Pounds add up

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

by Andrea Schoellkopf

Albuquerque Journal Staff Writer

One in three Albuquerque Public Schools students is either overweight or obese — "which is kind of scary," according to the district's wellness manager.  And children across the state are getting obese — not just overweight — at earlier ages, according to a recent report by the state Department of Health.

That report, and data from APS, show the early rise in obesity levels is contradicting the historical notion that obesity happens at later ages.  In Albuquerque, the schools with the highest obesity levels are also showing the lowest academic proficiency levels, both of which appear to be tied to income levels. "You can really see it across the county, the difference," said Jennie McCary, APS' wellness manager. "It's pretty obvious there are a higher proportion of overweight or obese clusterings in areas that are poor."

This month, APS launched "Get in the Action," aimed at improving student health and raising awareness of physical activity and nutrition. The district is asking schools to find one or two programs they can try each month.

McCary said the overweight/obese trend increases with age, peaking at about 38 percent of fifth graders and staying high in eighth grade, she said.

The Giron family had been on such a track — with overweight and obese relatives on both sides, cousins having gastric bypass surgeries and children getting heavier — until their kids started an exercise program at Mission Avenue Elementary. Previously, the boys would spend four or five hours a day in front of video games or television.  "It's changed our whole way of thinking," said Adam Giron, who has lost 10 pounds, wears a pedometer and coaches his third-grade son's basketball team.

His wife, Alison Giron, changed meals to healthier options, and cookies and potato chips are eaten in moderation, rather than in an unlimited supply.

The kids must play outside for 45 minutes a day, and the family ends each day with a neighborhood walk with their first-grade son, who has epilepsy. Giron said that while the boys have not really lost weight, they have improved their muscle tone and are more physically fit. Even the grandparents have gotten in on the act and are exercising more and replacing soda with water.

"We're not really losing weight," Giron said. "We're starting to think healthy."

Early intervention

School nurses measure and weigh about 25,000 children a year in kindergarten, third, fifth and eighth grades to determine Body Mass Index (BMI), a comparison of height and weight, as a factor for obesity. The district had been collecting the data for individual student health records for decades but had not compiled it, McCrary said.

APS officials, using data for a state Health Department on overweight and obesity, looked at which students needed the most attention. "We know we need to intervene early," said Thomas Scharmen, a Health Department epidemiologist who worked with APS data. "We need to work with families ... that's the hard part, is to get the families involved. We can't really dictate."

Nationally, attention has been focused on childhood obesity through the efforts of first lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" initiative. The effort focuses on healthy eating as well as an active lifestyle. APS' program involves a "day of simultaneous movement" on May 4, when all schools will be asked to schedule physical activity at the same time of day. "We wanted to start with a simple message around moving more," McCary said, adding that nutrition would continue to be a part of that message.

McCary said she's seen a startling rise in the student diabetes rate. More than 40 middle and high school students have type 2 diabetes, which is related to obesity. When she started 15 years ago, there were none with type 2, then called adult-onset diabetes.

Statewide, 13.2 percent of kindergartners and 22.6 percent of third grade students are obese. That is far beyond the national rate of 19.5 percent for the age group of 6-11 years old.

The state report also found:

• The average weight of a healthy third-grader was 60.7 pounds, compared with an obese third-grader average weight of 98.9 pounds, with some reporting weights between 150 and 200 pounds.

• Nearly twice as many third-graders are classified as obese as kindergartners, a rapid growth contradicting the traditional assumption that most obesity occurs at ages far older than third grade.

• Native American children are three times more likely to be obese than Anglo children and twice as likely as Hispanic children.

The next phase of the state study will look at the Body Mass Index and compare it with after-school programs, amount of physical education offered in each school and policies regarding nutrition.

An overweight student is one whose BMI is greater than 85 percent of his peers, while the measure of obesity is higher than 95 percent.

Scharmen said no one can explain the close correlation between neighborhood income levels and obesity rates. "It may be other things, maybe less sports teams, less opportunities for getting out and being active, and maybe less opportunities for healthy eating," he said.

ACHIEVE Presents: An Ethnographic and Video Archive of Experiences with the Food Stamp Program

Five women and five youth associated with St. Joseph Center for Children and Families at La Mesa Church have gathered stories about people’s experiences with the Food Stamp Program using video cameras provided by ACHIEVE and FlipSpotlight Video. They were trained in video interview methods by an Emmy award-winning film team from Digital Workshop in order to conduct ethnographic video interviews with other members of the community who are Food Stamp recipients or who have applied for Food Stamps. In collaboration with the NM Food Stamp Working Group, the NM Collaboration to End Hunger and the NM Center on Poverty and Law, his information will support advocacy efforts to improve Food Stamp Participation to 80% by 2010 ACHIEVE will partner with these organizations to advocate for policy changes indicated as necessary by this work.

Legislative Policy Update

By NM Healthier Weight Council

The NMHWC advocacy agenda focuses on public policies and programs that relate to our mission and on issues that pertain to member organizations.


