Childhood obesity: this little boy comes into the nurse's office

[Ilsa]

at school needing another pair of pants because he wet his during nap time. He was a PreKindergarten student, age 4, 5 tops. He was wearing a pair of size 14 Bermuda shorts that went down almost to his ankles. The size 14 shorts were tight around the waist. He was about 36 inches tall. Maybe. (My 11 year wears a size 12.)

Boys' Sizes
Dimension/Size 7 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Chest 26 27 28 30 32 33.5 35 36
Waist 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Hip. 27 28 29.5 31 32.5 34 35.5 37
Neckband 11.75 12 12.5 13 13.5 14 14.5 15
Height 48 50 54 58 61 64 66 68

We've got a real problem in Texas. This one child is an example of how sadly overweight even young children are. And I see plenty like him every day. Most of them have signs of hyperinsulemia, a possible precursor to Type II diabetes.

I'm thrilled that there are initiatives and programs like the First Lady's which promote healthier lifestyles. We need more focus on prevention to prevention another explosion of healthcare costs.

[w8liftinglady]

1. Childhood diabetes is reaching epic proportions in Title One schools.

type 2 diabetes,normally seen in those over 30 in previous generatoions -is hitting kids in elementary school.
they have poor access to healthy foods. there is a shitload of additives. The schools have outsourced their cooking.
It is yet another area we need to focus on. Thanks for bringing it out in the open.

[KittyWampus]

72. Such a very difficult topic to discuss. Eating is a fairly habitual affair so people feel threatened

when their habitual eating behavior is questioned. It bypasses the intellectual and objective part of our thinking.

I tack this here at the top of this thread in the hopes we can all grasp how important it is to use our understanding of the human psyche to reach other when the topic turns to something so habitual and involves so much of our subconscious.

Conversations like this are most productive when it starts out with something like "you can make small changes and reap big rewards" and then go into specifics rather than "the food you feed your kids is crap, change it".

I hope you don't mind my responding to your post. I wasn't in any way finding fault with your comments.

[w8liftinglady]

92. Of course not. These kids will be my patients some day.

I plan on opening a free clinic for chronic diseases(diabetes,hypertension and COPD)
I anticipate I'll have no shortage of patients

[Cali_Democrat]

2. Do you guys think all the blame can be put on the parents?

Or do you guys think that there's something in the food? GM produce....processed foods etc?

[w8liftinglady]

4. I believe a lot of it is the additives.

I have just seen too many kids develop this.
Also,the schools are having to cut down activities because of standardized testing and budget cuts.
neighborhoods don't have parks any more.

[Aerows]

20. I think a lot of it is soft drinks

I've always drank unsweetened iced tea, and I eat anything I want. I am in my late 30's, and have never had a weight problem.

[Codeine]

56. Unsweetened ice tea with lemon is wonderful.

I drink gallons of the stuff.

[Aerows]

64. I drink gallons of unsweetened tea plain

I make it every single morning fresh. I LOVE it.

[TuxedoKat]

98. Do you have a recipe for it?

My girls like ice tea and I have been trying to recreate Snapple Raspberry Tea. I need to make a decent basic ice tea first, the Raspberry part and the sweetener (Stevia) I can adjust.

[MedicalAdmin]

74. Mineral water with ginger or green tea for me.

But my all time favorite drink - water.

[MissB]

10. I've seen the free breakfasts given to the kids in the local district.

(not our district, but the huge one down the road)

Free breakfast is either: cinnamon roll, breakfast burrito or egg muffin sandwich. Looks just like fast food, but cooked in a central location and shipped out to the schools each morning. So if the kids weren't already accustomed to fast food breakfasts, they would soon be. The free breakfast is given to all K-12 kids in that district. When I toured a Kindergarten class for my oldest, all the kids chose a cinnamon roll.

P.E. is also frequently on the chopping blocks because of budgets.

Our small district gets the same funding per kid as the big district, but we raise lots of money privately to keep things like P.E. I still have to pony up $250/sport and I have two kids that play three sports a year.

We don't even have a free lunch program in our district, let alone a free breakfast program. The kids' lunches are $4-$5 a day and are catered, made with local organic ingredients. There are some overweight kids at the school, but we are talking one in 25 or less.

[femmocrat]

16. True on the breakfasts.

Our district doesn't even offer protein (eggs or cheese) anymore. Every day it's donuts, cinnamon rolls, danish, etc. The most disgusting item is "funnel-cakes" loaded with tons of powdered sugar.

[MedicalAdmin]

76. So to translate - your district doesn't use food to feed the kids.

Funnel cakes aren't food, they are diabetes in a cup.

[Pool Hall Ace]

104. Funnel cakes? That is a once-a-year State Fair treat, not a regular breakfast!

Yuk! :puke:

[laundry_queen]

What it is, is a perfect storm

Where I am, there is no such thing as school breakfasts and lunches, although I know there are some poorer areas downtown that do them. Most of the kids are normal weight, but there are FAR more overweight kids than when I was going to school (same school as my kids btw). I'm sure that the awful food served at most schools ads to it - a child who has mild hyperinsulimia eats a cinnamon roll and is starving in 2 hours because of the insulin spikes after a meal. Said child then either gets something from the vending machine (probably also junk) and is starving again before lunch. Eats crap at lunch and is starving by the time he/she gets home and the parents can't understand why this child is eating them out of house and home and is always hungry! The crap food STARTS the cycle, for those who don't understand insulin resistance.

Also, I've noticed a lot of P.E. classes are more interested in exposing kids to all sorts of interesting activities rather than getting them in shape. Heck, even when I was in high school PE, there were some units that were full of rigorous exercise and others that were a joke (archery, bowling). P.E. cannot be counted on to deliver the amount of exercise children need in a day. Also, cuts in education don't just cut things like P.E. - in my area, the town has grown tremendously but there are the same schools as when I was growing up. They haven't built ANY new schools, so houses are getting so far away from the schools that it is just impossible for the kids to walk to school like we used to - and that's without all the parents that are too scared to let their kids walk to school. Or now, so many parents work - and work EARLIER it seems - so they can't walk WITH their kids like a lot of parents did when I was growing up.

