Obesity Discussion Forums

[Obesity Discussion]

Nutrition and Physical Activity Program to Prevent Obesity and Other Chronic Diseases


The Epidemic
61% of Arkansas adults are overweight or obese. (CDC BRFSS, 2002)
22% of non-Hispanic white adults, 35% of non-Hispanic black adults, and 31% of Hispanic adults in Arkansas are obese. (CDC BRFSS, 2002)
The obesity rate among Arkansas adults increased by 80% from 1991 to 2002. (CDC BRFSS, 1991, 2002)
30% of Arkansas high school students are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. (CDC YRBSS, 2001)
26% of low-income children aged 2 to5 years in Arkansas are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. (CDC PedNSS, 2002)

Program Priorities
In 1999, the Arkansas state senate passed a resolution asking the Arkansas Department of Health to conduct a study of the effects of obesity in adults and children and the cost implications of obesity-related health problems. The department created the Arkansas Obesity Task Force to conduct the study, and in 2000 the task force completed a report on the State of Arkansas, The Impact of Obesity: Economic, Health, Prevention and Treatment in 2000. One result of this report was that the Department of Health increased both staffing and resources dedicated to monitoring, promoting, improving, and evaluating nutrition and physical activity in homes, schools, work sites, and communities.

The Arkansas legislature responded to the obesity epidemic by enacting legislation in 2001 that requires physical education training and instruction and a minimum of 20 minutes of physical activity three times per week for children in kindergarten through 9th grade. In 2002, the governor declared the prevention of childhood obesity and increased nutrition and physical activity standards to be a top priority in Arkansas. The Governor's Council on Fitness focuses on physical activity events and interventions and produces an annual Physical Activity Report Card. The Arkansas Legislature's Act 1220, passed in 2003, requires BMI measurements on all children in public schools. Act 1220 also established the Child Health Advisory Committee to recommend nutrition and physical activity standards to be implemented through the rules and regulations process of the Board of Education and Board of Health.

An expanded and diversified Obesity Task Force will develop the state comprehensive plan for obesity prevention and control required for states receiving CDC funding through the national Nutrition and Physical Activity Program to Prevent Obesity and Other Chronic Diseases. Obesity prevention is included in the Arkansas state plans for diabetes, cardiovascular health, cancer, and 5 A Day, as well as the state plan of the Governor's Council on Fitness. These plans have coordinated overlapping objectives dealing with nutrition, physical activity, and obesity prevention, and these will be coordinated with the state obesity prevention and control plan.


Partners
Arkansas Cancer Coalition
Arkansas Chronic Disease Collaborative
Arkansas Community Health Centers
Arkansas Coordinated School Health Program
Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism
Arkansas Five A Day Coalition
Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care
Arkansas Human Development Corporation
Arkansas Minority Health Commission
Arkansas Wellness Coalition
Arkansas Department of Health chronic disease programs
Arkansas Department of Health WIC program
Governor's Council on Fitness
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Major Accomplishments and Products to Date
The VERB physical activity media campaign was implemented.
The Arkansas Trails for Life Program was established.

Upcoming Events and Products
Additional external partners representing a broad cross-section of the state’s population, and business and professional communities will be identified and recruited.
A burden of obesity report will be completed.
An evaluation plan will be developed.
Project Period: 2004-2008
Year First Funded: 2004
Funding Stage: Capacity Building
Contact Person:
Becky Adams, MPH, RD, CDE
Arkansas Living Healthy Unit Leader
Arkansas State Department of Health
Telephone: 501-661-2334
Fax: 501-661-2055
E-mail: baadams@healthyarkansas.com


Data Sources
CDC BRFSS- CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
CDC PedNSS- CDC's Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System
CDC YRBSS- CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System
Arkansas Act 1220 BMI measurements- BMI measurements for school age children across the state are available annually beginning with the 2003-2004 school year.

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obes...s/arkansas.htm

[Obesity Discussion]

Ark. Children's Hospital study targets youth obesity


By JON GAMBRELL
Sunday, October 8, 2006 12:46 AM CDT

LITTLE ROCK - The war on the waist never looked more fun.



