Articles like this really bother me. Being fat is not the health scourge. It is, however, easy to measure. While there are some correlations between obesity and health, size is not the full measure of fitness. Plenty of skinny people suffer health problems from the very same root causes that make other people fat. Scapegoating the people who are fat and holding them out as the example of what’s wrong with the USA is not only false but also unkind and damaging to real people who are complex human beings with value. We don't need to wage a war on childhood obesity, and my extension, fat ***kids***, in order to give all kids a shot at a healthier life.

I've written a blog response with what I see as the true

http://theliberatedkitchenpdx...

Sadly, I don't beleive my school is doing anything. In fact, they promote the fact that they have only 35 minutes for lunch and they show movies in the auditorium for kids who finish early. Although there is a large outdoor space, it is rarely used. Though there is a beautiful gym, when we DID have a gym teacher, the kids were limited to relay race type activities, where most of the children are seated while a few participate at a time.

Yes, there is a salad bar, and now in 5th grade, my child will finally choose a few items from it. But overall, it's pretty rarely eaten from. They ALSO serve chocolate milk at every meal, processed meats and cheese foods (I refuse to call it cheese) and items loaded with sugars and empty calories.

In addition, while the school system might be regular testing kids for academic fitness, the info they give to parents is a simple ranking of where your child falls *relative to other children* and is nothing concrete. Since that data also comes with recommendations such as eating better and getting more exorcise, I find it laughably hypocritical.

Honestly, I say SHAME ON NYC SCHOOLS around this issue.

For schools to encourage health habits, I strongly suggest that Cub Scout, Boy Scout and Girl Scout (including Sea Scout)groups should be strongly encouraged and organized. Taking the Scouts to the country-side and to sea would definitely have a positive and good attitude for youths. Has anyone ever known a former Boy Scout leading a life of crime?

Encourage prayers in the homes and school!

Our local school's principal was very proud to be part of a Clinton Global Initiative-related project on health and schools. It didn't inspire her to start obeying state laws concerning physical education instruction.
The usual excuse is: we don't have the money, we don't have the time. But with a little creativity, more than one class can take gym together and teachers can supervise in the gym, with the gym teacher present.

This deserves a closer look. Note that the decline in obesity is in children entering kindergarten and first grade - those that have most recently been out of the control and care of the public schools.
Fewer kids may be obese when they start kindergarten and K, but within a few years, I'll guarantee you that more kids are obese with the sedentary lifestyle enforced there (little to no gym, hours of homework).
Our neighborhood kindergartners all started looking a bit portly after a few months of "Kindergarten is the New First Grade," where walking from the desk to a bathroom break was considered "physical activity."

I am very happy to hear of this. When I was in school we were given a great deal of hot dogs, pizza, and burgers along with baked beans mamacaroni and cheeze. Once in a while a little salad or corn. My mother thought meat and potatoes pretty well covered it, with canned pease. I could keep the weight off as a child but after my children were born the weight started to accumulate. This type of diet was all we knew, until I got diabetes and luckily found a diabetes trainer that belonged to the Seventh Day Adventist church and she trained me to lose weight and get healthy with a vegetarian diet. What a blessing that was and my husband agreeded to eat what I did . We have wonderful vegeatarian

The data suggests that whatever is causing this drop, it has little to do with what is ap w/ what is happening in our schools; esp. since the decline is sharpest
among 5-6 year old kids who are just entering school. what would be
interesting is to do a longitudinal study of weight among students as
they pass through our schools.

While schools may not offer enough movement kids can participate in after school classes. Young kids and teenagers can do great programs on the upper west side at Visions Wellness Center. Go to www.visionswellness.com to find out more

This is good news, but one variable to consider is
whether the decline is "real" or whether there are
errors in the administration of Fitnessgram. I am
not a fan of the latter, but I think we're stuck with
it for a while.

Many schools in New York State have participated in the Smarter Lunchroom Movement - smarterlunchrooms.org - which champions research based methods for nudging children to eat healthier lunches. The methods proposed by this movement are low cost and simple to implement. Cornell University faculty Brian Wansink and David Just initiated the movement and their research demonstrates how something as simple as placing fruit in a nice bowl in a well lit location can increase fruit sales or moving a salad bar to a conspicuous and central location can greatly increase salad sales.

What about encouraging the revival of cooking lessons in schools? There was an excellent OP-Ed piece in the Times last September on the subject. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/0...
Public schools need to consider resuscitating home economics courses, with a renewed focus on cooking lessons and nutrition education. Teaching basic cooking skills to children imparts them with lifelong skills needed to make smarter food choices. I was lucky enough to grow up with a chef as a father and develop a natural interest in cooking from an early age. Most children these days do not, despite the plethora of food media out there today. While learning at home may be the best, most effective way to develop a knowledge of cooking skills, most parents unfortunately do not have the time or means to cook meals themselves on a daily basis. Requiring schools to reinvigorate cooking lessons is the next best - and most feasible - way. Exposure to new foods and techniques will inspire interest in cooking from an early age and can be a way to enhance, rather than detract from, lessons in math, science, and social studies. Schools will be able to empower kids to make better, more informed food choices, in order to prevent obesity. Taxes on junk food and healthier school lunches are important steps, but how can you learn to eat healthier if you do not even know to cook?

Schools have to make it compulsory, like maths or
english, daily exercise including a healthy cafeteria. It is no longer a choice it is now an education to progress through life getting an education exercise and healthy eating. Without your health you are nothing. www.wakeupgetfit.com

This is a paradox: an OBESE Education Department's
chief executive shows off a salad bar in the cafeteria of P.S. 20 on the Lower East Side. To defeat children obesity,
the contribution of public figures like this chief
executive is MANDATORY!

At my daughter's school, Studio School, they offer Kitchen Science to all students from preschool through 8th grade. Not only do they help prepare lunch for the rest of the school, but they also learn about healthy cooking and nourishment. The food is all natural, mostly organic, and with very little added sugar. The meals offer a wide variety of textures, cultural influences, and ingredients. They also have beautiful conversations on how to listen to one's body and care for it appropriately. Not only this, but the students LOVE it. My daughter is 3 1/2 and she can't get enough of it.

It is so sad to me, that the very children who could be accessing these healthier foods, through free school lunch, still are not bearing the positive impact. Health is a multi-dimentional thing-and what is happening at home still rules supreme.

I agree that the school lunch menu needs to change and that there needs to be more gym/physical fitness time embedded in the school day, but healthy habits really beings at home. I see 4-5 year olds coming to school with bags of chips and eating candy for breakfast!

As for schools not having the budget for gym, it is true! There is so much emphasis on academics and standardized tests or assessments (even in PreK and K), that gym is the first thing that gets cut out. We expect kids to read and write full sentences in Kindergarten now - there isn't time to waste playing! (I'm being sarcastic)

Nice blog! It is good that you came up with this kind of idea to share . I would like also to share www.gourmetrecipe.com and www.lifestyle.gourmandia.com, sites where I enjoyed viewing the healthy recipes. Hope you can also visit the site and enjoy the videos!