Obesity among U.S. schoolchildren is on the rise, and schools can help fight this battle of the bulge

Each year, physical education teacher Jan Leuer sees more overweight students entering the gym doors of Sunset Hills Elementary School in Plymouth, Minn.—a lot more than when she began teaching 18 years ago, Leuer says.

The change Leuer has noted over the years coincides with this country’s ongoing struggle with obesity. Since the 1980s, the number of overweight children has nearly doubled, and the number of overweight teens has tripled. Roughly 15 percent of children and adolescents ages

6-19 years are overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And, a recent report says that obesity is poised to overtake smoking as the number one cause of preventable death in America.

As the number of overweight children continues to grow, schools increasingly are being called upon to help curb the problem. Schools can combat many of the factors that contribute to obesity—such as lack of activity, lack of healthy alternatives and poor nutritional choices by encouraging healthy eating and physical activity, experts say. And schools would be wise to get involved; recent studies link good nutrition and fitness with improved academic performance.

“Health is [part of] a lifestyle. That’s why it is important to target kids while they’re young —teaching them the skill and giving the knowledge they need to live healthy lives,” says Leuer who spends about 90 minutes a week with her students—much less than the recommended 150 minutes a week.

Teaching children the value of making healthy choices is vital because the lifestyles of American children have changed. Kids simply aren’t getting enough exercise these days. Fewer than one in four gets 20 minutes of daily vigorous activity. As a result, many young people already have risk factors for chronic diseases such as asthma, diabetes, hypertension and sleep apnea, as well as the psychosocial effects and stigma of being overweight. And, according to the research, most overweight children and teens are likely to become overweight adults—this means continued disease and more pressure on the already pressed healthcare system.

However, developing good habits and changing bad ones can make a difference. Leuer runs a successful after-school program that encourages students to engage in and record their physical activities such as walking, playing a sport or riding their bikes. Students are awarded points for each activity and given prizes based on the number of points accumulated. Many overweight students are participants in the program, says Leuer, who is a member of the Wayzata Education Association in Minnesota. “No one judges them, and it’s something they can do on their own,” she says. “They become more active and more aware of doing something for themselves.”
 

Serving up healthier choices

Efforts to prevent obesity are cropping up all over the country. In 2001, then U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher issued a call to action by creating Action for Healthy Kids, a nationwide initiative dedicated to improving the health and educational performance of children through better nutrition and physical activity in schools. The AFT was among the organizations that answered the call by becoming a partner in the effort.

This year, Congress allocated $70 million to provide grants to schools and after-school programs to improve existing physical education programs or create new ones. And many states are beginning to recognize that there is a problem, and lawmakers are trying to remedy that by legislating healthy choices in schools.

In California last year, the state passed a law banning vending-machine sales of carbonated beverages to elementary, middle and junior high school students; these drinks have been replaced by milk, water and juice. The law also limits accessibility to those machines in middle and junior high schools from one-half hour before the start of the school day to one-half hour after the end of the school day.

“Kids will buy what’s available to them,” says Pat Christie, a certified school nurse at Aptos High School in California’s Pajaro Valley Unified School District. Christie, a member of the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers, is on her school’s committee to address nutrition on campus. Well before it was mandated by state law, the committee opted to offer healthier choices in its campus vending machines. The school also got involved in Project LEAN, a statewide program that focuses on providing nutritional alternatives to students.

“There is a need for consumer education—where students can learn more about the food they eat because they are developing habits that are molded for life,” says Christie. But there just hasn’t been a groundswell for policy change, she adds. “Schools are struggling with other issues like funding,” Christie points out. “Prevention programs look like they can wait,” she says, “but they can’t.”

Schools are in a dilemma. Most are financially strapped, and the money they get from vending machine sales, as well as fast food that is offered as an alternative to traditional school lunches, is a big source of revenue. High calorie selections are common in most middle schools and high schools. Nearly half (43 percent) of elementary schools and most middle and high schools (89 percent and 98 percent respectively) have either a vending machine or a school store where students can purchase competitive foods or beverages, according to the CDC. At the same time, there is often not enough money or time available to keep health education or physical education programs in place.

The lack of physical education is a disservice to students, says Christie. “Physical education can encourage them to pursue an active lifestyle for a lifetime.”

Charlene Burgeson, executive director of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE), which represents 18,000-members, agrees: “Those in charge of school budgets worry about the costs,” she says. But, “they need to think about the cost of not doing this.” The health of our children now and in the future is at stake, she says.

Still Burgeson understands the challenges that schools face. “There is no simple solution. We need to think about how we utilize the school day. Are we sacrificing a total education by taking away physical education as well as music and art?”

In light of the No Child Left Behind legislation, which emphasizes math and English/language arts as core subjects but omits physical education and health, Burgeson says NASPE will advocate for more focus on physical education by working closely with state boards of education and local school boards.

Physical education and good health are at the core of a good education. “Physical education gives children an opportunity to be active during the school day—thus minimizing the chance of becoming overweight—and the knowledge and skill needed to participate in activities,” Burgeson explains, noting that regular physical education also increases the likelihood that students will choose to be active on their own and into their adulthood. “We don’t want to see misguided decisions to limit programs,” she argues. “It’s shortsighted to focus on a strong mind and not a strong body.”

—Adrienne Coles