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.
Two words: Nanny State.
Tonight, I will be on my knees praying to God that all of your children end up with genetically-acquired glandular conditions (in other words, conditions that are due to your obvious DNA defects) that cause them each to weigh over 200 lbs before they hit junior high. Then you'll get to enjoy the results of your pure bigoted hate every day for the rest of your life.
Why are Americans so overweight? I don't have the answer. You tell me. Some people think it is the auto instead of walking to our destinations of school or market.
I still think that it is quite ironic that the teachers in my kids' Christian school have to sign a promise that they will never drink or smoke but 50% of them are at least 50 lbs overweight. I can't stand smoking but I don't think it is any more a sin than overeating.
That is a very Christian attitude you have there! Do you actually think that all obese people are that way because they commit the SIN of overeating?
If I ever got a letter from the school district busybodies critquing the weight of my children, they would get an earful.
Assuming you and your children do not have weight problems, consider yourselves blessed.
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