What’s the solution?

[sensitiveguy]

May 19, 2008
By Susan Levine and Lori Aratani

The problem at first was that the problem was ignored: For almost two decades, young people in the United States got fatter and fatter -- ate more, sat more -- and nobody seemed to notice. Not parents or schools, not medical groups or the government.

But since the alarm was finally sounded in the late 1990s, the problem has been the country's reaction: a fragmented, inchoate response that critics say has suffered particularly from inadequate direction and dollars at the federal level.

"The sense of this as a national health priority just doesn't come through," said Jeffrey P. Koplan of Emory University, a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and chairman of the Institute of Medicine's 2004 study of childhood obesity. The top recommendation of that seminal report was for the government to convene a high-level, interdepartmental task force to guide a coordinated response. No such body has been assembled.

Contrast that with the offensive mounted in European countries: France mandated health warnings on televised food ads. Spanish officials reached agreement with industry leaders on tighter product labeling and marketing as well as reducing fat, salt and sugar in processed foods.

Britain has gone the farthest, restricting food ads on TV programs catering predominantly to children and pulling sweets and sweetened drinks from schools. Eighty-five percent of all grades have at least two hours of physical education a week. The 2011 goal is five hours.

"The whole of the government has signed up," Will Cavendish, director of health and well-being, said at a conference in Washington last month. Britain's Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives program is backed by $600 million in funding over three years.

There's no question that the U.S. epidemic won't be reversed by federal fiat alone; responsibility lies also with individuals, the health community, corporations, local governments and others. Still, health experts insist that strong leadership from the top is crucial. They see the Bush administration falling short of expectations and few real champions in Congress.

"This probably will contribute more to our health-care bill than anything else over the next 50 years," Koplan said.

The first signs of trouble appeared in the late 1970s as rates of overweight that had been relatively stable for years started to rise. In retrospect, they were reflecting societal, technological and policy shifts that would turn the youngest generation into the heaviest to date.

For starters, with more women working outside the home, families were eating more takeout or processed food. Spurred by the profit margins of volume production, fast-food restaurants pushed larger portions. Gadgets such as remote TV controls and video games meant children were planted for longer periods in front of televisions and computers. And on and on.

Through the 1990s, the waistline expansion accelerated. On campuses, once-rare vending machines multiplied as administrators signed exclusive contracts giving their schools a share of sales; the money was considered essential for band uniforms, sports equipment and other unfunded extras.

Soon, soda and chips were a ubiquitous part of millions of students' days. That it happened as many school systems minimized recess and physical education proved disastrous.

Federal officials defend their record, saying they have worked "resolutely and steadily" in the past eight years to combat obesity. They calculate that the Department of Health and Human Services has spent $4.5 billion on prevention, treatment and research since fiscal 2003, although programs that broadly address chronic disease are part of the total. Obesity-specific initiatives include Web-based public education campaigns, public service announcements, new dietary guidelines and, coming by late fall, first-time guidelines on physical activity.

Acting Surgeon General Steven K. Galson declared childhood obesity his main priority upon taking office last year and began traveling this spring to highlight jurisdictions that have been especially engaged. As head of an HHS council on the subject, he has received "incredible support" in focusing the department's attention, he said.

A White House spokeswoman said President Bush is equally concerned. Emily Lawrimore noted his speeches about fitness and the need for parents to be role models. He met with corporate executives last year to encourage advertising changes that would help youths make better food choices and stay active. "He thinks childhood obesity is a serious problem in our country that places a tremendous burden on American families, our economy and future generations," she said.

Yet the president has proceeded on often contradictory tracks. Although he launched an expansive HealthierUS project in 2002, he has tried to kill or cut some prominent federal efforts aimed at overweight children and teens. His 2009 budget, for example, would end a $75 million program to help schools and communities expand physical-education offerings and purchase equipment. It would maintain at current levels obesity grants to states, which have enough money to benefit just half the country.

Critics say the White House has not pushed the issue much beyond personal responsibility. They say the administration and lawmakers are not aggressively pressing for industry or food policy changes.

Only in December did the U.S. Department of Agriculture modify the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program to assist low-income families in buying fresh fruits and produce. The addition was blocked for a decade by politics and by industry sectors worried that WIC's food packages would contain less milk, eggs and cheese. Yet those traditional subsidies have helped to tip the scales. Nearly half of toddler and preschool WIC recipients are overweight or obese in some communities.

And the USDA's school breakfast and lunch program continues to sell whole milk and sweetened flavored milk. Mexico has eliminated both from its poverty programs and intends to do the same in schools.

Into the breach have stepped foundations committing hundreds of millions of dollars. State and local governments have also stepped up, passing myriad measures since 2005 to strengthen school nutrition standards and add recess and physical-education requirements. From churches and community centers to Scout troops, organizations large and small are trying to again get children moving or to teach them about better eating.

Influential groups have worked with food companies to limit marketing and availability of certain products to younger children. In the first major pact, the beverage industry acceded to removing many soft drinks from campus vending machines by the 2009-10 school year. "They understand they're under siege," said Kenneth R. Stanton, an assistant professor of finance at the University of Baltimore.

