Photo
by Kristin Roemer
|
| Fairview
Elementary School children are getting more time for
physical education activities as the school addresses
childhoood obesity.
|
Enough Junk
Poor diet, lack of exercise prompt rise in childhood obesity
By
Kristin Roemer
J201
Reporter
The signs are everywhere, and they're growing. Overweight children scarf down greasy
fries and loaded hamburgers at fast-food restaurants.
They sit in movie theaters
munching on popcorn doused in butter and smothered in salt.
And they visit amusement parks,
hounding concession stands for everything from cotton candy
to ice cream cones and candy bars.
Photo
by Kristin Roemer
|
| Rogers
Elementary School students participate in a physical
education class. Rogers, and other schools in Indiana,
have increased their p.e requirements to help students
stay healthy. |
These are all signs of a growing epidemic among children in the United States. Childhood
obesity is expanding, and quickly.
It's causing emotional problems for children. It's setting them up for an unhealthy lifestyle
down the road, and right now it's even raising attention in the legislature.
"This is a trend that
started off slowly and has all of a sudden become a big problem," said
Shannon D'Antonio, a nurse practitioner at Promptcare Heath
Center in Bloomington, Ind.
The rate of overweight children
and adolescents has almost tripled in the past 20 years,
according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention and the American
Obesity Association. While it is difficult to pinpoint
exactly when this sharp increase began, today one in five
American children are overweight or obese.
However, there is a difference between being overweight and being obese. This
difference is measured by Body Mass Index. BMI is determined
by a person's height and weight. A person who is overweight
has a BMI between 25 and 29.9. A person who is obese
has a BMI of 30 or more.
Health Risks
Body Mass Index Information:
Body Mass Index is a measure of body fat based on height
and weight that applies to both adult men and women.
Underweight = BMI less than 18.5
Normal weight = BMI between 18.5 and 24.9
Overweight = BMI between 25 and 29.9
Obese = BMI of 30 or more |
This trend leads to health
problems in children that are commonly referred to as adult
diseases including hypertension, asthma, cardiovascular disease,
and Type II diabetes, according to the CDC.
Type II diabetes is the most
common form of diabetes and is being diagnosed more frequently
in children. According to the American
Diabetes Association,
a person who has Type II diabetes does not produce enough insulin
or their cells ignore the insulin. Without insulin, the
body is unable to use sugar, which is the basic fuel for cells
in the body.
At least 80-percent of kids
with type II diabetes are overweight, according to the National
Institute of Diabetes. A combination of genetics
and poor lifestyle choices put people at risk for getting the
disease. But health risks are not the only concern with overweight
and obese kids.
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Emotional Consequences
These children also face the burdens of being teased at school. Jenna Meagher,
a sophomore at Indiana University, recalls being made fun of in elementary school.
"Kids that age don't get it," said Meagher. "They don't realize that they're
hurting someone's feelings. They just do it because that's what everyone else is doing."
P.E teacher helps kids shape up
By Kristin Roemer
J201 Reporter
It's 2:37
on a Thursday afternoon and the colorful gym at Rogers
Elementary School is quiet and empty. Just
minutes later, 24 energetic second- graders bolt
through the double doors filling the room with energy
and plenty of noise. It's time for Mrs. Patterson's
gym class.
The class
starts with three laps around the gym to get the
children's heart rates up and their bodies moving.
"I
always tell the kids when they come into class, do
good things for your body. Or I tell them to
make the gym as big as possible," said Maryann
Patterson, a physical education teacher at Rogers
Elementary School in Bloomington. "They
need to be doing this stuff for themselves, not just
because I say so."
Photo
by Kristin Roemer |
| Maryann
Patterson
consoles a discouraged student. She teaches children
to enjoy exercising by exposing her students
to a variety of physical activities. |
Patterson,
who has been teaching P.E. at different grade levels
for the past 34 years, says students need to exercise
now more than ever. At a time when more Americans
are battling obesity, children too are becoming
increasingly overweight. Today, 15-percent of youngsters
in the
United States are obese, according to a January
issue of Pediatrics.
That's
why Patterson is making a concerted effort to help her
grade-school
students.
"I
try to teach children how important exercise is and
what they have to do to maintain a healthy weight," said
Patterson.
Patterson's
interest in physical education started with a passion
for swimming in high school. From there, she
began giving lessons at a local YMCA in Peru, Ind.
Patterson
went on to major in physical education and minor
in psychology at Ball State University. Soon
after, she received her masters in physical education
and health science. Since then she has taught
at nine schools in Monroe County and has seen a change
in children's eating and exercising habits over the
years.
Patterson
believes it's important to keep kids active from
childhood on.
"We've
become so scholastically focused," said Patterson.
This academic
focus, along with budget cuts has forced many schools
to ditch recess time and P.E. altogether. At
Rogers Elementary, kindergarteners participate in
gym class twice a week for 20 minute increments while
first through third graders have class twice a week
for 25 minute periods.
"Five
days a week is ideal, but that just isn't going to
happen right now," said Patterson.
With the
time she does have, Patterson offers her students
a variety of activities that not only keep them active,
but also teach them skills they'll be able to use
later in life.
Patterson's
P.E. units throughout the school year include:
Kicking, where the focus is on soccer; football and
dance;
throwing and catching; ball handling skills; basketball;
volleyball; bowling; paddle and racket ball; jump
rope; kickball; gymnastics and running.
"Mrs.
Patterson is fun because every time we come [to class]
she always sets up fun games that the whole class
likes to play," said second-grader Ben McCulloch.