Another major factor is kids are unable to participate in after school activities, either because they have to take the bus, or their parents can't afford the extra fees schools now charge for all this extra stuff. Never mind the sports teams, or dance classes - those are prohibitively expensive for someone like myself who is a single parent. You are looking at $300-$500/year per activity per kid, NOT including equipment, uniforms, travel and TIME. Plus, they ALL want you to spend a good chunk of your time volunteering. Some of us don't have the time to do that. If you DON'T volunteer, they charge you MORE money. It's not 'volunteering', it's blackmail. Then there are the fund raising commitments. And if you are struggling and working 2 jobs just to make ends meet, you just don't have time or money for that. So your kids sit at home.

Then there's the cost of food, and how packaged crap is cheaper. When I was growing up, my parents used to buy tons of fruits and veggies because it was CHEAPER. An apple was WAY cheaper than some packaged granola bar. No longer. I can get 8 granola bars for $1.50 and a bag of 8 apples for $4.00. It's insane. And that's one of the cheaper fruits. A bag of grapes, that my kids can devour in one sitting, can cost $8. So yeah, in the name of making ends meet, sometimes they don't get as much healthy stuff as they should. Luckily none of my children are overweight.

That's before all the chemicals in the air, food and water. Hormone mimicking chemicals have been shown to cause obesity in rodents. How many kids are on medications now that cause weight gain? Artificial sweeteners, which are very hard to avoid, have been loosely linked with weight gain and are FAR more prevalent now than when I was younger. HFCS and transfats...hormones and anti-biotics in everything...it ALL adds up together. It's NOT any ONE thing. I'd have more respect for the First Lady if she'd tackle ALL aspects of childhood obesity instead of just focusing on the 'eat right and all will be well' angle. There are SO many facets to the problem.

[SheilaT]

25. If theres no such thing as school lunches where you are,

I have to ask: is it half day school only? Do all kids live withing walking distance and go home for lunch? Or do they all simply pack a lunch because none is served at school?

[laundry_queen]

62. They all pack lunches

although some kids who do live close go home at lunch. It was normal for me growing up also to pack lunches. We didn't know school lunches existed, except once a month we got hot dog Fridays! lol. It's just not done regularly here, everyone packs lunches.

[proud2BlibKansan]

40. No such thing as school lunches or breakfasts?

Where?

[laundry_queen]

63. I'm in Canada

It's not done at my children's school. They just started a milk program this year, which was never done before, and I didn't bother signing my kid up because it was expensive and she gets plenty of milk at home. They get 'hot lunch' once a week, but it's very expensive and is from some local restaurant, a different one each week, and it's totally optional. That's about it. Kids just pack lunches here. That's how it's always been done here. :shrug:

[MedicalAdmin]

80. Gee, could that be because you have a social safety net...

and health care, so kids don't show up to schools without the basics?

I think so. Canada is so more intelligently run that the US. Please keep up the good work. We need your example.

[MedicalAdmin]

78. Crap is cheaper because is is subsidized.

We are ALL paying for that crap whether we eat it or not. It is part of the socialization of profits for corporations.

[StarsInHerHair]

116. I wish there were school gardens, that grew enough to feed the school &

is also a course at the school. They'd at least get seasonal vegetables, & dwarf fruit trees don't take up much space either. I'd also love it if they'd convert shopping malls into high schools too.

[aikoaiko]

47. I've got the opposite problem with my boy. He's been underweight from day 1.

He's really not interested in eating. We have to give him high calorie drinks (350 cal/ 8 oz) and get him to eat as much as possible. The only thing he really loves is peanut butter and honey sandwiches which he has almost every day. He's a string bean but with all the nutritional supplements and occupational therapy we've got him up to average height.

[intheflow]

11. Also a possible economic indicator.

There have been studies linking low income levels to obesity. Healthier food is usually more expensive than processed foods heavy in salts and fats. And low income areas tend to have substandard schools so good nutrition is rarely learned in school. Which translates as not being learned/practiced at home as the generations progress.

[OhioBlue]

12. All the blame? no. But in many cases - most of it.

There are so many things to consider and each case would have its own story. Some parents honestly are just not educated about nutrition and some probably really believe much of the obesity is due to genetics. Parents that are struggling to make the bills, hold on to a house or even apartment by working themselves all hours, easy, cheap, quick meal for the kids..

And you're right - the food available and marketed is crap with tons of additives, that and the GMO crops, crap school lunches, lack of exercise for kids all adds into it.

We need a societal change to focus on health and nutrition - I'm glad the First Lady has taken this up as her cause.

With all of that said and back to your point... there are a lot of parents that deserve MOST of the blame for this. My sister is one of them. her overweight daughter had a serious health scare - she was in Akron Childrens hospital for several days at the age of 10 b/c of her diet. My sister WAS educated - and WARNED by doctors and family. She did good for a couple of months with my niece. My niece started to lose weight and her complexion and hair looked healthier - I've never seen her as pretty as when they were paying attention to her nutrition. But... my selfish, egocentric, lazy sister quit paying attention and now my niece, now 16 is seriously overweight, has not learned good health habits and is on blood pressure medication. My sis is a MIA mom at this point - she leaves the kids to fend for themselves for dinner which mostly means whatever processed crap they can nuke or whatever pizza they can order if she gives them the money. In this case... I blame it all on her. She won't accept advice and has modeled a life that leads my niece to feel like a victim and make excuses (not blaming the niece - it is all she has ever known) when people offer health advice.

[Ilsa]

18. Combination of factors. Not all poor families in this low income area

are sending obese kids to school. But quite a few are. I'm certain it's more than one issue, including "spoiling" children with food, treats.

