I did the BMI testing for the Buncombe county school system. I have taken the height and weight of over 13,000 children. Converting the information to BMI (body mass index) and using the percentile to establish where children are in the spectrum of weight. I am unable to discuss the specific things I am seeing but I can tell you... we are in trouble.
I have recorded this data for three years. I have seen children that I tested last year and the year before come through the lines for height and weight, getting bigger and bigger. There are children that weigh more than I do and I must say it always shocks me. North Carolina childhood obesity rate is over 20 percent and although the numbers stay the same it's too much. Typically a child will grow two inches and ten pounds, this year and in years past, with children who are obese it can be up to thirty pounds per year and sometimes four inches. If a child grows thirty pounds more than three years in a row that can add up.
Why do we say "childhood obesity"? I know many people who would like to call it child abuse due to the simple fact that children aren't buying groceries. Do the school systems share the blame? School lunches make kids fatter. Middle schools offer extreme lunches, a choice of pizza, fried chicken or burgers and that is available everyday. It's hard to make good choices and when the choice you want is in your face everyday - who can say no?
I, like many, shy away from placing blame. But could identifying the source be the catalyst to change? Should someone or some organization take a step toward making good changes by identifying a source? Or is it really too vague to decide who is at fault? Are parents really the only ones to blame?
In the coming months I plan to write a series of articles taking on this subject both as a mother and a fitness professional. I know this subject can be touchy but we need to start some where.
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