Fewer Fatties In Philly Schools...

[Athena]

Philly school effort cuts weight gain
By STEPHANIE NANO, Associated Press Writer
Mon Apr 7, 7:01 AM ET

NEW YORK - Five Philadelphia elementary schools replaced sodas with fruit juice. They scaled back snacks and banished candy. They handed out raffle tickets for wise food choices. They spent hours teaching kids, their parents and teachers about good nutrition.

What have they got to show for it?

The number of kids who got fat during the two-year experiment was half the number of kids who got fat in schools that didn't make those efforts.

"It's a really dramatic effect from a public health point of view. That's the good news," said Gary Foster, director of the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University. He is also the lead author of the Philadelphia schools study being published Monday in the April issue of Pediatrics.

The bad news: There were still plenty of new overweight kids in the five schools — over 7 percent of them became overweight compared to the 15 percent in the schools that didn't make changes.

"That signals to me that we have lots more work to do," said Foster.

Schools are ideal settings for programs that target childhood obesity, the researchers noted. Children spend long hours each day at schools and eat lunch and often breakfast at school. But school-based programs have had mixed results.

Full story
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For as long as parents are allowing public schools to raise their children, schools nationwide should feel obligated to make the necessary changes to limit weight gain. So many students get one or more meals fed to them at school - it only makes sense for them to offer healthy food.

There are lots of parents here...Do YOU support soda machines being taken out of your kids' schools?

[aspartame]

Im not parent...lol but my mother is a lunch lady and in her district they have taken out all of the soda and have put in "sports drinks" because they are healthier. ummmmm the "sports drinks" have more sugar that soda...but the school district is patting each other on the back because they got rid of the EVIL SODA!

[Rotten Apple]

We aren't even allowed to send sodas in the lunches we pack for our kids at my daughters school. I think alot of kids not only react to the sugar in sodas but the caffeine. The school lunches are balanced very carefully at her school too. They take great pride in that. I appreciate it. Its hard to watch everything all the time.

I allow my daughter only non-caffeinated sodas when we are out to eat. The caffeine plus the sugar makes her wild. I keep healthy snacks all within her reach at home. Mostly yogurt, fruit and cheese sticks. She can help herself to as much of this stuff as she wants. I also keep some treats in stock too. She can't reach this stuff, so she has to ask us to get it for her. This way we can keep track of what she is actually consuming and making sure she is filling up on good stuff too. If you make it completely forbidden, it makes it that much more desirable. As someone who has struggled with my weight all my life, I am hoping that I can get my daughter to develop a preference for healthier whole foods with out making it a body image issue.

[CorruptedMistress]

Living so close to Philly, I am really surprised that they just started this. Thinking back to the many schools that I was in, we have never had the option to have any kind of junk food or soda, especially in elementary school! I think I would've been appalled if I found out my son was allowed to have soda during the day. He is hyper enough as it is! My phone would've been ringing off the wall to come pick his little butt up because he would be uncontrollable.

The only time we were actually allowed sodas was when I moved to a new township and they allowed it in Junior High and High School, but they were locked up during the day, we only had access to it after school if we played sports or something. They have since replaced this with sport drinks though.

[Athena]

I agree wholeheartedly, Kathy. Forbidding the stuff entirely is a bad move. My mom tried to do that once, storing the ice cream in the outside freezer and never allowing us any. When two ice creams went bad before we were ever allowed any, I formulated a game plan. I slept with a spoon in my room and set my alarm for about 3AM. I'd sneak outside and take some bites before making my way back to bed. I know, hardcore, right? Well, I finally got popped because I got sloppy and left the spoon in the door of the freezer, one night. I was like 7 and half asleep. I was amazed I was able to keep the racket going as long as I did. :p

In elementary schools, I think it's absolutely necessary to offer healthy food. Even too much juice is no good. I drink a lot of flavored water, myself. But schools have the monopoly on a good portion of the diet, so why not make the portion of the diet good? Junior highs and high schools, too, although maybe not AS stringent. But middle and high schools have built too much of their fundraising around crap food, be it vending machines or baked goods or candy being sold. I think it's time to ratchet it back, a bit.

[Raq me darkly]

The whole soda machine fiasco has been a big deal in the local schools. The school board puts them in because it's a fund raiser and they get a kick back from the soda companies (I believe Coke was the biggie). Then the parents start to complain and it goes back and forth only to be tabled for summer break. Substituting sports drinks isn't any better, as has been mentioned, not only are they full of sugar but other stuff too.

There was a program on NPR some time ago about an organic school lunch program and it was not much more expensive than the "food" they were already providing.

[Athena]

I think going organic is a bit extreme, personally, especially considering it is more expensive, if only a little bit.

[swivel]

The should have kept feeding kids the cat puke they served at MY schools. One bite and you threw the shit away and went to the smoking area to see how many you could suck down before your lunch hour was over.

Excellent recipe for losing weight.

