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Thursday, March 9, 2006
Lawmakers should stay out of fat fight
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Students at Nesbit Elementary School hop off the bus and head to the track.
Every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday morning, a group of 50 or so walk or run as many laps as they can before class. Nesbit also has a rockclimbing club that meets twice a week. These are just two of the ways the school tries to instill healthy habits. Even recess has moved beyond free play.
“We have teacher-directed activities,” Principal Cecilia Garcia said. “There’s a lot of organized games, and when you play, it’s a wonderful time to learn social skills and problem-solving.”
We’re the richest country in the world. We’re not the healthiest by a long shot. In the South, especially, we take the cake and eat it, too. The Trust for America’s Health issued a 2005 report that ranked Georgia 12th in its number of obese adults.
Our children play lead roles in the fat epidemic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that, nationally, 16 percent of 6- to 19-year-olds are overweight. That’s triple the proportion 20 years ago. Caloric intake apparently has ballooned. Physical activity has bottomed out.
The Georgia Legislature has laced up forthe obesity fight. Lawmakers are considering the Student Health and Fitness Act. The original measure would have forced schools to give elementary students at least 150 minutes of weekly P.E. and middle school students 225 minutes a week. It was revised. Fine arts and music teachers told legislators the provision would infringe on their programs.
Now, House Bill 474 would require school systems to submit a report on their physical education and health courses. They also would have to estimate how much it would cost to implement weekly P.E. standards.
In principle, House Bill 474 sounds great. In theory, it’s got more holes than a box of Krispy Kremes.
Our schools consist of a captive audience.Because of that, there’s a tendency to promote social change on campus. But schools can’t do it all — at least not in a six-hour day.
Yet they continue to get saddled with legislative mandates that pile on added responsibilities but have little to do with reading, writing and arithmetic. Thatlawmakers want to address the fat epidemic is noble. But I’d rather see bills crafted that help Johnny read or Susie become a scientist.
Principals and school boards don’t need a legislature to fight fat. They can schedule exercise activities any time they want to.
Like at Nesbit, my son’s school. The campus recently hosted a family program that dealt with healthy diets. Parents got to take part in a P.E. class with their kids.
The running club is in its second year. Another day has been added in which students have to run without walking at all.
“We just started it today,” Jerry Tew, the P.E. instructor, told me Wednesday. “They have to run at least two laps — a half mile. Those who are coming are improving their endurance. It’s not where it needs to be.” It’s getting better.