Our school lunches are healthy, calorie-wise, but there are certainly processed foods in the lunches.

[WolverineDG]

42. It's got to be something in the food

you can't blame the parents for girls getting their periods at age 9 & having the doctors say that's now "normal."

dg

[Overseas]

53. Food and diabetes treatment industries want to blame the individuals.

Even though they spend millions on researching how to make their foods more tasty and habit forming, they want us to continue to blame the individuals who "make poor choices."

They want to be sure we blame ourselves so they don't have to change.

I think about all those earnest discussions on TV about childhood obesity inter-cut with commercials for snazzy snack food.

Other countries prohibit advertising junk food during children's programming on TV, but we don't. We pump in hundreds of yummy commercials to children and when they are good and duly hooked on that instant pleasure, we scorn them for falling for those millions of dollars of advertising designed to get them to fall for those products.

We really should return cigarette ads to TV then. Put cigarette ads on during cartoon time. Return hard liquor ads to TV too and show people loving that booze. Mmmm. You deserve it!

[MedicalAdmin]

81. Let's also have cartoon ads for heroin.

It's just another lifestyle choice and out kids should be free to choose them. Just ask a libertarian.

[MedicalAdmin]

73. The next big class action lawsuit will be food companies.

They are knowingly selling products that are clearly not healthy and they are not warning folks that they crap can kill slowly.

Just MO.

[KittyWampus]

79. I will say the problem is SOCIETAL & the solution = individuals joining the whole food bandwagon.

It's learning food choice- and how to prepare them. Both these things are pretty involved, actually. You don't come out of the womb knowing how to select beans and rice from a store full of stuff nor how to prepare them.

It's also organizing kids daily life to include exercise and minimizing screen time (computers and tv and cellphones).

It's also organizing neighborhoods to start interacting with each other regardless of politics, religion etc.

[Abq_Sarah]

90. I don't think GM foods have jack to do with it

A kid with a diet that's not mostly composed of sugars and starches probably isn't going to get fat.

[WatsonT]

95. We subsidize the corn/dairy/meat industries

Unhealthy food is thus cheaper than it should be.

[snooper2]

118. How come all of the Hispanic kids I see in my neighborhood are overweight?

cheap food and diet?

It's really sad..

( on edit, I'm talking 3-4-5-6 years old ) I saw one boy that was close to the McDonalds kid

[flvegan]

3. Bearing in mind that this kid may have some sort of medical condition

I will say that nutrition can be a very harsh mistress. Nobody teaches it and very few seek it out.

[TheMadMonk]

13. You wanna tell me how 1/4 of America has a bloody "medical condition"?

Back in my day it was: "She just has big bones."

Both are fucking copouts from people who don't want to admit to a problem.

Nutrition is taught in at least small measure in most schools, unfortunately what is taught in far greater, is laziness and convenience.

But the truth is, while lack of fresh produce is indeed a problem in low income districts, it is in fact perfectly possible to still eat reasonably healthily out of cans and packages if you go to the trouble of assembling the meal yourself.

[flvegan]

27. Really?

You want to have this battle with me? I didn't state that 1/4 of America has a bloody medical condition. I posted in regards to this individual. This individual who may or may not have issues beyond your judgment.

"Nutrition" is not taught in any measure in most schools unless some board of idiots thinks that "nutrition" is what's sold to them.

Copout? Let's dance.

[Missy Vixen]

32. Thank you

>Copout? Let's dance.<

I have always appreciated your willingness to use the carrot instead of the stick, so to speak. Plus, those who've never faced the problem in their own life need to shut it. They have no idea what they're talking about.

It's easy to sit back and tell others that they're doing it wrong. It's harder to show them a different way, and encourage even small changes that will make a difference.

[flvegan]

33. Thanks, and you're right.

Most folks that respond or chime in on things like this have absolutely no fucking idea what they're looking at when they do just that.

It's a shame really. Makes folks look stupid.

[TheMadMonk]

34. The reason I got narky is, because I hear or see those words...

...just about every time the subject of obesity is applied to an individual. Not every individual can have a glandular condition. Trying to spare an exemplary individual's feelings by raising the posibility does no one any favours.

Being Australian I can't comment too much on subject matters over there, but there is at least Sesame Street, although it would be sad if that was ALL there was.


And I stand by my postition that the vast majority of the Obesity Problem is NOT lack of nutritional education, even if that amount is zero. The largest part of the problem is laziness and convenience. A media which promotes it and a populace willing to be promoted to.

I can and do put Rump roast (with all the fixin's) on the table for about 1/2 the price of any pre-prepared meal. A Steak meal comes in at just over that of a happy meal.

Tuna Caserole comes in at about $1 a plate. Ditto Spag bol. And there are plenty of other pasta meals which come in at under $2 a plate.

Eating cheap and well is NOT bloody difficult.

[flvegan]

35. Funny.

You state that the "vast majority of the obesity problem" has little to do with nutrition, yet you talk about "rump roasts" and the lack of "fixins" You talk about laziness and convenience.

You don't really get...nutrition do you?

And eating "cheap and well" is bloody difficult. At least it is now.

[TheMadMonk]

54. Rump roast WITH the fixin's. Spuds, sweet potato, pumpkin, carrots...

...frozen peas or beans. Generally 2, sometimes 3 of the roasters.

Admittedly we do buy whole rumps when they're on special. Go halves with a neighbour if freezer room is tight. And if transport is problematical one gets the spuds, the other the meat. A small chest freezer, walk the bloody thing home five miles on a skateboard if you have to, is one of the most useful investments anyone can make, and they can be had second hand for next to nothing.


Leftover roast vegies get cut up and fried off with baccon scraps the next day. Microwave garlic potatoes.

The heel of the roast goes into a crustless shepards pie on day three. Save excess fat for flavouring stews, skim it off as rendered drippings before serving.


