From fat to fit: How Nebraska can free itself from childhood obesity
No matter how you look at it, childhood obesity in Nebraska is at a critical level. Our children are big, they’re getting bigger and we’re not doing enough to turn the corner on the problem.
“It’s especially alarming,” said Dr. Rob Rauner, M.D., “since the consequences of childhood obesity aren’t felt today. They’re felt 10, 20 years down the road.”
Speaking at a recent Community Summit for Prevention of Childhood Obesity in Lincoln, Neb., Rauner supported his statement with charts showing how, in just 30 years, the national incidence of childhood obesity among 12- to 19-year-olds has more than tripled. Today, more than a third of all teenagers across the United States are categorized as either overweight or obese.
Analyzing childhood obesity today
How did we get to this point? Part of the answer lies in the use of time, both during the school day and during leisure time. More and more, free time is dominated by technology including cell phones, social networks, video games and the Internet, leaving little time for physical activity. In addition, cutbacks to physical education programs have reduced the opportunities for physical activity during the school day. Combine that with the fact that walking and biking to school is much less common than in generations past, and it’s easy to see the root of the problem—not enough activity!
In fact, fewer than 1 percent of students aged 7–15 ride their bicycle to school regularly, a 60 percent decrease from the participation seen in the 1970s. According to Kelly Morgan, program coordinator for the Nebraska Department of Roads – Safe Routes Nebraska program, there are a number of reasons for this decreased participation, but one consistent parental concern nationwide is the safety of children on the way to and from school.
“When children have access to safe walking and biking routes to school, it helps parents achieve the goal of increasing their physical activity during the before- and after-school hours,” Morgan said. “This is especially important today, as in-school physical education programs are experiencing cuts that give children fewer opportunities for activity during the school day.”
A 2002 CDC study found that only 77 percent of students aged 9–13 reported participating in any type of free-time physical activity during the seven days preceding the survey. And 25 percent of high school students didn’t participate in 60 minutes or more of any physical activity that made them breathe hard on any day during the seven days preceding a 2008 CDC study on physical activity and the health of young people. Since physical activity has been shown to decrease as age increases, these low participation numbers among our youth are especially disturbing.
While activity levels decrease, electronic sedentary behaviors (ESB), including television viewing, computer use (excluding use for homework) and gaming-system use, are on the rise. During an average school day, students in Nebraska spend more than 3.5 hours engaging in ESB activities. In fact, 35 percent of students spend five or more hours each day in front of the television!
The issue of nutrition
Nutrition is another challenge facing Nebraska schoolchildren and their families. A recent study found that fewer than one in five Nebraska students consumed milk regularly or received the USDA-recommended number of daily servings of fruits and vegetables on a regular basis.
On the other hand, more than half of Nebraska students drank more than 12 ounces of soda during each of the seven days prior to the survey. The majority of the soda consumed was the regular, nondiet variety, which contains a large number of empty calories. “One hundred extra calories a day equates to about 10 pounds of weight a year,” Rauner said.
In order to impact meaningful change, a more comprehensive strategy and set of tactics must be employed. Here’s why: Nebraska’s children are among the most obese in the nation.
The state ranks 21st in the nation in the percentage of overweight or obese children, according to a 2007 study compiled by the National Survey of Children’s Health. The study found that nearly one-third of Nebraska’s children aged 10–17 are either overweight or obese.
While the ranking may seem middle-of-the-pack, Nebraska is only 6 percent behind Arkansas, the state with the second-highest number of overweight or obese children. Since there are quite a few states within a few points of one another at the top of the chart, in reality Nebraska is among those with the highest incidence of childhood obesity.
In addition, 2009 statistics released by Lincoln Public Schools (LPS) and reported by Dr. Rauner showed that the rate of fifth graders across the district who are overweight or obese was slightly higher than the national average. Furthermore, the rate of overweight and obese LPS fifth graders that receive free or reduced-cost meals in the bottom 50 percent of the income range is an alarming 12 points higher than the district-wide average. Almost 48 percent of these low-income students were determined to be either overweight or obese. It’s clear there are socioeconomic factors at play in the childhood obesity issue.
Community-based solutions are critical to reducing childhood obesity
Many experts, including Dr. Rauner, feel that turning the tide of childhood obesity is an issue that should be at the forefront of health care reform, as it’s predicted to be one of the most significant factors contributing to the future growth of health costs.
According to Dr. Karla Lester, the founder of Teach a Kid to Fish, instilling healthy habits and developing a love of physical activity and the outdoors early in life are more likely to have children mature into healthy, fit adults.
“When kids develop healthy habits early in life, they’re more likely to carry those through to adulthood,” Lester said. “Unfortunately, for a lot of children, these healthy habits aren’t getting modeled for them in the home. So if they’re going to receive exposure to these positive, healthy habits, it’s going to take a collaborative public health initiative that key stakeholders from all around the community have ownership in.”
Lester supports the Safe Routes Nebraska program, as it’s been instrumental to an increased number of children receiving the exercise they need to live happy, healthy lives. She said that Safe Routes Nebraska is a good example of a statewide program that brings together government, community leaders and schools together to identify problems, develop solutions and impact positive change on the community.
The Nebraska Department of Roads works by distributing approximately one million dollars of Safe Routes funding annually across the state to support building safer walking and biking routes to school and to promote walking and biking to school through education. A federally funded program, Safe Routes Nebraska gives schools, parent-teacher organizations and other community groups access to funds, resources and information that can make it easier for kids to get active during the time directly before and after school.
Morgan said that simple changes to everyday routines can lead to substantial gains against childhood obesity. For families that live long distances from school, or who don’t have a complete safe route to school from home, she recommends starting with one day per week, and instead of driving kids to school, park several blocks away from school, so that it takes about 15 minutes to walk with kids to school.
“When you add up the days, those extra bits of exercise can have a big impact,” she said. “And you’ll likely find that the times you spend walking with your kids to and from school will become some of your favorite times of the day.”
According to Lester, one in three Nebraska schoolchildren will develop diabetes. For many, their diabetes will be related to obesity, and while it’s encouraging to think that the numbers can be reduced, Lester said that we first have to get a handle on the health and nutrition disparities and develop a comprehensive call to action that includes the voice of the community. In short, it’s going to take a community-wide effort, and it’s going to be a tough fight.
The following Web sites provide more information on childhood obesity and steps your family and community can take to solve the problem.
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