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Bill a good move toward comprehensive plan

Pediatricians throughout the state applaud Sen. Joseph Carter (R-Tifton) for perseverance and initiative in promoting legislation (SB 506) that begins to address the Georgia epidemic of childhood obesity.

Ask any pediatrician in Georgia and you will learn that we see children daily who either have or are at risk for obesity-related health complications. These serious health risks include hypertension, Type II diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis and more.

The adverse economic impact of obesity on Georgia's economy has been estimated to be $2 billion annually: $500 million in direct health care costs, and more than $1.5 billion in lost productivity. Employers and taxpayers shoulder this burden.

We urge legislators and the governor's office to lead the way with a comprehensive plan to address the problem. Such a plan should include a director who will seek input from appropriate health care and administrative leaders, develop a strategic plan, and report to the governor.

The strategic plan should address opportunities for physical activity in schools and communities, nutrition in school and at home, and reasonable payment for nutritionists and health providers who treat these children. A Georgia Web site should be created, providing information for families on child nutrition and physical activity, and measures to maintain a healthful BMI.

The states of Tennessee, South Carolina and Arkansas are ahead of Georgia in such public policy. SB 506 is a good first step. Without a broad-based strategic plan tailored for Georgia and our children, one legislative bill will have little impact on this urgent problem.

Dr. MARTIN C. MICHAELS

Michaels, a Dalton physician, is president of the Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Restrict access to bad foods

Only in America can the impoverished become obese. In the March 1 front-page article "Senate wants kids on scales," we learn that "Poverty is a key factor: About 20 percent of impoverished kids are obese." Instead of spending more taxpayer dollars implementing useless controls and programs, why don't we get creative? I honestly can't tell you how many times I've been at the supermarket and watched the family in front of me fill their bags with unhealthy foods —- Twinkies, sugar drinks, cookies and ice cream —- and then pull out their state-subsidized debit card to pay for it all. Why can't we put together legislation that says those cards can only be used for produce and fresh meats and dairy products? Why subsidize these eating habits and then put together legislation that forces these kids on scales after the fact? Combat the problem at the source, not afterwards.

STEPHEN PAUL, Decatur

Labeling will become problematical

I have worked for seven years in Title I schools. We have a wonderful diversity of youth from around the globe. I rarely see overweight children.

We must think about how children grow. They tend to plump out and sprout up. If they are weighed and measured for assignment of a BMI twice a year, they may be caught during a growth spurt and the grade they receive may be inaccurate. Also, if we bring too much attention to those students who are actually overweight, and if we damage their self-esteem, and if we label their schools "unhealthy school zones," is there a possibility that in the future they may develop eating disorders at the other end such as anorexia or bulimia?

What are we doing about our youth who are too thin? Will they be assigned a bad grade on their BMI results as well? And will a special diet be available for them in our school cafeterias? Is the measurement of our children's bodies crossing personal boundaries? Are we losing personal privacy and personal freedom with this kind of legislation? Will we lose children to private schools to avoid this kind of action at public schools?

Personally, I believe we should encourage our children to attend our public schools, not discourage them by designating them as "unhealthy school zones" on the state Web site.

THELMA HEYWOOD, Duluth

Children paying for bad parenting

Wake up, people! When are we going to stop making children pay the price for irresponsible, toxic or dysfunctional parents? The Georgia Senate wants to bring shame and unwarranted focus on the body mass of school students.

Weigh the parents! Bring shame on them! Leave the children alone to be children and not bear the responsibility for not being properly fed as they grew up in the care of ignorant parents. If this bill goes anywhere, expect an epidemic of kids binging and purging because they do not "measure" up.

JANE NOELL, Woodstock

Program must go beyond physical

Parents are concerned about the shame and stigma attached to weight. Research shows 4-year-olds associate "fat" with "lazy," "sloppy," "dirty," "ugly" and "stupid." Anorexics and bulimics who suffered weight-based teasing as kids have the worst prognosis because they would "rather be dead than fat."

Current prevention programs increase activity and offer healthier food options but ignore the psycho-social components of eating problems. The Eating Disorders Information Network's program, supported by eating disorder and obesity experts, adds this ingredient. The "Love Your Body" program addresses weightism and teasing, the importance of respecting the body's hunger and satiety signals, and increasing emotional intelligence by addressing healthy ways to cope with boredom, stress and the other uncomfortable feelings that can lead to overeating or food restriction. Teachers and parents need to add this missing piece so that our prevention efforts "do no harm."

DINA ZECKHAUSEN

Zeckhausen, an Atlanta psychologist, founded the Eating Disorders Information Network.

Kids' diet, exercise in need of overhaul

The bill on tracking BMIs in schools does not go far enough and shows a lack of understanding of obesity. Body mass index can be misleading if the child is an athlete and has a large muscle mass. Muscle mass weighs more than fat, and that will have to be factored into the equation. If you do a BMI on a child in school, the next steps should be to provide only nutritious options in the school cafeteria, create an exercise regimen that lasts for 30 minutes each day and provide information that parents can use to continue a healthy lifestyle.

If this bill is passed, education funds must be provided to change the sedentary lifestyle of children in school and for better-tasting, nutritious foods in school cafeterias. Healthy foods generally cost more than the high-calorie, high-carbohydrate foods that many children prefer to eat. Building an exercise program into the school's curriculum that starts out at a low level of exertion and builds to a high one throughout the year will also be more expensive.

If Georgia's Legislature must intervene to help the state's childhood obesity problem, then don't do it halfway. Provide the money necessary to create a program that will work. Just doing BMIs and posting it on the Web does nothing but increase the stigma of being fat.

DEBBIE SPAMER, Roswell

Adult obesity is just as big a problem

Why not start with the source of childhood obesity? It is not the children who purchase the unhealthy foods at the grocery store, plan the school lunch menu, provide candy and pizza as a reward in class, purchase the items sold at concession stands at ballgames, etc. It is adults. It is also obese adults who are contributing to the escalating costs of health care. What is anyone doing about adult obesity? When looking at the improvements in the childhood obesity rates in Arkansas, these came about not just because of weighing children. Gov. Mike Huckabee made other changes such as changing school lunch menus. Maybe Gov. Sonny Perdue needs to get on board and make changes that address the real causes of childhood obesity as well as adult obesity. Maybe we should have "unhealthy work zones," or better yet, "unhealthy living zones." Let's just see how many adults would agree to be weighed in —- they could even get on the scale backwards. It's just a statistic; they shouldn't mind.

JULIE TELFORD, Braselton

 DEAN ROHRER / newsart.com