On February 12, the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Education Reform held its third hearing in preparation for the reauthorization of childhood nutrition programs, which will expire on March 31. This hearing focused on encouraging healthy eating habits in children.
“As we all know, childhood obesity has become a major health problem in the United States,” stated Subcommittee Chair Mike Castle (R-DE), adding, “According to a report by the National Institute for Health Care Management, the number of overweight and obese young Americans doubled between 1990 and 2000.” He went on to add that while parents have the primary responsibility for their children’s eating habits, “schools can and should play a positive role by giving children access to nutritious meals and snacks, nutrition education, and time to engage in daily physical activity.” He noted legislation (H.R. 2227) he has introduced that would authorize grants to fund pilot programs aimed at encouraging the development and implementation of programs to promote healthy eating and increased physical activity among children.
Ranking Member Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) said, “The rise in overweight and obese children is definitely a serious national health issue, as well as a real quality of life issue for children.” Stating that the federal school food programs provide “a natural opportunity to educate children and their families about healthy food choices,” Rep. Woolsey expressed her support for Team Nutrition Network Grants, which would help states develop comprehensive nutrition education programs. The grant program is a provision within a larger bill (H.R. 3416) to reauthorize child nutrition programs, sponsored by Rep. George Miller (D-CA).
Dr. Kenneth Cooper of the Cooper Institute told the subcommittee that “exercise and wellness are not just a healthier choice, but a better way to live” and that the “lack of a balanced diet coupled with a lack of regular, daily physical activity are increasingly leading to such debilitating conditions as heart disease, diabetes, weight gain and depression among many others.” Placing the blame for increasing obesity on “a wholesale lack of physical activity,” Dr. Cooper strongly urged the subcommittee to: 1) provide healthier snacks and lunches in schools; 2) educate children to select healthier foods; and 3) make physical education mandatory in all schools for all children in grades K-12.
Tim McCord, Chair of the Physical Education Department in Titusville, Pennsylvania, discussed the elevated importance of physical education in his community after implementing a program called PE4LIFE. “Physical education in my community now means meeting the needs of every student, not just the athletically inclined; it means grading students on effort and progress toward the goal, not on skills and innate abilities; it means using technology and innovative teaching to reach kids where they are, not pulling them to where we want them to be, only to lose them as soon as the bell rings; it means linking students, parents, school administrators, business leaders and even senior citizens to build truly healthy communities,” he said.
Pointing to the success of his program, Mr. McCord said, “Providing daily quality physical education to all K-12 students must be an integral part of a national strategy to address obesity and reduce health care costs.”
Dr. Judith Young of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance agreed: “We believe that providing a physically active lifestyle from the beginning of life increases the likelihood that children will learn to move skillfully and establish positive feelings about physical activity.” She made several recommendations aimed at increasing physical activity in children, including:
