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Curbing Childhood Obesity

When it comes to kid’s health, the statistics are far from encouraging. One out of 3 American kids are now considered overweight or obese, and for the first time in the nation’s history, children may live shorter lives than their parents.

Kids all over the country are experiencing the same upward trends in obesity as adults thanks in large part to unhealthy food choices combined with lack of physical activity.

While Michigan’s youth are not faring as poorly as the state’s adults- Michigan ranks 10^th as the state with the highest adult obesity rate and 41^st for childhood obesity rate -  researchers do know that kids who have overweight or obese parents are at an increased risk for also being overweight or obese.

This has motivated the Michigan Department of Community Health in combination with schools and other community outreach programs around the state to develop health education initiatives to support healthy behaviors in kids.

According to the Michigan Department of Community Health, being overweight or obese in childhood is associated with a number of adverse consequences, including increased risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer, as well as social and emotional trouble including peer stigmatization, discrimination and bullying.

Many of the factors that contribute to this problem occur in school such as the reduction in required physical education classes, the easy availability of soft drinks and convenience food and the increasing number of kids that no longer walk or bike to school.

In an effort to restack the odds in favor of healthy kids, Project Healthy Schools, a community and University of Michigan Health System collaborative, is a program designed to teach sixth grade students about heart-healthy lifestyles, with hopes of reducing their future risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Project Healthy Schools reaches 13 schools in the Southeast Michigan area including certain Detroit Charter, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Owosso and Corunna public middle schools.  Here is how it works: All sixth grade students participate in ten 20 – minute, weekly classroom activities. The activities provide a hands-on and fun learning experience focusing on one of the program’s five goals:

• eating more fruits and vegetables
• exercising at least 150 minutes per week
• eating less fast and fatty food
• making better beverage choices
• spending less mindless time in front of a computer or TV screen

“We can prevent this” says Jean DuRussel-Weston RN MPH CHES, Manager of Project Healthy Schools for the University of Michigan Health System. “Research suggests that this is a formidable age group for kids to learn healthy behaviors because it is during this time when they begin to make their own choices.”

Project Healthy Schools has worked with Ann Arbor public schools to improve the nutrition quality of cafeteria food and going above the national school lunch recommendations, says DuRussel-Weston.

From switching fried potato chips to baked, swapping out chocolate candy bars for granola bars and exchanging sports drinks for bottles of water, Project Healthy Schools is creating small but powerful changes in the food offerings in local schools.

While the childhood obesity statistics are disturbing, programs like Project Healthy Schools, along with Michelle Obama’s nationwide “Let’s Move” campaign,  health professionals, schools, communities and families are working hard to provide young kids an opportunity to learn healthy habits that will last a lifetime.