By Marissa Widdison
It is a condition linked with adult-onset diabetes and coronary heart disease, and one in every four Utah child lives with it everyday.
The truth is that 25 percent of Utah”s children are overweight, and nearly 12 percent are classified as obese. Worst of all, these numbers are on the rise.
“If this trend continues, 34 percent of third grade boys in Utah will be obese by the year 2010,” reads one pamphlet put out by the American Heart Association.
And with obesity linked to a variety of health dangers, parents like Jenny Adair said they are getting concerned.
“We talk to our kids, we tell them, ”Don”t sit in front of the stinking TV,”” said Adair, who is also the PTA president and a substitute teacher at Spring Creek Elementary in Provo. “Computers and Nintendo and TV lend as much to the laziness and obesity of our children as their dietary habits. Kids are drawn to the electronics like a black hole.”
Although lethargy might be one obvious contributor to the weighty problem facing Utah”s children, Adair spoke of another factor that she said is not as readily acknowledged.
“Everything served in school lunches are starch or carbohydrates,” Adair said. “I”m no nutritionist, but I would like to see more balanced meals.”
According to the American Heart Association, for every healthy vending machine food choice in Utah, there are 14 unhealthy choices.
“My kids eat school food every now and then, but I make them take a lunch to school to make sure they get a more balanced meal,” Adair said.
At Sunset View Elementary School, Mondays are pizza days. If a child doesn”t want pizza, the other option is a burrito. The rest of a typical week”s menu includes mac ”n cheese, turkey and gravy, nachos and stacked ham and potato chips.
Although Adair said she is frustrated with the dietary choices at Spring Creek, she also emphasized that there is a lot being done to encourage children to exercise.
“They have a really good P.E. program,” Adair said. “They (the students) usually have a good 30 minutes and come back beet-red in the face. As a parent I want my kids getting sweaty and getting their heart rate up for a good half hour. It”s a good thing.”
Debbie Cox, executive president of the Utah office of the American Heart Association, said there are some school programs designed specifically to help children exercise more.
“We do some things with the schools every year, like Jump Rope for Heart,” Cox said. “We try to teach them three basic ideas: to eat healthy, to exercise daily and to live tobacco-free lives.”
Before such programs begin, Heart Association staff members train teachers one-on-one. They also hold a school assembly.
“The kids really get excited,” Cox said. “That”s when they actually learn things like ”French fries are not vegetables.””
But even with these school programs, Cox said parents need to take control of the situation.
“When families go and get fast food, the parents can choose not to Biggie Size or Super Size the meal,” Cox said. “Use those opportunities as an exception, not a rule.”
Cox said that parents should also encourage their children to drink water instead of soda, and eat lots of fruits and vegetables everyday.
And even though Adair wants to see meal options changed, she said she agrees that obesity should be a family concern.
“If a teacher were to come to me and say ”Your child is overweight,” the mother bear would”ve come out in me in a big way,” Adair said. “Teachers have enough to deal with. It”s none of their concern.”