Students at Pulaski Heights Middle School thunder down the hardwood gymnasium floor in relay races, line dance to hip hop and drive the lane playing basketball. Their play _ and their study of health-related issues _ is part of a new program by the Arkansas Children's Hospital to teach preteens good exercise and health habits in a state beset by obesity.

"Jumping jacks and touching their toes just doesn't get kids excited anymore," said Wendy Ward-Begnoche, a pediatric psychologist at the hospital.

The nine-week program, funded by a private grant, includes 250 students in the pale green-and-white gym at the mid-city middle school. Nursing students performed body-mass tests and blood pressure checks on the students at the beginning of the school year and will take new readings later this fall, Ward-Begnoche said.

While a typical gym class might focus on calisthenics, Ward-Begnoche said the middle school program incorporates games and activities the children prefer. She said that draws them into staying active, rather than standing on the sidelines.

One day, the students might play basketball. On another, they'll try yoga.

Twice a week, the students gather in small groups in the gym, learning about nutrition, blood sugar levels and other health issues. The students also are encouraged to set healthy goals for themselves, like playing more basketball or eating better.

"The kids are reaching those goals," Ward-Begnoche said, looking over the students. "When they start seeing how it makes them start to feel better, it is its own reward."

As Ward-Begnoche sees it, the middle school years are crucial times to teach healthy habits. The students are just reaching some independence from their families, but still don't have the run of their lives. And while acknowledging children won't refuse pizza, she said the students would be better equipped in the long run.

"We all pick the pizza now and again," Ward-Begnoche said. "But maybe they'll pick it less often."

The study comes as obesity remains a top health concern, particularly in the South. For generations, deep-fried foods have been a part of the culture and poor eating habits weigh down the population.

In Arkansas, a study this year found 37.5 percent of school children are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. Nationally, 17 percent of children are overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

The fight against obesity across Arkansas gained political traction from Gov. Mike Huckabee, who lost more than 100 pounds after being diagnosed with diabetes. Huckabee championed the Healthy Arkansas project, aimed at reducing the state's obesity, tobacco use and physical inactivity.

The state also began weighing students in 2004 to determine their body-mass index, sending the information home to parents. As part of the same legislative package, schools were directed to limit student access to unhealthy foods during the school day.

The hospital's program is a next step in the process in the statewide battle of the bulge.

Ward-Begnoche hopes to reinterview and test the children several years from now to see if the program affected their lives. She also wants to expand the program outside of Pulaski Heights to a rural school next year, if the program wins another grant. If the program is a success, it could spread throughout the state.

So far, the Pulaski Heights program has won support from the school officials.

"This study has really helped our kids a lot," said Principal Daniel Whitehorn. "It's not just the emphasis on education and exercise, it's opened a lot of our kids' minds that it has to be a lifestyle change."

Coming off of doing the cha cha slide _ an update to the electric slide _ student Raven Wilkes said she enjoyed the program.

"I like it so far," said Raven, 11. "I get to exercise now. I don't get to exercise much at home."

The program also has support out on the dodgeball court.

"It helps us make better decisions on what we're eating," said Jonathan Eicks, 11. "I think it is nice of them to take time out of their job to come down here and help us."

A service of the Associated Press(AP)

Childhood Obesity Fight In Arkansas

[Obesity Discussion]

