant weight until her was injured. He doesn't have the option to buy more due to economic reasons.

Edited to add:

At our school, most of the broccoli is thrown away. We seem to have broccoli a lot. Some, but not all of the fruit is eaten. The problem with the broccoli is that we have ranch dressing available and so, the kids pour the ranch on the broccoli. It has to be incredibly unhealthy. At least half of our kids are buying that second "substitution." Again, they end up eating more calories. Everything a kid buys now is tracked via a "card." So parents can get a report on their child's food consumption. We are the food police.

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Originally posted by PA Dino:
I guess we just have a fundamental disagreement on how much government should be involved in individual lives.

Michelle Obama isn't a legislator in the Federal government, and she doesn't write, veto, nor vote on any laws. She's only an advocate, just like Nancy Reagan was.

My point is that her campaign is a great effort, because she happens to have influence in the places where it matters on this issue.

Sad thing is schools can try and change things, but it's what's happening at home that is the problem. You should see what the kids who pack their lunches bring. Too many kids are eating out too much, and rest. food has so much sodium,fat,calories,etc. Just look at the new McDonald's menu that now lists nutrit. info. Knew it was bad, but it's an eye opener.Easier for hurried parents to ge food out on way home. Parents are also using tv/video games as a babysitter. As long as kids are quiet they let them sit inside for hours to keep the peace. I rarely see kids outside playing in my neighborhood. It's not just ids who are obese, it's parents too. We rarely stayed inside.

Schools should not be inspecting sack lunches, unless they are inspecting the teachers/admin lunches too. They need to get more health ed/pe in schools in hopes the kids will become more educated on the subject than their parents. If they eat junk at home it matters very little what they try and do at school. My grip is the adults who are in bad health of their own doing and expect company or gov't to pay all their medical bills.