Youth Obesity Weighs Heavily on the Heart of Texas Tech

Lubbock Avalanche-Journal ^ | 09-30-03 | Davis, John

[Theodore R.]

Youth obesity weighs heavily on Tech's heart

By JOHN DAVIS AVALANCHE-JOURNAL

Confronting the "silent threat" of childhood obesity will be the first order of business for the Healthy Lubbock Initiative, Dr. M. Roy Wilson's vision for making Lubbock the healthiest city in Texas.

Wilson, the new president of Texas Tech's Health Sciences Center, spoke Monday to about 125 people from Lub bock's health, academic, religious and business sectors about his views on children and obesity.

"Your presence here today means a lot," Wilson told the audience. "You are committed to what we want, which is to make the quality of life here in Lubbock better. This (overweight children) is a silent threat that will affect our quality of life. We won't know until it's too late that we have a real problem."

Currently, 40 percent of Texas fourth-graders are obese or overweight, according to Dr. Patti Patterson, vice president for rural and community health for the HSC.

"As a Health Sciences Center, we can't do it alone," Wilson told his audience. "My hope is by working together, we can really begin to, first of all, understand the problems and, No. 2, make concrete steps toward fixing the problem."

Patterson told those assembled that two-thirds of all Americans are overweight or obese. About 300,000 deaths a year are attributed to people being overweight, she said.

The number of overweight children has tripled since 1980, she said. The reason can be traced to multiple factors: households with two working parents, lack of exercise, excessive snacking, driving instead of walking or biking, and parents' fear of letting children play alone in neighborhoods and parks.

In addition to that, vending machines pervade schools, and fast food restaurants — where portion sizes have grown significantly — are close by, she said.

Weighty facts • The economic costs of obesity in the U.S. amounted to $115 billion in 2000.

• Overweight adolescents are 70 percent more likely to become obese as adults.

• More than 80 percent of diabetics are overweight or obese.

• 29 percent of adult Texans say they do not exercise.

• Among Texas fourth-graders, 17.7 percent of white males, 21.6 percent of African-American males and 30.1 percent of Hispanic males are overweight.

• This generation of elementary schoolchildren will be the first to have a lower life expectancy than their parents.

Source: "Overweight & Obesity: What We Know, What We Don't Know, and Why We Care."

Poor children often are at a disadvantage because their diets tend to be heavy in junk food.

All these issues must be addressed, she said.

"There's no vaccine," Patterson said. "There's no simple answer. It's not like with smoking, where you just quit. You have to eat.

"We need to look at what specifically works for us," she said of the Lubbock community. "We don't want to transplant some system from someplace else."

Unless the trend of childhood obesity is reversed, the current generation of elementary school and pre-school children will be the first generation of Americans to have a lower life-expectancy than their parents, she said.

Although Lubbock ISD schools offer education in health, nutrition and exercise, parental involvement has been difficult to achieve, said Jane Tustin, coordinator for Lubbock Independent School District's Health Services.

"Part of it is to get parents to actually see this as a problem," Tustin said. "And second, trying to get parents involved in schools has been a problem for everything. Where is the time to put in family physical activity or taking the time to cook a meal that takes a little longer when everybody comes home and is starving?"

After presentations, participants in Monday's discussion broke into groups and brainstormed ways to attack the problem.

Organizers hope the groups will offer ways to confront "the silent threat."

jdavis@lubbockonline.com 766-8713

[Roughneck]

Our local high schools just replaced "fat-causing" coke machines with cappucino machines. . . they should have made PE mandatory again instead.

[TXBubba]

The reason can be traced to multiple factors: households with two working parents, lack of exercise, excessive snacking, driving instead of walking or biking, and parents' fear of letting children play alone in neighborhoods and parks.

Well, at least they got those right. I totally agree with the "play alone" thing. As a kid I would ride my bike all over the neighborhood. My friends and I would whine when it was getting dark and our parents were calling us in for baths etc. Would I think of letting my kids do that? With all the crimes against children everywhere? No way. We have to find an organized sport or make sure our kids are supervised at all times at the park etc.

Also, I did watch a lot of TV growing up. But I didn't have the computer to park in front of either. It is up to the parents to limit couch potato time and snacks.

[TXBubba]

You said it! We also had mandatory PE growing up. Now they don't even get recess in some schools. Hard to believe but it is true. When is a kid supposed to get any exercise? Here you have to balance PE with art and music. I like art and music as much as the next person but it isn't something that will burn fat.

[Squawk 8888]

Now they don't even get recess in some schools. Hard to believe but it is true. When is a kid supposed to get any exercise?

Hey, we all know what happens to kids who DO exercise- they get put on Ritalin.

[BMiles2112]

"There's no vaccine," Patterson said. "There's no simple answer. It's not like with smoking, where you just quit. You have to eat.
There's a vaccine. It is a simple answer. Feed them right, send them outside, limit TV and computer time.

[MotleyGirl70]

they should have made PE mandatory again instead.

You mean to tell me PE ISN'T mandatory???

Growing up PE was mandatory for me from grade school up until 11th grade. And it should be now! These kids need exercise, if only for 45 minutes out of a school day. It physically stimulates the body.

PE was fun. In high school we had archery, bowling (at the bowling alley), swimming, softball, tennis, track, in door hockey, volleyball, soccor, basketball, gymnastics. We had it all.

I don't know if they would even have swimming in PE anymore.

I bet some of these youngsters would really like to get outside the classroom, in the fresh and enjoy some exercise, playing soccor, kickball, hop scotch, jump rope or whatever is available to them.

[Roughneck]

You mean to tell me PE ISN'T mandatory???


Not anymore. Hear tell, lot of parents responsible. Did not like it if little billy or betty didn't "get picked", hurt their little egos, or perhaps sammy or sally had an allergy or was "just not the competitive type".

Now kids are coming out of school not only stupid - but out of shape as well. . .