Battling with obesity: Who's to blame?

PORTERVILLE -- Children in America are becoming one of the most obese populations in the world, with California leading the nation as the state with the highest percentage of children who are overweight.

An October 2002 report issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control found that nationwide, more than 15 percent of children ages 6 to 19 were overweight, a 200 percent increase over the past three decades.

And forget the image of health-loving Californians who play outdoor sports while munching on tofu burgers and bean sprouts.

In this state, 45 percent of children are unhealthy and 25 percent are overweight, according to a recent report by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy.

Those figures match what local pediatrician Dr. Ramon Resa said he sees in his office.

"Basically one in four children who comes into my office is overweight," he said. "In infants it's not as prevalent; but I'm seeing a lot more teenagers with weight problems."

Resa blames poor eating habits and increased inactivity.

"Kids today sit in front of their computers, TVs and video games a lot more than they used to," he said. "And unfortunately, parents these days are too busy to cook. So kids are eating a lot more snacks and fast food."

National food surveys show that about 30 percent of family meals nationwide are fixed outside the home, regardless of family income, said William Dietz, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity.

Dietz said these meals often are higher in calories and fat and contain larger portions than those prepared at home.

Resa said it's parents who are responsible.

"They're the ones who drive the kids to the fast food places," he said, "They're the ones who control what their kids eat."

But some local educators also fault the Porterville Unified School District.

"It's all those Coke machines on campus -- they're everywhere," said Sherry Perry, a Porterville High School English teacher. "The kids can buy Coke before school, during mid-morning brunch, at lunch and after school. We can supply their addiction any time, any place on campus.

"The district has sold its soul to Coca Cola for money."

In 1999, PUSD officials entered into a five-year contract with Coca Cola, which nets the district $116,000 per year.

In return, the district agreed to place about 50 Coca Cola vending machines at its school sites, and is prohibited from selling sodas made by any other soft drink manufacturer.

"The $116,000 per year includes estimated sales from vending machines, $18,000 in cash, plus 515 free cases which equals $12,240," said superintendent John Snavely. "Every cent of profit derived from the contract goes to our student organizations. The district does not keep a penny."

Snavely said the soft drinks are sold only at the high schools and middle schools.

What they drink

But a report by The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center's Nutrition Information Center finds that obesity in children may have as much to do with what they drink as it does with what they eat.

Average teenage consumption of soda has more than tripled since 1978, occurring during approximately the same years as the most significant increases in childhood and adolescent obesity, the report says.

In addition to contributing to obesity, soft drinks also pose a health risk, said Judy Hevener, PHS home economics teacher.

"All sodas contain phosphoric acid, which leaches calcium from the bones," she said. "And students who drink sodas are not drinking milk, so they're doing double damage to the body. For young teenage girls this is especially important because of osteoporosis."

Hevener said she stresses the importance of healthy eating habits in her classes, but feels she's fighting a losing battle.

"It's counter-productive with what we're serving them on campus," she said. "At brunch, I don't see anything but soda going in; and at lunch all I see are a lot of chips and soda. I just see real poor eating habits at thi

s level."

Chips and sodas

A stroll across the PHS campus during lunch bears this out. Just about every student has a Coke in one hand and a bag of Doritos, Cheetos or doughnuts in the other.

Teens like Chelsea Loftis line up in front of one of the school's snack bars.

A sign in front of the snack bar says "Got Milk?"

Loftis orders a bag of Spicier Nachos and has a glob of nacho cheese poured into it.

"I usually don't eat breakfast," she says.

Janette Schelebo, 16, orders her usual lunch -- Doritos and a Coke. She looks at a fellow student eating an orange she'd brought from home.

"There's probably only one of those at every table," she says, referring to the student.

For Justin Billiou, 15, lunch consists of a lollipop and a Coke. Billiou says he ate nothing for breakfast and drinks two Cokes a day.

Chris Bell says he supplements his daily slice of pizza with coffee, also sold on campus.

"I don't think any of us here have a good diet because they really don't give us any options," says 16-year-old Angela Wiggins.

When the bell rings, the students disperse, leaving behind a campus littered with empty chip bags and Coke cups.

The students return to their classrooms filled with empty calories.

It affects their academic performance, Perry said.

"I think that what you put in your body affects your ability to learn," she said. "It would be a definite advantage to instruction if we had food provided here that was nutritious. Then the kids wouldn't go through these sugar highs and lows."

But, it is healthy

District officials point out that they do offer students a choice of healthy foods.

"We have a variety of cold sandwiches available at the snack bars," said Olga Jimenez, secretary of student nutrition. "And in the cafeteria, the menu varies every day. We offer hamburgers, burritos, chicken nuggets, lasagna, spaghetti and chili beans, plus fresh and canned fruits and vegetables."

Jimenez said about 150 PHS students per day eat the school lunch meal served in the cafeteria.

The school has 1,649 students.

"We try to make it available to them," Snavely said. "And we have breakfast programs in all our elementary schools."

The students interviewed for this story were not obese; however, they are setting themselves up for a lifetime of problems, including high cholesterol, anemia, heart disease and diabetes, Hevener said.

"Fast food is loaded with fat, sugar and salt," she said. "We're already starting to see type II diabetes -- normally seen in adults -- in our teenagers."

Ethyln Wheeler, a nurse who works for the school district, said she's seen a substantial increase in diabetes.

"We used to have one kid in the district with diabetes; now we have one or more at every school site," she said. "They're drinking all this caffeine and sugar. It's not good."

Officials from the Burton Elementary School District said they do not have a contract with a soft drink manufacturer.

"It is not in our interest to be selling sodas," superintendent Gary Mekeel said. "You won't find Coke machines on any of our campuses."

A solution?

Sen. Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch, said he will propose three bills to help control the unhealthy trend.

Among them, Torlakson plans further limits on soda machines in schools by requiring the acquisition of new machines to be open to public comment at school board meetings.

"Bad eating habits learned as children could end up hurting everybody," said Torlakson, a longtime teacher and running coach. "Obesity is an epidemic that costs billions of dollars in health costs."

Torlakson said he expects to submit the bills by the end of this month.

It is estimated that obesity contributes to 300,000 deaths each year, at a cost to our health care system of $70 billion a year.

TIPS FOR PARENTS

Parents' involvement in modifying obese children's behavior is important. Parents who model healthy eating and activity can positively influence their children's health.

Substitute high-fat, calorie-laden foods such as chocolate, biscuits, cakes and crisps with healthier alternatives such as fresh fruit, crusty bread and crackers.

In

stead of chips fried in fat, serve oven chips and try to grill or bake foods instead of frying.

If your child loves eating at fast food restaurants, don't stop them completely but try to cut down on the number of visits.

Avoid soft drinks as they contain high levels of sugar and calories. Try substituting fresh juices diluted with water or sugar-free alternatives.

When you go food shopping try to limit the amount of convenience foods and sugar-laden, high-fat snacks you buy. If this type of food is not in the house, it will be easier for your child to resist it.

To indulge your child's sweet tooth, offer healthier alternatives such as dried fruit instead of sweets, frozen yogurt instead of ice cream and bagels instead of doughnuts.

Try to encourage your child to get involved in preparing meals. This will make them more aware of what they are eating.

Keep a food diary by writing down everything they eat in a day. This may help older children become more aware of snacking and allow them to understand when this most happens and how to control it.

Henry Winckel can be reached at Henry_Winckel@link.freedom.com.