Posted Feb 5, 2010
The Idaho State Department of Education released a long study this week about big kids, but it’s a lean story with easy solutions.
Don’t let them eat so much, and make them exercise a little.
According to the statewide report, 30.5 percent of Idaho children are overweight or obese –including nearly 25 percent of first-graders. They’re not the fattest kids in the country, though. Nationally, according to the state, the percentage is 33.5 percent.
Local officials agree that the study is accurate.
“All I can speak of is my own experience and what I see,” said Terry Callen, Twin Falls School District nurse. “I think it’s pretty accurate — about 30 percent. It’s because of the foods they’re eating, as well as a lack of education and encouragement at the family level.”
Sally Bloxham, a physical education teacher at Harrison Elementary and Oregon Trail Elementary, has taught in the district for the past 19 years and said the trend has only gotten worse.
“It’s not stopping. I’m seeing kids trying to get healthier and getting better information about nutrition and exercise, but I’m not seeing it change,” she said. “I’m still seeing obese kids coming into school at the elementary level.”
The solution, Callen and Bloxham said, is for kids to get off the couch.
An additional 30 minutes outside, Bloxham added, is all it takes. “It’s becoming a Nintendo generation,” Bloxham said. “We want to encourage them to do activities at home and show them that it’s fun.”
Callen — who said she’s observed greater obesity rates among children in the Magic Valley than in her former home of Seattle — suggested that working parents don’t always get their kids outside during the day and that the economy has also played a role.
“It’s expensive to eat healthy, and it’s expensive for schools to provide fresh fruit and vegetables,” she said. That can be done at home, though.
Every official interviewed said information about nutrition and education is provided in various classes but that parents need to be actively involved.
“Our lunch program is top-notch. The food and drinks we serve are high-quality,” said Twin Falls School District superintendent Wiley Dobbs. “We’re doing a lot at the district level. Can we do more? Probably. But to a greater degree, families need to take a share of the responsibility.”
Damon Hunzeker may be reached at dhunzeker@magicvalley.com or 735-3204.
To see more of The Times-News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.magicvalley.com
Copyright © 2010, The Times-News, Twin Falls, Idaho