Every drop of fat gets saved, and it's not long before home made fries with a flavour to die for become a posibility. Or if you're really on the down and out, pour fat over the top of leftover stew and it will last a day or two without refrigeration. Reheated daily a fat sealed stew will last a week or even forerver if you keep adding ingredients.

Mate I've fucking been there. My mother raised three boys alone for several years on a 1/2 wage (All a woman was worth in the early 70's) and almost nothing in the way of government assistance. And we ate like horses.

And today we still eat very well for very little money. Having someone else to learn from was a big help, but it's not that hard to teach yourself to cook, or find someone to teach you.


Picking up McDonalds on the way home, or ordering pizza because it's quick and easy is false economy. It's no economy at all, no matter how much time it saves. Ditto microwave meals, roast and fixin's in a bag, oven fries, just about anything that's heat and serve. Back to that freezer, to save time AND money, prepare ten margarine tubs full of bolgnaise in one hit.


Take a look at the truly poor, particularly first generation imigrants, they get by on nothing and give their kids a pretty decent relative step up in the world and even when working two or three jobs, THEY most definitely do not feed those kids out of packets.

A side observation on refugees and modern boat people here in Australia. Most of the true refugees, who find there way here through the tortuous paths of the camps and aid organisations damned near have to be forced to accept any further assistance at all from others once they get here. The relatively wealthy ones who beggar themselves to jump the queue and pay to be smuggled here, arrive knowing exactly what's what in our welfare system.

And over the years I've noticed an analogous pattern amongst friends, neighbours and aquaintances living south of the poverty line. Somewhere about the point of being able to afford a third or fourth vice/luxury, on top of the basic staples of beer and cigarettes something like an "entitlement syndrome" sets in for far too many.

I know the Australian welfare system is much, much friendlier than virtually any of the systems in the United States, but most of the principles still apply. People who really have to bust a gut to get by, generally manage to do so. The ones who end up doing it hardest are most often those just well off enough (in relative terms) to develop a reach that exceeds their grasp.

And it's those same people who for the most part, who make up the worst of the obesity epidemic, because convenience food is one of the easiest and thus more likely such "reaches" to make. And it's a reach that remains attractive no matter where a person sits on the socioeconomic scale, which is why obesity is showing no real favourites.

[Codeine]

55. I'm amused by the notion that frying potatoes in rendered beef fat

or frying off leftover veg with bacon is "nutritious."

[AlecBGreen]

82. It can be :)

my great aunt and uncle ate all the unhealthy southern food you can imagine. Everything was cooked in butter or bacon grease. He (Daddy Bill) lived to be 93 and she (Olga) lived to 89. IMO, the most important thing isnt fat/protein/carb ratios or stuff like that, but amount of processing. They canned every year and I never ate anything that wasnt made from scratch in their house. The homemade rolls with butter & strawberry preserves give me goosebumps just thinking about them :drool:

My wife, Chinese, cooks everything in oil and bacon grease. Except for a few steamed dishes, everything is fried. We are both very healthy and @ a normal weight for our height. To be fair I have an unholy metabolism that makes it very hard to put on weight, but just got blood work back from my doctor and she said my cholesterol was spotless (Im 30).

Not trying to pick a fight, just my $0.02. :hi:

[MedicalAdmin]

86. It depends of the type of fat.

And how high the heat is when it is "fried." It depends on if it gets above the "flash point" of the oil and causes hydrogenation. Animal fats can be nutritious depending on how they are made, used and consumed.

The way most is used in the US and most of the fats used in the US - in those cases, you are right to be amused.

[TheMadMonk]

102. No, but it fills the gaps between the peas and carrots very nicely.

It's the thing which in the worst case makes scraped icebox and boiled dishrag soup palatable. (not litterally soup.)

And you, you Philistine. Baccon is ALWAYS nutritious. :D

Seriously, all the evidence seems to be pointing towards easily digested carbs being the single biggest contributor to obesity. Or carbs plus. A bit simplistic but plentiful meat tells the body it's out hunting and a lot of carbs, particularly in combination with fat meats is the signal to lay aside winter stores of fat. Only problem in todays modern world is that it is now ALWAYS the "Fall ripening season" and winter never properly arrives.

[Missy Vixen]

49. Thanks for your view on how Americans should be able to feed themselves

when you do not live in this country, or keep the schedule of the average American family. Interestingly enough, my husband worked for an Australian company for two years. When their CEO spent a year in the United States, we heard from his girlfriend on many occasions that she couldn't believe how much food costs here. She also could not deal with the sixty-hour work week and over-scheduling.

I'm one of those people with a medical condition. Perhaps I should wear a sign. After all, I wouldn't want to be lumped in with the lazy asses, would I? :mad:

Obesity is a lot more than "put the fork down". It's unfortunate that those who've never suffered with the problem are more than willing to tell the rest of us how to live, when they have no idea whatsoever what the life of a fat person is like.

[TheMadMonk]

105. No I don't live there, nor would I want to.

But if being American means so much. Put up with a welfare system that spends twice as much as anyone else, for half the services. Put up with third-world healthcare at extortionate rates. Put up with medical decisions being made on your behalf by God botherers and pencil pushers.

Put up with a sytem where a 60+ hour work week is necessary to scrape by and it's second nature to gain advantage and advancemnt through the deliberate retardation of others.


Oh and that price thing. Kill the demand for cheap ingredients for heavily processed and pre-prepared foods and you might just stop subsidising that through the prices you're made to pay for those same ingredients. Take a good look at food value chains, see who profits and who loses every step of the way. I fully understand what is going on with making convenience foods easily available and fresh produce difficult to obtain in poor neighbourhoods. What I don't understand is WHY THE FUCK DO YOU PUT UP WITH IT?

