So Long Cupcake How You Can Help Fight The Obesity Epidemic in the United States'

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So Long Cupcake! How You Can Help Fight The
Obesity Epidemic in the United States.

• Jenine De Marzo, Ed.D
• Assistant Professor
• Department of Health Studies
• Adelphi University
• Garden City, New York

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• Many scientists health care providers think
  that this is the first generation of children
  that will not live as long as their parents.
• Olshansky, SJ, Passaro, DJ, Hershow, RC, Layden
  J, Carnes, BA, Brody, J, Hayflick, L, Butler, RN,
  Allison, DB, Ludwig, DS. N Engl J Med. 2005 Jun
  16352(24)2555.

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The Scope of the Obesity Epidemic

• We know that the prevalence of obesity in all
  segments of U.S. society has escalated to
  epidemic proportions. Over the past 30 years, the
  rate of childhood obesity has more than doubled
  for preschool children aged 2 to 5 years and
  adolescents aged 12 to 19 years, and it has more
  than tripled for children 6 to 11 years of age.
• Roughly 9 million children over 6 years are
  considered obese (Koplan, Liverman, Kraak,
  Wisham, 2006). Childhood obesity is clearly an
  epidemic in need of preventive and intervention
  efforts.

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Created from NHANES data
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Obesity Trends Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 1985
(BMI 30, or 30 lbs overweight for 5 4 woman)
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Obesity Trends Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 2003
No Data lt10 1014
1519 20-24 ?25
Source Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance
System, CDC
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Socio-environmental Influences on Childhood
Obesity

• Individual (individual choice responsibility)
• Dietary intake, physical activity, sedentary
  behavior
• Influenced by knowledge, attitudes, beliefs,
  skills
• Interpersonal
• Families, friends, peers
• Teachers, coaches, school personnel and other
  role models
• Institutional
• Schools, after school programs
• Rules, regulations, policies that predispose
  particular behaviors

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Circle of Influence for concerned adults, parents
and professionals regarding childhood obesity
Public Policy Factors
Federally Legislated Wellness
Community Factors
Trans fat ban
Institutional Factors
Wellness Policy KidFit Bill
Families
Interpersonal Factors
School
Individual
Wellness Committee
Parent Involvement
All influence health behavior
Physical Activity opportunities
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Window of Opportunity

• The magnitude of this problem warrants a
  multifaceted approach across several disciplines
  to promote health and prevent disease in our most
  valuable resource, our children.
• Due to the scope of this epidemic, the academic
  community, the private sector and the government
  have begun to aggressively intervene.

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Federally Mandated Wellness!

• District-wide wellness policy to promote student
  health and reduce childhood obesity
• Goals for nutrition education and physical
  activity
• Establish nutrition guidelines for all foods
  available on campus
• Meet or exceed current USDA nutrition standards
  for reimbursable meals
• New York State Department of Education
  legislation
• 918. School district nutrition advisory
  committees. 1. a. Every school district is hereby
  authorized and encouraged to establish a child
  nutrition advisory committee.

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School Wellness Policies and Committees

• The focus of the Wellness Policy asserts that
  schools must identify and implement better
  defined nutrition education goals and increase
  physical activity for every school aged child.
• Schools have been mandated to action schools
  must renew and expand their roles in providing
  and promoting health and wellness for our nations
  young.

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Classroom Teacher, Parent, Community
Interventions Making a Difference One Class at
a Time

• Assessment whats being done in your schools?
• Identify and prioritize opportunities for
  change-food/activity
• Identify involve stakeholders-that means YOU!
• Develop an awareness education plan-talk it up!
• Create policies-activity celebrations, limit food
  in the classroom
• Help implement procedures with specific goals
• Evaluate impact-do the children like the
  alternative?

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How I have tried to influence change?

• So Long Cupcake program focuses on a true
  collaboration of increasing health/wellness
  education and increasing daily physical activity
  in the classroom.
• The premise of So Long Cupcake asserts that
  classroom teachers, parents and community
  volunteers, take on the challenge of changing the
  cupcake mentality shared by students and
  parents alike.

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• The So Long Cupcake initiative focuses on two
  components. First, to increase daily physical
  activity throughout the school day, and second to
  increase overall student wellness through health
  inspired activities.
• Teachers can start by offering various wellness
  inspired activities in lieu of traditional
  celebrations.

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• The So Long Cupcake initiative has been field
  tested in two very different school districts.
• 1. Suburban, upper middle class neighborhood
• 2. Urban/underserved, lower income school
  district.
• The initiative was presented as professional
  development for classroom teachers. The idea was
  to provide the tools necessary for the elementary
  school professional. Educators were introduced to
  a variety of wellness activities that can be
  done within the confines of the classroom and can
  take as little as 10 minutes and as long as 30
  minutes to complete.

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• In both school districts, the activities were
  well received by both the students and teachers.
• Many teachers also claimed that they had little
  or no preparation in terms of teaching wellness
  or organizing physical activities in the
  classroom setting.

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• The assertion here is to promote physical
  activity throughout the day, in addition to
  required physical education class, so students
  and educators alike will see that the daily
  implementation of physical activity is agreeable
  and satisfying. Children will not miss the junk
  food!
• Classroom teachers and parents of Pre-k through
  6th grade students are on the front lines, as
  they have the most potential for influencing
  habitual activity.

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Get Involved!

• All stakeholders must realize that this is their
  responsibility too, they must act as a catalyst
  for change. Todays children have been born into
  a culture relatively devoid of physical work in
  their daily activities.
• It is imperative to take the focus of these
  celebrations off food and placed on movement and
  other fun activities.

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• Every concerned adult has an emerging role in
  ensuring that our children have the opportunity
  for movement and sound nutrition education each
  day.
• This involves promoting a culture of wellness
  that begins at home and transcends the school
  day. By the models that influence them the most!

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• All the stakeholders must welcome the change in
  culture and support the teachers that spend 30
  minutes running relays or doing yoga in the
  classroom for Johnnys birthday.
• Parents should be encouraged to forget the
  goody-bag and let the children do what they do
  best, play and have fun.

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Conclusion

• Changing the cupcake culture is in our grasp as
  administrators, educators and as parents. A
  challenge of this stature seems daunting but so
  are the alternatives a future in which our
  children will live less full lives, marred by
  physical, social, and emotional limitations
  placed upon them by adults that were willing to
  give them too much and require very little in
  return.