Healthy School

Eight years ago, Yvonne Sanders-Butler was overweight and on the verge of a stroke. “It terrified me,” she says. “To hear that you are near death, it made me rethink everything in my life.” Through diet and exercise Dr. Sanders-Butler lost 50 pounds. But the most radical change came three years later at Brown’s Mill Elementary School in Lithonia, Ga., where Dr. Sanders-Butler is principal.

“What I noticed is that the children were much larger than what they should be. I saw myself in many of my children, and I did not want them to have the experience that I had.” She ordered a menu makeover: more fruits and vegetables, less fried foods and sugary treats. In the school’s vending machines, soda was replaced with water. Parents who packed lunch were asked to make it healthy.

“I bring apples, celery, sometimes applesauce, a sandwich,” says 8-year-old Rakim. Phillip, also 8, brings “carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, lettuce.” Even at 7, Carmen knows the importance of eating healthy: “It’s good for your body, and I don’t want to get sick at this age or anything.”

Students began to lose weight within the first semester. Discipline and referrals to the school nurse dropped almost 30 percent, and test scores improved 15 percent. “We had not changed anything in our curriculum,” says Dr. Sanders-Butler. “Our program stayed the same. The only thing that we changed that year was that we looked at the nutrients our kids received.”

“I think (eating this way) helps me because I don’t get the jitters. I don’t have a need to move around in my desk or not pay attention,” says Malcolm, 11.

Researchers have known for years that nutrition can affect student’s behavior and performance. Dr. Sanders-Butler says now it’s time to teach the kids. “Our children know about carbohydrates. They know about foods that are good brain foods, or foods that are going to make you healthy. We’re educating children,” she says. “When they leave this building, when they leave this school, they will be empowered with information that no one can take from them.”

Last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics released its first policy statement specifically to address childhood obesity. The organization called for pediatricians and parents to become proactive in preventing and treating the disease and established indicators for becoming overweight or obese by gauging changes in a child’s BMI (Body Mass Index) over time. BMI is a measurement of weight in relationship to height that is widely used to define those who are overweight and obese. “BMI provides us with a tool to see if child’s weight gain is excessive or appropriate relative to their height gain,” says Nancy Krebs, MD, chair of the nutrition committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Consider the following …

• To determine BMI, divide your child’s weight by his or her height squared, then multiply by 703.
• To compare your child’s BMI to what experts consider normal and healthy, visit the BMI chart at KidsHealth.
• Remember that BMI is only a gauge for determining body mass. In certain circumstances, a child registering in a high percentile on the chart may not be overweight. For example, an extremely muscular child might be in a high percentile because muscle mass weighs much more than fatty tissue or skeletal mass.

The epidemic of childhood obesity is cause for concern …

• Overweight children are likely to become overweight and obese adults.
• Medical problems associated with childhood obesity can affect adult health and increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
• Children who are overweight or obese are also more likely to suffer from mental health problems like depression and low self-esteem.
• If one parent is obese, the odds of his or her child being obese as an adult is threefold. If both parents are obese, the odds that their child will be obese as an adult increases to more than tenfold.

Environment strongly influences the degree of overweight.

According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 15 percent of children six to 19 years old are considered overweight or obese. The CDC estimates that five to seven percent of white and black children are obese, while 12 percent of Hispanic boys and 19 percent of Hispanic girls are obese. The CDC encourages parents to promote healthy eating habits and physical activity, suggesting unstructured playtime and no more than two hours of television and video games per day.

Parents have great influence over their child’s exercise. Your child looks to you as an exercise role model. At least one parent must participate in a child’s weight-loss process for any hope of long-term success. There are many ways parents can create a healthy, active lifestyle at home, including the following …

• Above all, consult with your pediatrician before beginning any weight loss regimen.
• Turn on the stereo rather than the television when you wake up and when you get home from work and school.
• While watching television, have children “do the commercial boogie” by being active during commercial breaks.
• Enact the 30-minute rule. Take a five-minute break after 30 minutes of sedentary activity such as homework or computer time.
• Set up an imagination station in the living room or den. Fill this area with inexpensive games that require movement: a Hula-Hoop, balloons, Twister, a jump rope, etc.
• Assign household chores such as yard work, washing the car, cleaning the house and snow shoveling. These activities are forms of exercise.
• Encourage job-seeking kids to look for active jobs like camp counselors and lawn care service.
• Each week, plan one special event for the whole family that involves physical activity. Consider going on a walk, hike or bike ride together.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
KidsHealth
WebMD Health