Arkansas rethinking weigh-ins, report cards

By Andrew DeMillo

Associated Press

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Arkansas, the first state to send home obesity report cards to warn parents of health risks for overweight children, may ditch the plan or weaken it with the help of the new governor.
Gov. Mike Beebe said the school weigh-ins and report cards had ``a lot of negative, unintended consequences'' and hurt some children's self-esteem. He favors letting parents drop out of the program more easily and wants the state to test children less often.
His predecessor, former Gov. Mike Huckabee, said reversing the state's trend-setting, 3-year-old effort, ``would be a huge step backward.''
It's worth noting that Beebe, a Democrat, has no weight problem. Huckabee, a Republican, used to weigh 280 pounds, and before he began campaigning for president he campaigned against the ills of obesity.
Since Arkansas adopted its school-based anti-obesity program, California, Florida and Pennsylvania have launched similar efforts. And public-health officials in Arkansas point to a slight drop in the state's childhood obesity rate since the program got going.
But some lawmakers say that telling parents their children weigh too much could hurt children's self-esteem. Some also question whether it's the role of schools to monitor students' weight or if it even makes a difference.
Supporters of the current program, like Dr. Karen Young at Arkansas Children's Hospital, say fat children have self-esteem problems regardless.
``The kids who are overweight are already being teased,'' said Young, who directs a pediatric fitness clinic. ``These poor children, they're suffering. It doesn't take the letter for them to suffer.''
Young has gained a number of new young patients trying to lose weight since schools began requiring the Body Mass Index (BMI) reports.
Arkansas' program began in 2004 after the Legislature directed public schools to weigh and measure children, calculating their BMI, a number used to determine whether a person's weight is appropriate for his or her age.
Huckabee championed the program as he dropped 110 pounds after being diagnosed with diabetes. Beebe, who took office Jan. 9, wants Arkansas to test children less often and make it easier to let parents opt out.
``There are a lot of things schools should be doing, but there are a lot of things parents should be doing, and one of them is trying to make sure their kids stay healthy,'' Beebe said.
The Arkansas House last week approved a bill that would repeal the BMI report cards altogether, horrifying health experts who see the program as a wake-up call for families.
``It's spurring some major action on the part of parents,'' Young said. ``Some of them really don't know their child is overweight until they get the letter.''
Parent already knew
Danita Thomas of Hope said she didn't need a report from school to know her teenage son Irie was too heavy. But since getting that first BMI report two years ago, Irie has lost nearly 100 pounds and sworn off junk food and sugary sodas -- once staples of his unhealthy diet.
``It was helpful, but I already knew it,'' Thomas said. ``It made me realize that we needed to do some things different.''
The 17-year-old now regularly goes to Young's clinic to help him with his weight loss.
State Rep. Keven Anderson, who filed the proposal to eliminate the BMI test altogether, said he didn't believe the BMI reports were effective tools.
``At some point, the parent has got to take some responsibility for the health of their children,'' Anderson said. ``I don't think sending a report home saying you're in or out of the range is going to make a difference.''
However, doctors from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences have told lawmakers that the BMI reports and other steps, such as limits on vending machine use, were leading to healthier students.
Last year, a study showed that the percentage of Arkansas children who were overweight or at risk of becoming overweight was 37.5 percent, down from 38.1 percent in 2004. University figures from a later study showed that 68 percent of parents and 85 percent of students said they were comfortable with the reports.
That survey also found that the percentage of students reporting being teased because of their weight was 6 percent, half what it was two years earlier.
Cards lead to help
Young said 13 percent of the children who come to her fitness clinic do so after getting the obesity report cards from school.
Jim Raczynski, dean of University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, opposes weakening the law, saying 20 percent of students already are opting out of the weigh-in program.
``No one's forcing children to stand on the scales, no one's holding them down, and I can't imagine any school forcing students or their parents to undergo the BMI assessments if they aren't willing to do it,'' Raczynski said.

Childhood Obesity in Arkansas

[Obesity Discussion]