But Patterson
says this is not enough. She thinks there needs
to be more parent support at home too.
"I
see a lot of parents who undermine the health of
their children," said Patterson. We need
to educate the parents. They don't see that
their child is obese."
This
can start with subtle meal changes. Patterson
said desserts are the best way to start. Instead
of chocolate mousse pie, make it a fruit pie, she
suggested.
Rogers Elementary
offers brown-bagged lunch sessions to parents. These
give parents the chance to bring their lunch to school
and connect with other parents and faculty members.
"The
problems that the kids have go right back to the
parents," said Patterson .
When it
comes to school lunches, it's a whole other ball
game.
"Some
parents are very conscientious of what their kids are
eating and some think they
are conscientious," said Patterson .
Like at
most schools, there are a combination of "hot-lunchers
and bag-lunchers" at Rogers Elementary. Patterson
says the school has made an effort to improve the
lunch selection.
"It
is healthier and well-balanced," said Patterson. "We
offer the kids veggies and yogurts, healthy alternatives."
With these
kinds of efforts, Patterson hopes to see changes
in her students eating and exercising habits.
Patterson
says she will continue to do everything she can to
educate her students on the importance of staying
active and eating smart. She says the key is
keeping kids involved and interested.
"When
I don't know how to play games, Mrs. Patterson helps
me get better," said second-grader Jacqueline
Forney.
But through
all her years of teaching, Patterson knows physical
education is more than just playing games and having
fun.
"P.E.
plays an important part in teaching kids right and
wrong," said Patterson. "This is
something books can't do. It comes from being
hands-on."
|
Teasing can lead to low self
esteem, depression, anxiety disorders, and loneliness. Maryann
Patterson, a physical education teacher at Rogers Elementary
School in Bloomington,
sees kids as young as kindergarten putting themselves down
for being fat.
She says they hide who they
are by covering their bodies behind jackets or hiding their
faces behind their hair. Some kids bully others to make
themselves feel better.
"Creating a good self-image
in a person begins when they are very young," said Patterson
. "It is very hard to change your own image."
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Parental involvement
This begins with parent involvement. Studies
by the CDC illustrate that parents and pediatricians aren't
prepared to spot the early signs that kids are gaining too
much weight.
"I see a lot of parents who undermine the health of their children," said
Patterson. "They don't see that their child is obese."
The CDC study shows that 32-percent of mothers identified their overweight kids as being "about
the right weight."
"It boils down to convenience," said Patterson. She
describes some of the lunches that kids bring to school as
unhealthy and unbalanced. Lunchables are
a favorite.
"Some parents will try to pack a well-balanced lunch. They pack the sandwich,
vegetables, maybe a bag of chips and two or three cookies," saidPatterson.
"The kids will eat the chips and cookies and throw the rest away."
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Obesity in Indiana
Even the Indiana state legislature
notices the epidemic among children. An Indiana House
panel approved a bill in February designed to address Indiana's
child obesity problem,
according to the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.
The bill did not pass, but
its proposal has sparked public interest. The bill
would have required changes in school lunch programs, providing
students
with a healthier selection. It would also have required
30 minutes of physical exercise five days a week for elementary
students.
Wayne Nichols, a physical
education teacher at Fairview Elementary School in Bloomington,
says class periods are just too short.
"I
want those kids moving. By
the time you get them going, the class is over," said Nichols.
Photo
by Kristin Roemer |
| Wayne
Nichols shows a Fairview Elementary School Student
how to do a somersault. Students at Fairview are required
to exercise at least twice a week for 25 minutes. |
"Too short," according
to Nichols, means 25 minutes twice a week for first-through
third-grade and 25 minutes three times a week for fourth
through sixth- graders.
"Ideally, you want kids
to be moving and exercising as frequently as possible," said
Nichols. "Three days are better than two, five
are better than four."
For now, Nichols will have
to make due with the time he has and Indiana schools will have
to adjust to the changes among kids without the help of the
state.
Even if the bill had passed,
D'Antonio is skeptical it would have made any difference. "I
would like to say I think it would work, but in reality I think
it has to start at home." Children spend so much
time sitting in front of a computer or playing video games. There
is less and less physical activity outdoors at home, she said.
Patterson agrees. Parents
are afraid to let their kids play outside without supervision. But
parents aren't there to watch them either.
"It goes right back to the parent," said Patterson. "Some
of our kids get dropped off here at six in the morning and don't get picked up until
six at night. When they go home, fast-food is easiest
option for dinner."
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Fast Food
A study conducted by NewsRX
shows that every day, about one-third of U.S. children age
4-19 consumes fast-food. The study indicates that fast-food
consumption has increased fivefold among children since 1970.
But The U.S.
Chamber of Commerce disagrees
that fast-food is a major cause for the increase in child obesity. It
claims that nutrition facts are readily available and that
people choose to overeat.
A U.S. Chamber of Commerce
study summarizes alternative reasons for obesity in the United
States. People snack twice as often between meals as
they did 20 years ago and consume 200 calories more per day
than in the 1970s.
Whatever the reasons for this
growing epidemic, it is creating all kinds of problems. Patterson
predicts that healthcare bills will sky-rocket if children's
eating habits don't change. "We're going to be
supporting obese adults who are developing health diseases
and who need
surgery in the near future."
D'Antonio thinks there's hope. She
says with a few changes in society, we can shift this trend
in the opposite direction.
"The first step to fixing
the problem is to target the parents," said D'Antonio. "Because
that's where the real issue is."
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Designed
and edited by Lindsay Lyon
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