Avoiding the Super Sized Generation
By Melissa Brown, SSDA Executive Director
Small school districts have a secret “healthy kids” weapon. It’s called quality care by name. Most small school district superintendents, teachers, and staff know every child by name. They also know their students eating habits and something about the child’s family history. Such knowledge counts and is part of the best practice formula when it comes to winning the battle of the super sized generation and its unwanted impacts.
Childhood obesity is more than a challenge—it is a very visible epidemic caused by years of insufficient attention, poor habits, and ineffective school and home practices. What’s worse—it’s largely curable. So, why does it persist?
Forty years after President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Child Nutrition Act, many of our youth are malnourished, unfed, go to school hungry, “pig out” on super sized, unhealthy foods, or fail to exercise regularly. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the number of overweight children ages 6-11 has doubled in the past 20 years; for adolescents 12-19 years old, the overweight figure has tripled. An estimated 17% of U. S. children are overweight, and policymakers believe schools can help students trim down and shape up. After all, we did it in times past and can certainly do it now.
Today’s overweight epidemic occurs predominately within the nation’s poorest rural and urban areas. The CDC research shows overweight numbers are highest among Caucasians from low-income families, Mexican American boys, African-American girls, and American Indian youth. The CDC claims the average daily consumption of soft drinks among young girls doubled from 1978 to 1998, while it nearly tripled among boys during the same period. The CDC advocates a “whole child” approach and is promoting a Healthy Youth! Initiative (www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/) encouraging all segments of the population to join with schools in combating the epidemic.
Small School District Association member Chris McGriff, Superintendent of Happy Valley has joined the whole child healthy development movement by involving his youth directly. He has developed a contract with a local vendor who prepares nutritious lunches daily and delivers them to the school with menu input of the students. The youth not only take turns serving the meals, but also advertise the menus to their peers. The result: more nutritious foods, less waste, reduced costs, and a complementary nutrition education program that encourages students to become more responsible for their own health. “Our kids take great pride in meal planning and learn some community service techniques, too. Then, they help educate their parents about the value of nutrition,” said McGriff.
On May 3, 2007 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger joined with former President Bill Clinton to co-lead the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Working with the American Heart Association Clinton and Schwarzenegger are building a bipartisan coalition to reverse the dangerous, growing trend of childhood obesity. “Ensuring the health and well-being of our children is my top priority,” said Governor Schwarzenegger.
The William J. Clinton Foundation has built a terrific new website to assist schools with nutrition programs, planning and education. Finding healthful snacks to serve in schools has never been easier! No more looking at nutritional values or serving sizes with the new Healthy Schools Product Navigator, a free online tool (www.healthiergeneration.org). They have also launched the new online home of the “Go Healthy Challenge”—a site that features interactive tools, health tips, and activities designed to support kids as they take the pledge to Go Healthy! Get involved. Encourage your students to Go Healthy and watch the improvements at your school site!
