Obesity rates slow among California schoolchildren
Interventions still needed in preschool, early grades
Published: March 6, 2012
The increase in the percentage of California schoolchildren who are obese has slowed a bit, a hopeful sign that interventions at school can help youths live healthier and more active lives.
For the first time since educators began taking steps to manage the obesity epidemic, results of the physical fitness test given to California children in school each spring show the obesity rate is slowing down compared to previous decades. The Fitnessgram tests measure the body mass index, strength, flexibility and aerobic capacity of California fifth-, seventh- and ninth-graders to determine their fitness level.
Previous studies showed the obesity rate was increasing from 0.8 percent to 1.7 percent per year. But the latest study showed that obesity increased by little more than 0.3 percent per year between 2003 and 2008.
“For the first time, we have reached a critical turning point in our battle against the silent epidemic of childhood obesity,” said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson.
Concerned about growing numbers of obese children and increasing incidents of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, the California Department of Education convened a task force in 2004 to see what schools could do to increase the time students spend in physical activity and to promote healthful eating.
As a result, physical activity standards were strengthened to require at least 200 minutes of exercise in kindergarten through grade 5 and 400 minutes in grades 6-12 every 10 school days. At the same time, restrictions were set on fat- and sugar-laden foods served at schools.
While the study of Fitnessgram results indicated the obesity epidemic has slowed, the researchers noted one troubling statistic.
“Children who were obese entering the fifth grade remained obese in subsequent years as well, despite improvements in school nutrition and fitness standards,” said William Bommer, professor of cardiovascular medicine at UC Davis and senior author of the study, in announcing the findings. “And we suspect that this trend begins before kindergarten.”
Researchers concluded from their findings that greater efforts must be directed at reducing the epidemic in preschool and early grades if further improvement is to be seen.
To help governance teams establish effective policies for promoting student wellness, CSBA has published several practical resources for bringing about healthful changes in their students’ lives.
“Student Wellness: A Healthy Food and Physical Activity Policy Resource Guide“ lays out a step-by-step approach for enhancing the school environment so students can develop and practice healthy eating habits. And “Building Healthy Communities: A School Leader’s Guide to Collaboration and Community Engagement“ offers suggestions to help governance teams develop collaborations to bring about healthful changes in their students’ lives. Each is available for free download from CSBA’s Student Wellness web page.
Future wellness work will be assisted by a grant CSBA recently received from The California Endowment—a private health foundation that focuses on building healthy communities, said Martin Gonzalez, CSBA’s assistant executive director for member services.
“Efforts are under way to revise our resources and to work with governance teams as they understand, develop and monitor the implementation of school wellness policies,” Gonzalez said.