I rattle off statistics about childhood obesity so often on TLT that sometimes they lose their ability to alarm me. But yesterday the folks at the Master of Arts in Teaching Program at the University of Southern California shared with me a childhood obesity infographic they’ve created, and I was alarmed all over again.
Take a look at these figures, keeping in mind the introductory statement that “[i]f the current trend continues, more than 85% of adults in the United States will be overweight or obese by the year 2030″:
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Gosh it’s alarming. I know the actions and habits that beget childhood/adult obesity but my panic stems from the thought that I can make all the “right” choices for my daughter and her peers could still out-influence me in the end. Is childhood obesity by and large a package deal?!
Libby: I know – societal/peer influence is so overwhelming. I see this now especially as my daughter moves into middle school and independence and peers become all important, and everything I say merits an eye roll. My only hope is that lessons instilled early will resurface in adulthood, but there are no guarantees.
It’s true, we see these statistics every day, but something like this visual reaffirms their severity. I recently read that the generation born in 2000 will be the first to have a lower life expectancy than their parents.
I agree – so distressing. I love your blog, by the way! Thanks for sharing the link here.
Quick note on an error: There are fifty states, so each state is 2%. How can you have 18.4% of the states?
OMG. I’m so not a math person. Would never have caught that. I’m going to email the USC people and see what they say.
Well, they sent me the source for the stat but it sill doesn’t clear up the issue: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/shpps/2006/factsheets/pdf/FS_FoodandBeverages_SHPPS2006.pdf
Thanks! I suspect they mean districts, which could be interpreted as fractions of a state… I’ll ping them (they’re local
), particularly because the next study is next year.
The focus always seems to be on obesity, but what’s even more troubling to me is that any child with these food/lifestyle habits is likely to experience health problems later in life, even if obesity isn’t an issue.
Absolutely. When I mention obesity, I try as often as I can to insert the disclaimer: obesity is not necessarily the right measure! Just as you say, you can have a thin child who is eating an abysmal diet and who may suffer all sorts of consequences as a result. I’m glad you made that point here!
…Or a slightly heavier child who eats very healthy food and just needs time to grow into an adult body type! (sorry, Bettina, but you know I could NOT resist chiming in from this minority position.)
RIGHT!
This infographic should serve as a vital wake up call for parents everywhere. Schools are not responsible for kids’ diets- their parents are. Schools are only offering foods that they know kids will buy. I cannot tell you how many customers we have (I own a healthy School Lunch company) that ask us to have more “kid foods like corn dogs” on our menus. Parents need to realize that eating a steady diet of processed foods may not harm their child in that instant, but most certainly will 20, 30 years down the road.
If parents stopped participating in the school lunch program because of the lack of healthy options, the school lunch programs would have no choice but to change.
This infographic is hard to look at, but its the cold hard truth. Thank you for posting it and I have shared it will all my friends and customers. I hope we can make the changes necessary before its too late.
I just wrote a post in complete agreement with you Samantha. Good nutrition and healthy kids are the responsibility of the parent. Sadly, too few “get it”. http://www.easylunchboxes.com/blog/childhood-obesity-and-one-pediatricians-pledge-to-make-a-difference/
Excellent post, Kelly!
I agree that parents need to take for responsibility for what their children eat. However, the problem is that my child’s school is constantly undermining my efforts to teach my child healthy eating habits. There is a nonstop parade of junk-food-centered activities promoted by the school: fundraisers, ice cream socials, birthday parties, class parties, holiday parties, birthday celebrations, rewards, after-care snacks…the list goes on and on. I believe in the occasional treat, of course, but this goes way beyond occasional. Since my children were born, I’ve worked really hard to ensure they would develop a taste for a broad range of unprocessed, nutritious foods, yet the food culture at his school poses a constant threat to that. In the meantime, I risk becoming the bad guy in my child’s eyes and the crazy mom in everyone else’s
I don’t mind, though, because I believe so passionately in the value of teaching healthy eating/lifestyle habits, but I can imagine that many parents just give in to the pressure rather than swim against such a strong tide.
Oh, Korey — you’re preaching to the choir here! I don’t know how long you’ve been reading TLT, but some of my earliest posts were all about exactly what you’re describing. (Here are two in particular that really sum up my feelings about the treat onslaught in schools: “The Birthday Cupcake Debate Heats Up” and “Sarah Palin and Birthday Treats Redux“) And, just as you say, it’s so hard to swim against the tide. Keep up the good work on your end, and thank you for reading and commenting here!
Samantha: I hope you saw the recent guest post by Justin Gagnon of Choicelunch. In it, he discusses parent requests like the ones you’re describing here. I really feel for food service providers – what a hard job you have!
That graphic doesn’t mention that they redefined obesity since 1980. Millions of Americans went to bed at a healthy weight and woke up obese.
Uly – when were the standards changed? If anything, I would have thought it would go the other way – that we, as a society, have a higher tolerance for overweight. (E.g., if I weighed the top of my “suggested” BMI, I would be huge.)
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