Helping Our Kids Get Fit
by Connie Crawley
ccrawley@uga.edu
Foods and Nutrition Specialist
Extension Family and Consumer Sciences
University of Georgia

The Oct. 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are providing hard evidence confirming the alarming increase in the number of overweight and obese children in the United States. Based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted from 1999 to 2000, a greater number of children of all ages are becoming overweight or obese.

According to the report, especially hard hit are adolescent children who are African American or Mexican American. For all American youth the incidence of children being overweight in the most recent survey was 15.5 percent among 12- to 19-year-olds, 15.3 percent among 6- to 11-year-olds, and 10.4 percent among 2- to 5-year-olds. This contrasts with 10.5 percent, 11.3 percent, and 7.2 percent respectively for the same age groups when the previous survey was done in 1988 to 1994.

When subgroups were broken down by age and race, African American and Mexican American adolescents had the greatest increase of 10 percentage points. In fact, almost a quarter of African American and Mexican American adolescents are now overweight (23 percent).

While experts are not exactly sure why this energy imbalance in children is occurring, the report says researchers speculate it is related to poor eating habits established early in childhood and the decline in the amount of physical activity children are engaging in at home and at school.

Sarah Kuestler of the Centers for Disease Control's Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, speaking at the recent Department of Human Resources Obesity Conference, provided nine strategies that schools can use to combat kids being overweight and obese in their communities:

1. Each year a team of representatives from the community and school system should assess the current state of their school health programs using the CDC School Health Index and develop new policies and procedures to make programmatic improvements.
   
   
2. This same team should examine their current school health and nutrition policies to look for strengths and weaknesses. New policies then should be proposed and implemented.
   
   
3. Schools should hire certified health educators to teach scientifically based health education curricula that are well designed and appropriate for each age group.
   
   
4. A school health coordinator should be selected and an ongoing School Health Council should be established to continuously assess, develop and improve policies and programs and communicate needs to the school leadership.
   
   
5. A staff wellness program should be implemented for school personnel so they will be good examples of physical fitness for students.
   
   
6. Certified physical education instructors should conduct physical education programs at the schools so that all students are moderately active for at least 50 percent of the class period in activities that all students can enjoy - not just those that are athletically gifted.
   
   
7. Schools should provide time for activity beyond physical education class and organized sports such as regular recess, short physical activity breaks in the classroom, walk-to-school programs, and intramural activities after school.
   
   
8. School meal programs should promote food selections that are low in fat, sodium and added sugars. Food service personnel should be educated in methods of food preparation that meet the Dietary Guidelines.
   
   
9. Schools should prohibit the sale and distribution of foods with minimal nutritional value as fund raisers or as rewards to students. Instead schools should promote lower fat, lower sugar selections at all school activities and facilities.

For schools and communities desiring to implement these recommendations, the following resources are recommended:

The School Health Index at www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/publications/index.htm

Fit, Healthy and Ready to Learn: A School Policy Guide at www.nasbe.org/HealthySchools/nasbepubs.mgi

Changing the Scene, Improving the School Nutrition Environment: A Guide to Local Action at www.fns.usda.gov/tn/Healthy/changing.html