Childhood Obesity Prevention

In an age when research studies claim that 20% of American kids are obese by the age of 4; when physicians declare that they’d like to reverse childhood obesity, but they don’t know how to do it; when parents are so thoroughly confused by all the conflicting reports that they don’t know what to do, there is one physical educator who has some real, documented evidence we should all consider.Her name is Debbie Larson and she teaches at Galloway Elementary School in Channahon, IL, a small town about 40 miles south of Chicago. Galloway School is made up of second, third, and fourth graders, 538 kids in total.None Were Obese!Each fall and spring Larson measures her student’s performance in a battery of tests that includes pull ups. In doing so this past spring she noticed that 181 of her 538 kids were able to do at least one pull up. And of those 181 kids who could do at least one pull up, NONE WERE OBESE. That is to say one-third of her students could do at least one pull up and according to conventional BMI standards, NONE WERE OBESE.What’s in the Water?But that’s not the whole story. As it turns out only 1.5% of the group had BMI readings over 30 (which defines obese), while only 7% had BMI readings between 25 and 30 (which defines overweight). In total 91.5 % of Larson’s students fell below the 25 yard marker. And then we have those 181 kids mentioned earlier, all of which raises the question what’s in the water of Galloway Elementary School that makes it so unique?We Take it SeriouslyIn answer to that question Larson said, “All I can tell you is that we take Physical Education seriously and we work on motivating our kids to eat right and get plenty of exercise. But,” she said, “I was particularly interested in those 181 students who so convincingly demonstrated that pull ups and excess weight have a natural tendency to repel each other.”Becoming Obesity FreeAs the result, next fall Larson plans to add a new ingredient to the Galloway formula with which she aims to double the percentage of kids who can do at least one pull up next year. “And if we can double that percentage for two consecutive years,” Larson said, “Galloway will have beaten childhood obesity. This will be a school full of kids who are strong, lean, and who have effectively immunized themselves against obesity for life as long as they simply maintain the ability to do pull ups. That’s our goal. Now,” she added “does anyone else want to take the Pull Your Own Weight challenge along with us and rid their own school of childhood obesity?”

Childhood obesity is a deadly threat to adulthood; youth fatness brings heavy heart disease burdens in later life.Research has shown that there is a solid relationship between youth corpulence and insulin resistance; a marker of early diabetes in young adults. Apparently something must be done to improve awareness of what overweight and obesity are, and their implications for health. Overweight and corpulence in childhood have been shown to have serious long-term health consequences.Analysis has shown that stoutness and fatness in early days has an impact on adult health regardless of adult body mass index BMI. The stats for severe health risk are astounding, carrying great risk for untimely death, thus influencing the short and long term prospect for severe health problems such as Cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon) Coronary Heart Disease, Type II Diabetes, plus many other crucial health risks. When youth carry these health conditions into adulthood, it is much harder as an adult for your body to fight these unhealthy diseases. It is determined that more than 75-80% of overweight youth will remain overweight into adulthood.Studies has also revealed that as weight increase to reach the levels referred to as “overweight” and “obesity,” so does the risk increase for Hypertension (high blood pressure), Stroke, Dyslipidemia, Liver and Gallbladder disease, Sleep Apnea and Respiratory problems. Childhood obesity is a threat to adulthood because of these health conditions mentioned in this article.Parents who have children that are obese need to understand the seriousness of helping their child become fit and healthy while they are young. As the caregiver you have intellectual influence on your child by advocating certain values and attitudes, by rewarding or emphasizing specific behaviors, and by serving as role models. Parents are the policy makers for the home. They make everyday decisions on exercise-related activities; the parents regulate the setting for foods eaten in the home. The guardian definitely plays a role in helping to prevent youth fatness. It is much harder to loose weight as a grown-up, than it is while you are young.