Schools important in fighting obesity
Friday, July 14, 2006
Habits formed early in life often extend into adulthood -- such as eating and drinking problems that can lead to obesity and other health issues.
Unless we can reverse it, the rapid rise in the number of overweight children in our nation will cause a multitude of problems that will adversely affect virtually everyone.
Many of our children will develop diabetes, heart disease, clogged blood vessels and a host of other maladies.
Today, such problems are costing the taxpayers huge sums of money. If we continue on this course, that cost will only grow.
Last Sunday, the Kalamazoo Gazette published a story about the Woodward School for Technology and Research, a public elementary school in the Kalamazoo system. The school is stressing to students the critical importance of consuming the right amount of healthy food.
Beth Yankee, Woodward principal, had this to say: ``We know about childhood obesity and childhood diabetes, and if kids are really our future, something has to be done.''
She's absolutely right.
Yankee said that the schools, where students spend a substantial part of their lives, can have a positive impact in combating obesity in youth.
Four years ago, when Yankee became principal, the school staff began encouraging students to eat properly and get plenty of exercise.
Instead of foods with a lot of sugar, Woodward serves breakfasts that consist of Cheerios, Raisin Bran and similar types of cereals. Chocolate milk, sugary cereals, donuts and sweet rolls are gone from the breakfast menu.
As a condition for receiving financial aid, federal government guidelines require that school districts set goals for nutrition education, physical activity and other school-based pursuits that promote wellness.
Although many other schools in the area obviously are keenly aware of the obesity problem and taking steps to combat it, Woodward is viewed as a model.
We commend the Woodward staff and Kalamazoo Public Schools for taking this issue seriously, emphasizing proper nutrition at an early age and trying to make meaningful progress in a fight against a problem that, if left unchecked, will not bode well for the country's future.
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