The number of overweight children has doubled in the past 20 years, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
The NCHS National Health and Nutrition Survey found that 15 percent of people ages 6 to 19 are overweight, and another 15 percent are at risk of becoming overweight. The survey also found black and Hispanic children are nearly twice as likely to be overweight.
Type II diabetes, which is also referred to as adult onset diabetes, is becoming more common in children. The American Diabetes Association said overweight children of black, Hispanic and American Indian descent are more at risk for developing the disease than overweight white children.
This is a problem many schools in the District are trying to tackle. A program called "Stepping Up to the Plate," sponsored by Pfizer Inc. and the CVS Corp., aims to find children at risk for developing Type II diabetes and teach them and their families preventative exercise and nutrition.
According to the D.C. Public Schools weekly newsletter, the first phase of the program, screening the kids and finding those at risk for developing Type II diabetes, was launched in late January at Noyes Elementary School. The program will screen black children in 14 public schools in the District.
Results of phase-two exercises and nutrition education for those at risk will be released to schools across the nation once they are completed. For the past seven years, students at the Maya Angelou Public Charter School have learned about nutrition in the kitchen. Students there are required to work with Untouchable Tastes Caterers to plan nutritious school meals as part of the vocational curriculum.
The program teaches nutrition and cooking skills in a classroom, and then the students use what they have learned to earn money through the catering business. Better eating habits is one of the benefits of the program.
"A lot of them didn't really know what vegetables were, they only knew what they saw on cans," said Executive Chef Instructor Ernest Todd. "We're teaching them what real vegetables are like."
Anastasia M. Snelling, Ph.D. R.D., an assistant professor in AU's department of health and fitness, said nutrition programs in school are good, but families are most important in combating childhood obesity.
"Children are in schools for only a portion of the day," Snelling said. "Schools are not the only influences in a child's life, so you really have to look at the family. If you had to put an emphasis, I would put it on family units."
In a 1996 statement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stressed the importance of school nutrition programs, since many children are growing up in homes with single, working parents and deciding what to eat with little adult guidance. The CDC also said community and family involvement is important to ensure the overall success of school nutrition education programs.