Stanton has become known for the UB Obesity Report Card, which he and colleagues first released in 2003. Few legislatures were debating anti-obesity bills then, much less enacting them. Three years later, Stanton found that more than half the states had approved panels on obesity, and a dozen had agreed to test students' height and weight to track body mass index.

But advocates say the limited power of persuasion and lesser state and local resources make forceful federal measures imperative. Jeffrey Levi urges an all-hands mobilization similar to what the government has demanded in advance of a possible flu pandemic.

"Obesity has potentially as great, if not greater, an impact on public health," said Levi, executive director of Trust for America's Health.

The USDA plays a central and often inconsistent role on the issue. It is the department behind the pyramid that shows Americans how fruits and vegetables should be consumed more than fatty foods, yet it supports companies' development of products that flout those guidelines. Pizza Hut's stuffed-crust pizza is among critics' ready examples.

"The conflict of interest is inherent in the USDA," said Kelly Brownell, professor of psychology at Yale University and co-founder of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. "Their main task is to promote agriculture and food, and their secondary task is to establish nutrition policy."

Congress has paid tepid attention to childhood obesity and repeatedly has rejected efforts of Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) to establish national standards for what is sold in schools outside of USDA-regulated hot meals. And a measure by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), to create a federal commission on childhood obesity prevention, among other actions, wasn't even debated.

A congressional request did prompt the Federal Trade Commission to order food and beverage companies to provide details on their activities and expenditures on food marketing to youth. A report should be public by fall. But whatever the commission recommends will not go further than self-regulation. Three decades after the FTC proposed a ban on TV ads for sugary, child-targeted foods that might cause dental problems, it remains severely restricted in any additional restraints it is allowed to impose.

[sensitiveguy]

This is so sad. Look at this 10 yr old little girl? 10 yrs old!!!

[sensitiveguy]

Whose fault is it? Government? Food Industry? Parents?

[BISHOP]

Parents gotta do their part 1st off. Keep the kids active. Don't let them sit around on a nice day playing video games. Don't start them on fast food early in life. Be an example. You workout and get fit and so will they.

[BISHOP]

Originally Posted by sensitiveguy

Whose fault is it? Government? Food Industry? Parents?

Some of the fault lies with the government.... My daughter works at a grocery store...said folks on medicaid/welfare can't use their voucher/foodstamps on organic/healthy foods. So, IMO some fault goes to Uncle Sam.

[sensitiveguy]

Originally Posted by BISHOP

Parents gotta do their part 1st off. Keep the kids active. Don't let them sit around on a nice day playing video games. Don't start them on fast food early in life. Be an example. You workout and get fit and so will they.

That might be easier said than done with the high price of EVERYTHING going up from gas to groceries.

I agree with you about the exercise though. When I was growing up, I HAD to take my azz outside and play whether I liked it or not. LOL Of course, there wasn’t much to do inside the house because all the shyt that kids have today was nonexistent like computers, video games and satellite TV. Keep in mind I had parents that were there when I came home from school and I think that made a huge difference, too. Unfortunately, that's a luxury I don't think many kids have today.

[BISHOP]

Originally Posted by sensitiveguy

That might be easier said than done with the high price of EVERYTHING going up from gas to groceries.

I agree with you about the exercise though. When I was growing up, I HAD to take my azz outside and play whether I liked it or not. LOL Of course, there wasn’t much to do inside the house because all the shyt that kids have today was nonexistent like computers, video games and satellite TV. Keep in mind I had parents that were there when I came home from school and I think that made a huge difference, too. Unfortunately, that's a luxury I don't think many kids have today.

Go ahead and say it SG..."in my day..." lol

Yesterday, I passed an empty baseball field. Think about that for a minute. It was a sunny day in May....the local MLB team here is on a 6 game winning streak...it's baseball season and there was an empty baseball field. This was a good field with the 300ft markers and all that. And in a middle class mixed neighborhood. IN MY DAY(LOL) you wouldn't see that. Hell, I didn't like baseball but, if my brothers and our friends went to play so did I. Kids just don't get out and play like they use to.

BTW, this picturelooks like the girl busted through the fence....chasing an ice cream truck or something...lol

[sensitiveguy]

Originally Posted by BISHOP

BTW, this picturelooks like the girl busted through the fence....chasing an ice cream truck or something...lol

You are so wrong!

[cc5k]

Originally Posted by BISHOP

Parents gotta do their part 1st off. Keep the kids active. Don't let them sit around on a nice day playing video games. Don't start them on fast food early in life. Be an example. You workout and get fit and so will they.

That's all true, but I'm going to put this one on the government. Our governmental policies have the ability to influence how parents raise their kids and how they care for themselves.

To take an extreme case, imagine what would happen if all the obviously unhealthy foods were illegal. (Other than the black market for twinkies..lol), people would become MUCH healthier.

Not to sound like a socialist, but that's where I think we need to go, and that's where I think we WILL go eventually.

