By Leslie Collins
Northeast News
May 18, 2011

Childhood obesity continues to plague the U.S. One in three children in the U.S. are overweight or obese.

“In Missouri, it’s closer to 35 percent. It’s becoming quite an issue,” said Gretchen Patch, Kansas City Metro relationship manager for Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

To combat childhood obesity, Alliance for a Healthier Generation hosted a Kansas City Healthy Schools Conference Friday, May 13, at the Kauffman Foundation Conference Center.

More than 100 schools from around the metro, including the Kansas City Missouri School District, attended the conference.

Asked why childhood obesity is increasing, Patch said, “There are a number of factors that have led to an increase in childhood obesity. Poor eating habits and lack of physical activity throughout the day are two key components.”

Jennifer Walker, director of youth development for the Independence School District, said her school district joined the Alliance for a Healthier Generation in 2009.

“School districts are the perfect venue to promote health and wellness,” Walker said. “We have them (students) through a majority of their waking hours.

“We as a school district decided we wanted to take a comprehensive approach to wellness. As a result, we now have 27 schools in the (Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s) Healthy Schools Program. It provided a framework for us to have a common language and a common vision. It’s been a beautiful partnership.”

Asked how the Healthy Schools Program assists schools, Patch said it provides tools and resources to assist schools in creating wellness councils, employee wellness programs, nutrition programs and encourages schools to offer more physical activities and healthier food choices. Through the Healthy Schools Program, leading food manufacturers have pledged to to offer healthier items to schools at affordable prices.

During the conference, attendees listened to keynote speaker Dr. Sarah Hampel of Children’s Mercy, who talked about childhood obesity, its health complications and how health clinics are addressing the issue.

“The first line of treatment is lifestyle change,” she said.

That includes limiting time spent in front of the television or computer, eating healthier, not skipping breakfast and becoming more physically active, she said.

Following her presentation, school representatives attended workshops about wellness councils, becoming a healthier school and others.

The Kansas City Missouri School District (KCMSD) has already implemented changes. KCMSD joined the Healthy Schools Program in 2007 and worked with representatives from Healthy Schools to offer a more nutritious menu.

“Healthier Generations has sat down with the cafeteria managers to plan meals,” said Felicia Safir, KCMSD manager for health and wellness. “They’ve looked at the fats on every meal and made appropriate changes to make sure the children have so many helpings of vegetables and fruit a day.”

Pop and flavored water is no longer offered in the vending machines and after-school programs now offer healthy snacks instead of junk food, she said.

One after-school program teaches students how to plant a garden inside and outside, she said. It’s a vital program since a number of urban neighborhoods don’t have access to a nearby grocery store, Safir said. It also allows students to eat fruits and vegetables at a reasonable price.

“At the store you’ll find a green or yellow pepper for $1.79 a piece, where it only costs pennies to grow,” Safir said.

Other changes have included offering free healthy cookbooks to students and families, implementing an employee wellness program and wellness council.

“We have encompassed into the curriculum a stronger nutrition program, so that students will not just talk about eating good, but actually go through nutrition schedules, calories, what are fats and how eating badly affects you physically with cardiovascular issues and diabetes.”

Each year, third through 12th grades take nutrition courses, she said.

“Healthier Generations has really been a catalyst in moving us to do more healthier activities with children,” Safir said.

It helped KCMSD jump start a double dutch jump rope program in which 22 teams in the district compete against other teams statewide. In addition to the physical activity of jump roping, there’s also an academic round, which requires teams to compete against each other in answering health-related questions.

Walker encouraged other schools to take the lead of KCMSD and the Independence School District.

“What I want to say to school districts that aren’t a part of the Healthy Schools Program is you should be because we have a social and moral responsibility to address this obesity issue in our country,” Walker said. “We have the means in order to do it…

“It’s a good feeling to know kids are in a healthier environment and by educating them, perhaps we’re educating the families in the homes as well.”