Why does it really look like to outsiders that you put up with being screwed left right and centre, because you refuse to give up the chance that the opportunity to do some screwing of your own might one day present itself? That within your national mindset is the idea that stomping on fingers is a good thing, because those fingers are attached to hands reaching to drag you down from below.

You might want to take a look at food wastage statistics for the USA as well. (Not that I can call our own national figures anything to write home about.)


No I don't expect you to wear a sign. I'll even accept a direct claim at face value without demanding evidence. What I object to, is seeing the words thrown out there as a generic shield against being "picked on". I would have though you'd have the same objection to being hidden behind by those "lazy asses" without your medical reasons for being plus sized.

And don't tell me that they are not lazy. Porridge takes about 5 minute to prepare, but it's easier to stop up a whinging mouth with a packet of crisps. "Rollups" instead of a piece of fruit or a small cup of sultanas. Microwave pizza.

Not this is not everyone. But these ARE things I see time and time again. And you can't tell me you yourself don't see shopping trolleys with more snack foods than everything else put together. The "Matryoshka doll" lineups anywhere you see families queueing together. I remember from my childhood having to be reminded it's not polite to stare at the fat person and later, that being fat was unusual enough for it to be sufficient reason in and of itself for childish cruelties.


And as a matter of fact I don't think there's anywhere I simply said "Put the fork down." "Put the phone down", "Don't take the easy path through McDonalds or KFC.", "Do it yourself.", "Eat properly." These things I said. And these things I said to those who DO NOT have your reasons for being fat, NOT YOU. Although exactly the same advice is perfectly applicable to you and your condition, since if you must be fat then "Greek or Italian Mamma fat" is the definitely territory to be shooting for.

[Missy Vixen]

108. So, if you're not interested in living in America or our way of life,

I'm a bit curious why you're weighing in on our political scene.

BTW, your entire post is a personal attack on anyone here who is fat.

[TheMadMonk]

114. Because of the way your political scene weighs in so heavilly on what happens...

...everywhere, and in particular my own back yard.

And there was no intention on my part to make a personal attack on fat people and I appologise if that's the way it came accross. What I am attacking is a system which makes it so bloody easy to be fat. And to a lesser degree the mindset which makes it so acceptable AND is so accepting of that system.

[themadstork]

67. IMO the biggest factor is

the shift to a much more sedentary culture. To an extent it's reinforced even very early on, as my experience in grade school was 7 hours of sitting at a fucking desk, all day, everyday. PE class was generally taken in the summer.

At the very least schools could plan a few brisk walks into their day. Pounding people with learning while their body recieves no stimulation throughout the bulk of the day is kinda counterproductive.

Citing laziness is goofy IMO when the problem is clearly systemic.

[MedicalAdmin]

87. Best answer so far.

[TheMadMonk]

109. Sedentiary does have a big part to do with it.

And keeping our kids indoors out of fear of the big bad world is a big part of that.

But that is itself a symptom of systemic laziness. It's the EASY PATH.

And it IS laziness which fills pantries with "heat 'n serve" meals and snackfoods with which to quickly stopper a whining mouth, or fill an empty moment. It's laziness which overfills bins with needless packaging materials and takeaway wrappers.


The conditions you cite, really aren't that harsh in comparison to schools in most of Asia, or even to American/Western schools of yesteryear. Where the problem lies is, as you note, in what's been taken out or away. Zero tollerance, no "gymnastics" in the playground, structured play, keeping kids indoors, etc. These things have almost nothing to do with safety, and almost everything to do with taking the easiest path to avoiding responsibility.

Easy, convenient, expedient: when these things become the goals in their own right, then I think the only term that does them justice is laziness.

[MedicalAdmin]

85. If I may make a comment.

I have lived in the US and in Australia (for a year to help out on my uncles sheep station in Queensland and travel around).

Food is both better and more easy to get in Australia. US supermarkets used to have mostly food in them. These days they are full of stuff that looks and is packaged to look like food, but that really, really isn't. While no place is perfect, it is actually pretty easy to think you are getting food in the US and getting nothing even close, nutritionally speaking.

Having said that we could and should do better. In my case I order a share from a CSA every year, not only because it is organic and tasty, but because it is cheaper than buying those veggies any other way (it is even cheaper than commercial veggies). I go and find local ranchers for my meat.

I realize that not everyone can do this, but I am NOT rich. Most months I can barely pay my bills and I live on the cheap.


I think both of you have a point. Can't we all just get along? *starts singing Kumbaya*

[TheMadMonk]

113. You do have a point on the availability.

However, as I noted in another post, I believe a big part of this is because of the amount of produce that gets diverted into the packaged food industry at the lowest possible rates. Restricted supply pushes the price of what remains through the roof and that's if oversea's markets aren't more attractive still and "domestic" means crap that no one else would buy.

[Ilsa]

19. If he does have a medical condition, it hasn't been identified. nt

[flvegan]

28. And the DU collective knows nothing about it.

Yet we'll be right here to talk shit about him, unknowingly.

[proud2BlibKansan]

41. +1

[Ilsa]

43. FOR ALL, a second OP: But he does have hyperkeratosis indicative of hyperinsulemia.

You can see it on the neck. He's fast-tracked to develop hypertension and Type II diabetes. These medical problems can almost always be avoided with diet and exercise. He does need to be under the care of a doctor for initial management to rule out anything else. But it's not likely. The most likely scenario is overfeeding. I mention him as an example (the are other PKers wearing size 14 at 36" or less in height) because there are so many others like him in the school. Maybe a few have a thyroid or metabolic or endocrine problem, but certainly not all.

I see the hyperkeratosis in alot of these kids. And they are eating McD happy meals that their moms bring in a couple of times a week. I saw one PKer with a 20 oz bottle of cola in her snack bag. They visit the nurse's office because they feel bad after eating a Big Grab bag of Cheetos when the sodium upsets their tummies. I've had kids in my office over eating too much at lunch. I think there are psych/emotional issues there as well.

