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First lady Michelle Obama announced her "Let's Move" campaign against childhood obesity Tuesday. And Wichitans who work with children's health and fitness called it a step in the right direction.
The point is to promote a healthy lifestyle and "get kids off couches, out and away from their computers and give them the opportunity to be active," said Kim Morrissey physical education instructor for Dodge Literacy Magnet.
"The more this is in the media, the more it will filter into our awareness," said Wichita pediatrician Elaine Harrington.
One-third of American children are overweight or obese, putting them at higher risk of developing diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other illnesses. Billions of dollars are spent every year treating obesity-related conditions. And public health experts say today's kids are on track to have shorter lifespans than their parents.
"None of us wants this future for our kids," Obama said at the White House. "We have to act, so let's move."
Her campaign has four parts: helping parents make better food choices, serving healthier food in school vending machines and lunch lines, making healthy food more available and affordable, and encouraging children to exercise more.
The plan's goal is to solve childhood obesity within a generation so today's children can reach adulthood at healthy weights.
A 2009 survey showed 12 percent of Kansas high school students are obese and at least 25 percent are considered overweight or obese, said Maggie Thompson, spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
In 2008, only one state — Colorado — had less than 20 percent of its children overweight or obese. Kansas was at 27.4 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
In an interview with ABC News, Obama said that although she loves burgers and fries, she wants her daughters — and the rest of America's children — to learn about better nutrition and exercise.
"We're not talking about a lifestyle that excludes all that," she said. "The question is how do we help people balance that out so that they're not facing life-threatening, preventable illnesses, but they're enjoying food, they're eating their vegetables, they're doing their running and walking and playing and still have time to get a good, fun meal in every once in a while."
Some of the proposals
Some of the Let's Move proposals would require congressional action.
It calls for reauthorizing the Child Nutrition Act and requests an additional $10 billion over ten years, starting in 2011, to improve the quality of the National School Lunch and Breakfast program. If approved, the act would increase the number of kids participating and ensure schools have the resources to make program changes and upgrade kitchen equipment.
The program also provide incentives, such as tax breaks, for grocery stores to move into poorly served communities.
Wichita schools may be doing some of what Obama's program encourages. Schools already use whole-grain pizza crusts and limit the fattier fast-food vending machine options for students.
"You have to set goals," said Vicki Hoffman, nutrition services director for the Wichita public schools. "We initiated a wellness policy long before the federal government said we had to."
But the problem, said Harrington, the Wichita pediatrician, is that in today's culture, children may not always understand what it means to be physically active or make healthy choices with food.
"At recess, some kids may be standing outside and watching the other kids play ball," 'said Harrington who teaches "Shape Down," a program for families of overweight children. "When I ask children what's their favorite vegetable, I hear 'Popcorn.' This program will take time, but it's a good place to start. It's about making better choices and choosing healthy options."
The Let's Move program encourages parents to play a key role in helping make healthy choices for their children.
"Part of it is kids learn what they observe," Harrington said. "Parents need to make sure the family is involved — they need to get the family out and moving, going for walks, to the park and doing at least one fun thing together a week besides sitting in front of the TV."
Encouraging activity
Morrissey and others recommend that children try to do at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day.
"Part of what this Let's Move program does is encourage physical activity outside of the school day," she said.
Morrissey's school, Dodge Magnet, will receive the National Association of Sports and Physical Education award for promoting healthy lifestyles.
She said one reason she believes the school is receiving the award is because of its enthusiasm and good modeling behavior for physical activity.
"We do the basics — how to skip, jump, leap and throw a ball," she said. "But I also encourage the kids to be active. They see that. I teach them but I also play with them. Just like the saying, 'The family that prays together, stays together.' I believe the family that plays together, stays together."
She likens Michelle Obama's fitness push to when Arnold Schwarzenegger lent his name to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
"Since Arnold, there hasn't been a real spokesperson — they haven't had anybody as big as that," Morrissey said. "I think Michelle Obama is a role model. We know she works out. She is physically active, and because of that I think this program will have a better chance at making an impact in children's lives. Kids need to have role models."