Originally Posted by Obesity Discussion

Arkansas rethinking weigh-ins, report cards

By Andrew DeMillo

Associated Press

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Arkansas, the first state to send home obesity report cards to warn parents of health risks for overweight children, may ditch the plan or weaken it with the help of the new governor.
Gov. Mike Beebe said the school weigh-ins and report cards had ``a lot of negative, unintended consequences'' and hurt some children's self-esteem. He favors letting parents drop out of the program more easily and wants the state to test children less often.
His predecessor, former Gov. Mike Huckabee, said reversing the state's trend-setting, 3-year-old effort, ``would be a huge step backward.''
It's worth noting that Beebe, a Democrat, has no weight problem. Huckabee, a Republican, used to weigh 280 pounds, and before he began campaigning for president he campaigned against the ills of obesity.
Since Arkansas adopted its school-based anti-obesity program, California, Florida and Pennsylvania have launched similar efforts. And public-health officials in Arkansas point to a slight drop in the state's childhood obesity rate since the program got going.
But some lawmakers say that telling parents their children weigh too much could hurt children's self-esteem. Some also question whether it's the role of schools to monitor students' weight or if it even makes a difference.
Supporters of the current program, like Dr. Karen Young at Arkansas Children's Hospital, say fat children have self-esteem problems regardless.
``The kids who are overweight are already being teased,'' said Young, who directs a pediatric fitness clinic. ``These poor children, they're suffering. It doesn't take the letter for them to suffer.''
Young has gained a number of new young patients trying to lose weight since schools began requiring the Body Mass Index (BMI) reports.
Arkansas' program began in 2004 after the Legislature directed public schools to weigh and measure children, calculating their BMI, a number used to determine whether a person's weight is appropriate for his or her age.
Huckabee championed the program as he dropped 110 pounds after being diagnosed with diabetes. Beebe, who took office Jan. 9, wants Arkansas to test children less often and make it easier to let parents opt out.
``There are a lot of things schools should be doing, but there are a lot of things parents should be doing, and one of them is trying to make sure their kids stay healthy,'' Beebe said.
The Arkansas House last week approved a bill that would repeal the BMI report cards altogether, horrifying health experts who see the program as a wake-up call for families.
``It's spurring some major action on the part of parents,'' Young said. ``Some of them really don't know their child is overweight until they get the letter.''
Parent already knew
Danita Thomas of Hope said she didn't need a report from school to know her teenage son Irie was too heavy. But since getting that first BMI report two years ago, Irie has lost nearly 100 pounds and sworn off junk food and sugary sodas -- once staples of his unhealthy diet.
``It was helpful, but I already knew it,'' Thomas said. ``It made me realize that we needed to do some things different.''
The 17-year-old now regularly goes to Young's clinic to help him with his weight loss.
State Rep. Keven Anderson, who filed the proposal to eliminate the BMI test altogether, said he didn't believe the BMI reports were effective tools.
``At some point, the parent has got to take some responsibility for the health of their children,'' Anderson said. ``I don't think sending a report home saying you're in or out of the range is going to make a difference.''
However, doctors from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences have told lawmakers that the BMI reports and other steps, such as limits on vending machine use, were leading to healthier students.
Last year, a study showed that the percentage of Arkansas children who were overweight or at risk of becoming overweight was 37.5 percent, down from 38.1 percent in 2004. University figures from a later study showed that 68 percent of parents and 85 percent of students said they were comfortable with the reports.
That survey also found that the percentage of students reporting being teased because of their weight was 6 percent, half what it was two years earlier.
Cards lead to help
Young said 13 percent of the children who come to her fitness clinic do so after getting the obesity report cards from school.
Jim Raczynski, dean of University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, opposes weakening the law, saying 20 percent of students already are opting out of the weigh-in program.
``No one's forcing children to stand on the scales, no one's holding them down, and I can't imagine any school forcing students or their parents to undergo the BMI assessments if they aren't willing to do it,'' Raczynski said.

Childhood Obesity in Arkansas

Arkansas just took a BIG step backwards in the fight against childhood obesity. While they did not ditch the obesity report card program, what was once yearly mandatory weigh ins for students is now an OPTIONAL every other year program. So the kids get weighed half as often, and parents who claim that these report cards "are bad for their child's self esteem" can pull them out of the program all together.

Now kids that get pulled from the program won't be factored into the state's childhood obesity rates, making those statistics worthless.

But I guess in the end, legislators and parents feel that removing a once a year ding to a child's self esteem is more important than their long-term health.

To me this type of behavior is what's contributing to the out of control spiral of what is known as childhood obesity.