Just an FYI, these kids have PE four days a week and recess everyday. They also have opportunities to join after-school athletic programs. For a broke school district in a grossly mismanaged state, they have a few priorities right, and the school lunches are very low fat, balanced, with high fiber options. They serve whole wheat buns versus white bread, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, etc. Even I'll eat non-beef lunches occasionally if I can spice up the food a little. ( They serve up a great baked bean burrito!)

[OhioBlue]

5. ohhhh this breaks my heart!!! A preshooler?

I want to cry right now.

[MissB]

6. Wow.

Seriously, I've never seen that at my kids' school.

My 13 year old wears size 14 pants, and he is about 5'4" tall. I just can't imagine a pre-K kid that big. It doesn't bode well for his future.

[JI7]

7. do you if the boy's parents are doing ok financially ?

[readmoreoften]

8. And 22% percent are food insecure. Maybe they eat shit food

because food stamps cover $26 a month here.

[lightningandsnow]

22. Seriously.

[Odin2005]

9. Wow, I was a fat kid, but I wasn't even close to that.

I was a size 7 when I was the same age as that that kid. Where are his parents and why have they not been investigated for neglect?

[TK421]

68. I went through a "chunky" phase, though never considered obese

and it had nothing to do with what my parents fed me.. the shit I ate was unhealthy, and it was behind my parents back what I ate ( stuff that normally wasn't served for lunch or dinner growing up )

Kids sometimes find ways around what their parents want them to eat, and then they can gorge themselves on it

[brewens]

14. Don't feed your kid buttered cheese! n/t

[femmocrat]

15. I just discovered that HuffPo has a page dedicated to school lunches.

Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/school-lunches

The before-and-after lunch menus are very interesting!

Of course, a pre-K child might not be eating school lunches and there are probably other factors influencing his size and weight.
I am also noticing many young girls who are overweight and developing breasts in the early school grades.

I have both breakfast and lunch duties every day and trust me, the food is nothing but fat, sodium, and sugar. I read the labels. It is a national disgrace.

[Ilsa]

21. Our school has pretty good lunches. Low fat. No salt on the table

to be added by students. Overall, fairly balanced except for an emphasis on red meat, no doubt with fillers. We also still have breakfasts.

[pnwmom]

17. I agree with your whole post -- except for the mention

of your 11 year old's size 12.

What is relevant is not age, but height, and the child's stage of development.

[Ilsa]

23. It was just for comparison's sake. My 11 year is 50% percentile

For weight and height, last time we had a checkup.

The PK boy was maybe 36 inches tall. Maybe. Not the 60 inches in the size chart.

[pnwmom]

24. I understand, but comparing children can lead to unhealthy ideas, too.

I was actually skinny, but thought I was overweight because, when they weighed us in gym class, I weighed more than all the other girls. I was also at least half a foot taller than average. No one told me that that mattered.

What matters is that a child is healthy and that his or her height and weight are proportionate, not how the child compares to the 50th percentile.

[gkhouston]

30. +1. My 10-year-old's wearing adult sizes now. She's almost a

head taller than many of her classmates.

[pnwmom]

31. My daughter was taller than her 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers.

Eventually a lot of her classmates caught up, and she only ended up a few inches taller than average. But she was really towering there for a while.

[gkhouston]

117. I'm telling my daughter the others will mostly catch up. So far, she doesn't seem too

freaked by the height or the early puberty, since I had it, too. I think she's almost reached her adult foot size, which would be nice--she might actually have a pair of shoes long enough to wear them out.

[xmas74]

39. My ten year old also wears adult sizes

but she's 5'1" and has a size nine foot. It's also apparent she's entering puberty. (My family enters on the younger side.)

[Ilsa]

37. He's not healthy. He has hyperkeratosis indicative of hyperinsulemia.

He will probably develop high blood pressure and eventually Type II diabetes. This could be avoided with proper diet and exercise. I didnt dwell on that in the OP, just his average stature and exceptional waistline.

But your point is well-taken about kids being outside the "norm".

[w8liftinglady]

65. hyperkeratosis is interesting- I see it a lot in my area,as well

everyone just thinks these kids have dirty neck.
My kid has it. He also had an elevated cholestrol.
I am wealthy compared to a lot of these parents,and made a lot of changes.I make all his lunches with whole grain bread, high-grade meat/turkey, healthy snack, fresh fruit....because what I spend on my kid's lunches is what some of these people make in a week.
Go to an inner city housing project sometime.See what resources these families have available to them.The school breakfasts and lunches are a great idea. I wish there were ways to check the kids' blood sugars and cholestrol at school,too.

[Ilsa]

103. How's his BP? Is your county one of the counties

With required screening? So far, only Texas, Mew Mexico, Arizona, and California have required screenings of kids in school for acanthosis.

[w8liftinglady]

106. No. His pediatrician checked it

He is obese,and she had seen it in other patients. The athletic programs require a simple physical that DOES check vital signs and groins...that's about it.

[Paulie]

26. It's the FRUCTOSE. It's a POISON!

It's the fructose, either in sucrose (table sugar) or in HFCS. It's a poison and we're killing ourselves for it (Fructose, it's Ethanol without the Buzz)

Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, explores the damage caused by sugary foods. He argues that fructose (too much) and fiber (not enough) appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic through their effects on insulin.

View his awesome presentation here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM or a shorter, less science version here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14ZIKOQkTiM

Then there is Adiposity 101 presentation by journalist Gary Taubes - "The Quality of Calories: What Makes Us Fat and Why Nobody Seems to Care" = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-9fyOmAkO8

[nenagh]

29. I was in a Florida dollar store and saw a Mother buy a cart full of "snacks"

..prepackaged, cellophane wrapped, questionable is it really edible..food.. at all..

While I saw a cart full of toxic snacks.... she saw something she could feed her family for a dollar.