[sensitiveguy]

Here's where they stand on childhood obesity:

As president, how would you make the issue of childhood obesity a national health priority?

Clinton: "Clinton has . . . pledged to ban junk food in schools by requiring all schools that participate in the school lunch or breakfast programs to make available only foods that meet or surpass [U.S. Department of Agriculture] nutrition standards. And she has proposed . . . to make the school breakfast program universal for all students in low-income communities and to double the summer feeding program."

Obama: "Obama would convene a high-level task force [for] regularly examining federal budgets, policies and programs. . .; identifying opportunities for coordination and collaboration across departments; and establishing consensus regarding priorities for action. Equally important, Obama will ensure the departments had the appropriate resources and authorities to implement any recommendations from the task force."

McCain: "McCain . . . believes that solving the problem of obesity in children can help prevent a lifetime of chronic health conditions. To accomplish that, we must do a better job of teaching children and their parents about child health, nutrition and exercise."


What role do you think the federal government should play in tackling the issue, and how much additional money would you commit to that?


Clinton: "Clinton believes that the federal government, along with other stakeholders, has an important role to play in ensuring that all Americans, including children, have access to quality health care, including preventive services. Her health care plan will require an up-front federal investment of $110 billion. . . . Clinton is also committed to increasing funding for the Carol White Physical Education Program [PEP grants] . . . and to implement a healthy schools program that will provide funding for schools that commit to replacing all unhealthy food with healthy food by 2012."

Obama: "Given the severity of the epidemic and its long-term health and financial implications, Obama believes the federal government must play an important role in addressing this issue. Obama will support efforts to expand and accelerate research on childhood obesity prevention and treatment; support nutrition and physical activity grant programs that are both school- and community-based; and support public health and advocacy group efforts at the community level."

McCain: "McCain believes the fight against obesity involves more than just the federal government mandating fitness. Parents should provide their children with healthier meals and make exercise a family activity; schools must provide children with nutrition education and should offer more opportunities for physical education; and health-care providers should use yearly checkups as an opportunity to guide their patients through diet and fitness goals. The federal government can support these efforts . . . by providing healthy food options to schools through the school nutrition program, providing adequate funding for [PEP grants] and working to ensure that prevention and maintenance are part of basic health care plans."


Would you support national regulation of food advertising and marketing to children? Why or why not?


Clinton: "She would like to see the entire food industry come together to develop voluntary guidelines that take their responsibility to children seriously. She believes that there are a lot of steps that the private sector and the public sector, working together, can take to curb marketing and availability of unhealthy products to our children. As senator, she championed the Children and Media Research Advancement Act to study the impact of electronic media on child development. This bill provides targeted funding to research the links between advertising and childhood obesity."

Obama: "The food industry overall could do substantially more to limit [children's] exposure to foods with minimal nutritional value. Obama believes that guidelines for advertising and marketing of foods and beverages must be finalized, and the industry should be encouraged to implement these guidelines on a voluntary basis. If voluntary adoption is not effective, Obama believes that these guidelines should be made mandatory and that the Federal Trade Commission should have the authority and the resources to monitor and enforce compliance."

McCain: "The federal government regulates food advertisements that are deceptive or untruthful, and McCain believes these regulations are vital to ensuring that well-informed parents can instill healthy eating habits in their children. McCain supports appropriate and informative food labeling so that parents can make healthy choices for their families. Additionally, he encourages food manufacturers and marketers to create voluntary standards to regulate advertising and marketing towards children as necessary and in a manner that could withstand court scrutiny."


Would you seek to amend the No Child Left Behind law to mandate physical education in schools and measurements of its progress? Why or why not?


Clinton: "Clinton does not believe that more federal mandates are the solution to the problems facing our schools. What we need is to reduce the overemphasis on tests and give schools more flexibility to offer physical education and sports programs."

Obama: "Obama would encourage physical education by supporting increased funding for physical education through [PEP grants] and other initiatives, targeting schools in states with the highest rates of childhood obesity."

McCain: "Each school has unique needs and challenges relating to the general physical health of students, and decisions regarding how to address child obesity concerns should be made at the local level to ensure they reflect [those] needs."

[TUCKER]

Yesterday, I passed an empty baseball field. Think about that for a minute. It was a sunny day in May....the local MLB team here is on a 6 game winning streak...it's baseball season and there was an empty baseball field. I didn't like baseball but, if my brothers and our friends went to play so did I. Kids just don't get out and play like they use to.

You're right BISHMAN and that is the saddest commentary on our youth, for the most part, today! And that is in anybody's day! We've microvised, televised, and caused mental, spirtitual, and physical suicide for many of our kids. Think about it BISHMAN, they're content to play MLB on the WWi, either that or the JOHN MADDEN version in football season. I suppose both of them are so realistic that whats the point in going out and getting all dirty! (LMAO)

Remember I told you about the friend who loved birds so much that he'd shoot the real ones with a bb gun to keep them from crapping on his new car. Then he went to WALMART and bought some plastic ones to stick in his yard. Such is the world!