[Athena]

The list of fast food establishments within walking distance (i.e. 2 blocks or so at lunch time) of my school:

KFC
Pizza Hut
Taco Bell
McDonald's
Wendy's
Arby's
Panda Express

How we didn't have some ridiculously high rate of morbid obesity at that school was entirely beyond me. Of course, when we went to debate tournaments to schools outside of the city, we saw that even our school was one-uped in terms of convenient fast food. Several of the schools we visited had mini fast food establishments IN their cafeteria. We couldn't fucking believe it. Hell, I'm STILL amazed.

[Raq me darkly]

The one that gets me is when you get a McD's inside a hospital. Not that hospital food is really any better, at least you can "pretend" it's better.

[GoldenChild20k]

LOL...the entire town I live in (well...just outside) doesn't have even one single fast food outlet! The closest one is just over 50 k's away...real nice on those nights I get me a craving for some greasy kentucky.

[CPL CHUD]

Society's success can be measured by it's girth.

[swivel]

Society's success can be measured by it's girth.

Amen, brother.

We watched "Idol Gives Back" tonight (mainly to see Hannah Montana perform) and at one point some narcissistic celebrity threw out the statistic that 70% of our poor kids in America were obese. I was applauding and whistling my approval when I realized that she saw this as a problem to be remedied.

What the fuck are they raising money for? Jenny Craig? Thigh Masters?

Then they cut to Africa, where the poor kids are starving. And it got me thinking... is there any way we could feed parts of our kids to their kids? Not the whole kid, just the extra bits. A modest proposal, I know.


Also, through the entire show, my wife and I were screaming, "STOP HAVING KIDS!" at our TV. All these miserable fucks and they are talking about how hard it was to raise their NINE kids (I'm not exaggerating). Well, STOP FUCKING. Try that out for awhile.

Honestly, the way we fight poverty is just asinine. By allowing the poor to have more than one child, we are forcing them to divide their savings, rather than consolidate their earnings in the next generation. We are subsidizing the reproductive process of poor people. I know it sounds heartless, but the money we raise should be going towards contraception, medical implants to prevent pregnancy, and operations to make this permanent after a couple has one child. These poor people have nothing to do with their time but fuck, and the rest of the world wants to pay them for it. It makes me want to puke.

I felt no sympathy for any of the people they wasted time on between performances. I saw nothing but people that brought their own misery on themselves. A woman with a genetic disorder who was puling over her crippled children.

I just want someone to have a charity where all the proceeds go to kids with good grades. Or couples that adopt. Or for poor men to have vasectomies. My wallet would be the first one out.

[CPL CHUD]

Tax breaks for tied tubes. Food stamps for fried fallopians. I totally agree Swiv. Instead of having less kids these poor folk are having litters of them to get a fatter government sponsored check so daddy can stay home and watch Seasame Street instead of supporting his herd. The system is counter productive because of its initial bleeding heart intent, there is not as much shame in collecting something for nothing as there should be.

[Athena]

As long as we're on the "fuck poor people" topic, I'll express my anger with the EBT card.

Food stamps brought shame. Sure, a fair chunk of chronically poor people are no longer affected by shame, but new poor people are created every year, and food stamps would deter some of those folks from government assistance. I've seen it happen. They'd work just a bit harder so that they didn't have to suffer the shame of busting out the little checkbook or whatever those things looked like. Now, in an attempt to streamline the system, they provide plastic that gets automatically reloaded every month.

Fuck. That. Shit.

These people should have to stand in outdoor lines to get their shit. The stamps they get should be brighly colored, red or something, so that everyone in the store knows that you're relying on the government. Grocery stores should require a manager sign off on government checks, just so one more person can come over and pass judgment. And, yes...It should come with mandatory birth control strings attached.

[TXChris]

Hell, if we don't give 'em money in the first place then we don't have to worry about mandatory birth control. We'd kill two birds with one stone. Actually, we might kill three because without the government paying to raise their kids families would have to step in the way they used to. Look at that, we'd help support the concept of "family" where it really matters...the families themselves. I'm just saying is all. :D

[Athena]

Well, sure...But we ALL know that the bleeding-heart Prius drivers in this country will never let us abolish welfare. I mean, let's be real. But, we CAN make it harder for them.

Ooh...That gives me an idea for a thread.

[TXChris]

You know, big government and self-serving interest groups know best.

[impqueen]

Amen, brother.

We watched "Idol Gives Back" tonight (mainly to see Hannah Montana perform) and at one point some narcissistic celebrity threw out the statistic that 70% of our poor kids in America were obese. I was applauding and whistling my approval when I realized that she saw this as a problem to be remedied.

What the fuck are they raising money for? Jenny Craig? Thigh Masters?

Then they cut to Africa, where the poor kids are starving. And it got me thinking... is there any way we could feed parts of our kids to their kids? Not the whole kid, just the extra bits. A modest proposal, I know.

I call Swivelnanigans. First, you did NOT EVEN watch for Hannah Montana, or you are a sicker bastard than ever I imagined.

Second, that's the second time since i've known you that you've pulled that Jonathan Swift reference out of your ass. Just sayin'. :D