Very sad..

[lunasun]

36. whoa big one but they will tell you the First Lady is a food nazi

[Overseas]

52. Very successful PR campaign that supports the diabetes industry and fast food.

Don't let anybody take away our freedom to rush into illness!!

Damn Nanny Government better not mess with our pleasure!

It is so sadly convenient for the processed food industries and for-profit healthcare that right wing PR firms can rile up their tea partiers to protest against improving their health.

Lots of money in engineering food addiction and all the medicines designed to treat its consequences.

It is really disheartening how often Profit seems to trump public health and national security.

Seems like we're supposed to rate the Freedom to Make Profit above every other principle.

[lame54]

38. I hope he was treated kindly and with compassion

[Ilsa]

45. Of course. I would never even criticize the parent. The child is only 4-5. There

would be nothing accomplished by giving him a hard time about something he has little or no control over.

If I had the chance to visit with the parent, I might ask if the child is under a doctor's care and ask how the school could help him reach his medical goals. He's not the only child in school with a nursing care plan.

[lightningandsnow]

44. I feel bad for the kid.

However, I also have a bit of a problem with posting someone's measurements on a public forum. (Not because I don't think you meant well, just because measurement/number talk can be triggering to people with body issues and eating disorders.)

I hope that kid gets the help he needs, and is treated kindly and with compassion like anyone else with a medical problem.

[The Backlash Cometh]

46. Keep building developments without any open space available

for them to play in.

[InvisibleTouch]

48. When I was in 4th grade we had *one* fat kid in the class.

Unfortunately for him, his name was Matt, so you can imagine the rhymes and teasing. One afternoon the teacher gave us all a talking-to (with Matt conspicuously absent from the room), and explained about the pituitary gland and how a problem with that "master gland" affects the whole metabolism, causing excessive weight gain through no fault of the person's own. We were all suitably chastised and stopped picking on him from that time onward.

So yes, there are rare kids who have medical and glandular issues that cause obesity - but those genes haven't propagated themselves through the population in a mere 30 years. The vast majority of the obesity we're seeing today has to do with food additives, lack of exercise (and I am not a PE-advocate, having hated it myself in school - I mean just going outside to play and being normally active), and lack of nutritional knowledge on the part of the parents. Hard to even blame the parents, since everyone is so busy surviving. It takes some research and some time and effort to avoid the additives and prepare healthy meals.

School lunches and available snack dispensers at school are another culprit - but I think I can count on one hand the number of times I ever bought a school lunch. My mom packed my lunch, and when I got older I packed my own. Money for vending machines? Was simply not available, so even if I would like to have bought a candy bar, etc., I had nothing to buy it with, except for rare treats.

I'm not draconian about nutrition. I don't think there's anything wrong with a trip through the fast food window now and again, or some pop and candy as treats, as long as the basic diet is healthy.

I don't have kids, I have dogs - and I feed a natural raw diet. That also takes some more time, preparation, and research than simply opening a bag of kibble, and compared to junk-brand corn-based kibble, it's more expensive (but less expensive than "premium" kibble). But it's worth it to me for the sake of their health. I'm sure a lot of hassled and harried parents would feel the same about their kids' food, if they were taught how to do it without having it seem overwhelming and insurmountable. It takes a little more effort in the beginning, but once you're in the swing of it, it's no more difficult than any other habit.

[pstokely]

110. Not every parent has the time took

but they could get Subway instead of McDonalds

[Horse with no Name]

50. My Granddaughter went from a size 8 slim to 14

in THREE MONTHS without changing ONE habit. Her pediatrician was unconcerned. She does see a neurologist who looked at her most recent MRI and didn't see anything that would indicate a problem.

Her pediatrician said that is normal at this age. I don't agree.

I think it is the crap that is in our foods. Hormones in the milk, etc.

I think it is a problem in poorer school districts because we have kids eating breakfast AND lunch at school--and I am pretty convinced that isn't good food.

We need to take better care of our children (speaking as our generation).:(

[Overseas]

Healthcare is a for-profit industry here in the USA.

Diabetes is big business.

Chicken nuggets are big business.

Big business can rile up the already addicted to rave against intrusive government limiting their freedom to pursue instant pleasure. They can make colorful passionate signs about the nanny government and get their Tea Party battalions to defend their right to become insulin resistant in elementary school and ready for the diabetes meds by junior high! New markets! The wisdom of the private sector!

[pstokely]

111. Diet & Exercise is a big business

nt

[mzteris]

51. The nurse needs to contact the parents

about having him see a doctor.

[madinmaryland]

57. I am surprised no one else made that comment. Having him checked by a doctor

was my first thought.

[mzteris]

59. While there may well be

nutrition and exercise issues, it's pretty obvious that his health is impaired. Even if the impairment is due solely to his nutrition and exercise.

He needs a doctor's intervention ASAP.

[Ilsa]

61. He would have seen a doctor prior to school starting. Also, the

Acanthoses Nigracans would have been reported to parents earlier in the school year after his vision/hearing screenings.

[Ilsa]

60. It would have been reported to the parents earlier in the year

along with vision and hearing screening deviations.

[mzteris]

97. it needs to go beyond "reporting"

it needs to be an active contact. A gentle pressure to get the child medical attention. To ascertain if they do NOT have health insurance and then to help get them to the agency that will get the child medical attention in that community.

A "report" is frequently - and seems to be in this case - NOT ENOUGH.

[Ilsa]

101. After reporting, parents/guardians have to respond.

Including whether or not medical care was sought. Unfortunately, it cannot be forced.

[davsand]

58. I think many of us struggle with weight and diet issues. Struggle being the key word.

I have had issues with weight control most of my adult life. Part of it has been a sedentary lifestyle, and part of it has been poor food choices. When I throw in emotional eating as an added "bonus" it is pretty easy to see how I could end up the size of Clifford the Big Red Dog. I think it is really easy to sit here and be critical of that little kid's parents, the school lunch program, the government programs, HFCS,--add whatever culpable entity you can muster. Frankly, I'm not sure that there is any one single reason why anybody is over the ideal body weight, and sitting here beating each other up about who we should "blame" seems counter productive.

I give Michelle Obama a lot of credit for trying to bring the issue of food choices to the nation's attention. She is attempting to DO something and that is the first step toward a solution. The guys like the chef Jamie Oliver (I think that is his name--not completely sure, however...) who are out there talking about our school lunch programs and what crap we feed our kids are also making a good start. The adults who volunteer with food banks teaching people how to cook healthy meals with lower cost ingredients deserve a round of applause. The parents who CAN take the time to coach sports or lead after school programs are doing a huge service to our kids. The communities that work (and vote) to build robust recreation departments in our parks are a similar blessing...

If we are gonna help our kids--our communities--we have all got to get off our collective backsides and volunteer. That isn't gonna make the problem of obesity vanish, nor will it mean that everyone will suddenly choose a healthy lifestyle. What it will do, however, is offer up the opportunity and the education that seems to be lacking now.

YMMV, but I feel that if it becomes important to enough people it can be changed.




Laura

[Xithras]

66. I blame CNN. Seriously.

My kids are physically fit, primarily because I force them to be active. They have an XBox, but it has a play time limit on it...after two hours a day, it shuts off. They either find something else to do, or get to be "bored".

Unfortunatly, I seem to be fighting a one family war on that front though. My kids try to cajole their friends into playing with them, but they're almost universally "not allowed". Parents are so paranoid of the boogie man that they won't allow their own kids to play outside without supervision. I still remember the mother of one of my daughters friends calling me a "neglectful parent" because I allowed my 12 year old daughter to ride her bike to a nearby park without parental supervision. She went on and on about kidnappers and rapists... Nowadays, my daughter is a fit and healthy 17 year old. I'm going to be nice, and just leave it at "hers isn't".

Kids burn calories and fat by playing, but there's a large segment of our population that absolutely REFUSES to allow their kids to play outside. Then they feign ignorance when their kids slowly become obese.

My children are still friends with several kids like this. When they go over to their houses to play or hang out, they usually end up in front of THEIR XBox, so I try to steer them to other kids.

[TK421]

69. the kids can play video games to their hearts content and STILL be fit

there was plenty of time to be active where I grew up, plenty of things to do with plenty of kids on my block ( and the surrounding area )

I knew kids who were pencil-thin who did nothing but vegetate in front of their Nintendo-Sega..the other problem here is some people have a higher metabolism than others...very true. Now, I am very thin but went through a phase where I was kind of chunky ( 11-14 or 16 ) Everyone back then had some kind of exercise, be it stick ball or flag football or whatever kind of game that involved some physical exertion

I can't blame parents on this; I don't believe anyone can unless they know these parents

[Odin2005]

70. Here in Fargo parents can get in trouble if kids under 12 outside are not supervised by an adult.

This paranoia is insane and unhealthy.

[TK421]

71. wow, really?

that is actually kind of creepy

[Odin2005]

75. I was shocked when a coworker said that he had to bring his 11yo boy to daycare.

I asked why, I was wandering around my little hometown when I was 7. He said that he could get in legal trouble (child neglect) if his son was unsupervised.

I was a kid in the 90s. Have we gone this insane in 15 years?

[TK421]

77. Odin that is really sad

well, I don't know what else to say about that :(

[Odin2005]

83. The saddest thing is that the kid has ADHD, he NEEDS vigorous outside play.

[TK421]

84. I have a niece who is severe ADHD...I'm familiar with this kind of thing

I lived with her for four years, and I know what it is like to deal with

I also know what it is like for them

[pstokely]

112. Even in their own backyard?

nt

[Odin2005]

119. No, but an unsupervised kid is not gonna stay in his yard.

[Arugula Latte]

115. I let my kids go to a nearby park sans adults.

But the rules are they must go with a friend and must carry a cell phone (it's very nice to be able to say: "Okay, it'll be dark in 20 minutes. Start heading home...") My younger one is 11.

[Randy_P]

88. It's nationwide

But I'm in no place to judge. I LUVS me dem Philly cheesesteak sandwiches.

[TK421]

89. I'll give you a cheesesteak, smothered in underwear n/t

[BlueIris]

91. I feel terrible for any person struggling with a weight management problem, but

obesity kills. I am also relieved that the First Lady has helped take the initiative in trying to get society to address this disaster.

[morningglory]

93. My 4 1/2 yo grandson stayed with us last weekend. He

literally ran his little legs off from dawn till 8pm. He is in pre-school. They are making him do homework. Pre-schoolers should be running their little legs off all day long and not being taught to hate school/learning, being forced to do homework, preparing to not be left behind with all those frikken tests. That is all.

[TK421]

94. I agree with you..

:thumbsup:

[JanMichael]

96. Food is a major cause as is sitting constantly.

Sit at school (Oh and at work too once an adult), go home sit in front of a computer, a TV, sit sit sit. The human body was not built for sitting damned near all waking hours.

Toss in lousy processed food and boom - really obese kids and adults.

[aikoaiko]

99. Amazingly, a lot of the private schools in my area bring in McDonalds, Chik-fil-A, Pizza for lunch.

I never liked my school cafeteria much but at least it was real food.

[sarcasmo]

100. The portions we get at restaurants and what we feed ourselves are way to big.

Watch what you get on your plate the next time you eat out, think to yourself could I live on half of this? Sure you could live on probably a quarter of what they put in front of you.

[Mimosa]

107. SUGAR at a young age, too many snacks.

This is so preventable. So kudos to the First Lady's efforts to wake people up.

NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP! BAAAAAAAAAAAD. Next they want to call it 'corn sugar'. Your body CAN 'tell the difference'.