Posted on 03/21/2002 7:44:15 AM PST by gubamyster
School Sends Letter to Parents of Obese Kids Schools Get Involved in Effort to Combat Obesity Epidemic
By Joann Loviglio The Associated Press
P H I L A D E L P H I A, March 20 — Some parents in one Pennsylvania school district are being sent letters that aren't alerting them about problems with their child's grades or behavior, but about their weight.
"When an examination reveals a child has vision problems, hearing problems, we inform the family; we weren't doing anything for weight," said George Ziolkowski, director of pupil personnel services for the East Penn School District, about 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia. "If we have information that may have some bearing on a child's future health, why just put it in a drawer?"
The district now mails home letters to parents of children who are underweight, overweight or at risk of becoming overweight, urging them to see a doctor to rule out any underlying medical condition and encouraging them to contact their child's school nurse for nutrition and exercise information.
‘A Public Health Epidemic’
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls overweight and obesity "a public health epidemic," noting that the percentage of children and adolescents who are defined as overweight has more than doubled since the early 1970s.
Lifestyle changes are largely to blame: computer games and TV keep kids indoors; busy parents rely on fast or prepared foods that are loaded with fat; kids left alone after school are filling up on junk food.
Nationwide, about 13 percent of children and adolescents are overweight or obese, as are nearly 60 percent of adults, according to a report released in December by then-Surgeon General David Satcher.
The rate for the 300 elementary school children in the 6,800-student East Penn School District is right around the national number; results for older children have not yet been tabulated, Ziolkowski said.
About 380 confidential letters have gone out to elementary and middle school students since the program started this fall, with more expected to be sent once high school screenings are completed, Ziolkowski said.
He said he has fielded about 50 phone calls from parents — with those in favor and against the program about evenly split.
Stephanie Hertzog said the letter she received about her 12-year-old son Michael, a fifth-grader, didn't come as a surprise to either of them.
"He's a very husky boy. We know about his weight problem," she said. Her son stays active with baseball, bicycling and bowling but the school notification is helped her to broach the sensitive subject.
Does It Hurt Kids' Self-Image?
In southern Florida, under a program spearheaded a year ago by the Citrus County School District and the county health department, letters are sent home to all parents with a box checked indicating whether their child is overweight, at risk of becoming overweight, underweight or normal based on a formula called Body Mass Index.
The letters tell parents of overweight children of the potential health risks and advise a complete medical screening.
"We had some parents who seemed to think that nobody had thought of their child as overweight and what were doing was calling attention to the child, when the fact of the matter is that they're reminded of that fact every day" by classmates, said Sylvia Byrd of the Florida Health Department's School Health Program.
"To people who say this hurts their self-image, I would say that the biggest boost for their self-image would be to get them to a healthier weight and a more active lifestyle," she said.
Florida has mandated that the health department gather baseline data on students in kindergarten, third, sixth and ninth grades and offer counseling to overweight students in those grades. State health officials left it up to local health departments on how to do that.
Sending letters home to make parents aware of their child's weight problem — and the potential for complications like diabetes and high blood pressure — is a good idea, said Dr. Andrew Tershakovec, director of the Weight Management Program at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
He said the number of children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, joint problems and high cholesterol is rising along with obesity rates and added that schools should take an active role by providing plenty of opportunities for exercise and nutritious cafeteria choices.
"It's wholly appropriate for the public health community to identify children in this way," Tershakovec said. "It's a public health issue."
Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Little Jimmy isn't so little anymore. Chocolate is not a food group.
Regards,
Your School
CC: Child Protective Services
Better start working on your resume George...
Along with whomever came up with this darlin' Brave New World idea.
Ya really think fat kids' parents don't know their kids are fat?
Gheeeez.
Talk about adding fuel to a (sensitive) fire!
HOMESCHOOL Bump!!!
By the way, what happens if one is a homeschooler and the doc says your kid is overweight--a call to CPS?
For the children.
That describes most children. For a LOT of them, they grow OUT before they grow UP.
HOWEVER
"It's wholly appropriate for the public health community to identify children in this way," Tershakovec said. "It's a public health issue."
This cr@p concerns me. Wait until that info is released to the HMOs and health insurance companies.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Blimpie, we can't offer you coverage. Our records show that you've had a weight problem since grade school, and we took a glance at your shopping records, obtained through your "Acme Super-saver" card. We noticed that you're not trying to control your weight, and are, in fact, eating foods that are contributing to the problem. The cost of covering weight-related health problems is just too high."
It will happen, mark my words.
I'll notice they're not whining about the number of soda machines and candy-vending machines in schools, either.
Or at risk of developing an ingrown toe nail or permaturely going bald. What a bunch of garbage.
Love, the nosey-biddies at the government run school.
"It's wholly appropriate for the community to identify children in this way," Tershakovec said. "It's a public safety issue."
Lets see some facts and figures. How is this being computed? I recall the last study of American "Obesity" from the US Government almost classified me as being overweight....literally.
And I'm 33 years old, 6'2, 186 pounds. I simply couldn't believe what I was hearing.
Is the government still using the same criteria from the 70's? Was this information actually tracked in the 70's and was it reliable? If they've changed the criteria since the 70's, did they compensate for the criteria changes?
Until they cough up some facts and figures this entire article can be dismissed as a lie. What I see on a day to day basis belies the statement that 13 out of every 100 kids are obese.
But the biggest culprit here is the fat-filled school lunches.
If they want to take my fork they'll have to/// never mind.....
I looked at the "new, revised" weight tables not long ago, and there aren't many of us who stand a chance of falling within them -- at least if we're middle-aged. The ideal weight for my age and build is supposedly 170 pounds, max. Hit 180 and I'm in the "near" overweight category.
I'm 6' medium build, and about 215 pounds. Yes, at 215, I'm overweight and am doing something about it, but I've also been 170, and I can tell you that I look positively cadaverous at that "ideal" weight. 185 to 190 suits me just fine -- but not Uncle Sam, evidently.
Where do I report for my ration of Bulgur wheat, broccoli and tofu? < /sarcasm >
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