2011 Policy Agenda Update:

SB 19 IN-STATE BUSINESS PROCUREMENT ADVANTAGE
Received a due pass from SCORC/SJC-SCORC and sent to
SFC. Scheduled to be heard Wednesday, February 16th at 2:30


SB 63 GOVERNMENT FOOD PURCHASING REQUIREMENTS
Received a due pass from SPAC and sent to SFC
(not on schedule yet)


SB 98 HEALTH IMPACT REPORTING ACT
Received a due pass from SPAC and sent to SFC
(not on schedule yet)

SB 123 NM GROWN PRODUCE IN SCHOOL LUNCHES
Received a due pass from SEC with 5 in favor sent to SFC

SB 288 SWEETENED BEVERAGE EXCISE TAX
Filed (No status)

School Nutrition Day and a Bill to Improve New Mexico Children’s Health and the Farming Economy

Senator Campos Sponsors School Nutrition Day and a Bill to Improve New Mexico Children’s Health and the Farming Economy

The NM Grown Fresh Fruits and Vegetables for School Lunches
Thursday, February, 10th 9:00am State Capitol Bldg Highlighting SB 123

SANTA FE, NM (January 29, 2010)

– "In these challenging economic times when a quarter of New Mexico’s children are considered food insecure, it is even more important that we meet their nutritional needs through a healthy school lunch that includes fresh fruits and vegetables. Investing in our school meal program to purchase New Mexico grown fresh fruits and vegetables is a win – win for children and their health as well as New Mexico ’s farming families", exclaimed Senator Pete Campos. Legislation sponsored by Senator Pete Campos would provide $1.44 million for schools statewide to purchase New Mexico grown fresh fruits and vegetables weekly for more than 221,000 school children participating in school lunch programs.

The New Mexico Food and Agriculture Policy Council and the School Nutrition Association announced that over thirty organizations from across the state support Senator Campos’ request.


" New Mexico ’s children deserve the healthiest food possible", said Maryann McCann, Taos School Food Service Director. "Poor nutrition and unhealthy eating habits are contributing to the poor health of our state’s children. School nutrition programs are the ideal place to promote healthier eating habits in our schools for all New Mexican children", added McCann.

More than 221,000 school children participate in school lunch programs across the state. Approximately 67 percent of New Mexico ’s school lunch participants come from low-income households. For many, this is the main meal of the day. Currently, most schools in New Mexico spend about 25 cents a serving to put either a fresh or canned fruit on each lunch tray they serve. "Schools have about $1 per meal for food including milk," stated Corrine Lovato, School Food Service Director of the Pecos School District . "It’s difficult to pay for fresh fruit and vegetable options when you only have a dollar. Rural school districts have less buying power so it costs more to add fresh produce on the plate; often fresh produce becomes cost prohibitive." Pam Roy, coordinator of the New Mexico Food and Agriculture Policy Council said, "Increased funding from the state would enable schools to purchase New Mexico-grown fruits and vegetables to serve our children and provide additional markets and economic opportunities for New Mexico ’s farming families. I believe this statewide initiative addresses early intervention of  healthy eating habits for New Mexico ’s children, benefits rural and urban schools, and provides economic stimulus to our farming economy."

In 2007, the state legislature appropriated $85,000 to the Valley Cluster schools in Albuquerque . Through this program close to 6,000 students are receiving two additional servings of fresh fruits and vegetables weekly. Currently, eight school districts-- Taos , Santa Fe , Las Cruces , Los Lunas, Portales, Belen, Farmington , and Albuquerque-- are serving more than 165,000 school children with New Mexico grown fresh fruits and vegetables when available

The program was initiated nine years ago when the Santa Fe Public school district partnered with the Department of Agriculture and several non-profit organizations to introduce local fruits and vegetables to school meals. The Department of Agriculture in partnership with the Human Services Department Nutrition Bureau, the Public Education Department and organizations like Farm to Table, are working together to provide regionally grown fresh produce, expand nutritious school meal programs, and coordinate distribution.

In a 2007 statewide study conducted by New Mexico ’s Farm to Table and the Department of Agriculture, more than two-thirds of New Mexico ’s school districts said they are interested in purchasing fruits and vegetables from New Mexico farmers. More than 100 of the state’s farming families said they would be interested in selling to schools.

"Fresh sweet watermelons, crisp apples, carrots and salad greens are among the favorites of school children," said Le Adams, Deputy Director of Farm to Table. She added, "Our producers can store apples into the winter months and some farmers are using ‘season extension’ techniques to be able to provide greens throughout the school year."

In coordination with the Food Nutrition Program run by the Human Service Department, the produce would be distributed to schools statewide on a regular basis. "If funded, school kids, farmers and communities across the state will all win," said Adams .

Photo: localharvest.org

Rethinking School Lunch Community Discussion Follow-Up

Thanks to all who braved the cold to attend the Rethinking School Lunch event at the Harwood Arts Center on Friday with Zenbia Barlow from the Center for EcoLiteracy. It turned out to be an awesome meeting with a large and diverse group (I think we had over 40 people representing anti-hunger, anti-obesity, pro-gardening, local food, school food, classroom instruction and more). Zenobia was literally blown-away by the turn-out and by the existing work and potential for collaboration!

At the meeting we agreed everyone in the room was interested in having ACHIEVE, the New Mexico Collaboration to End Hunger, the APS Growing Gardens Team, PANAC (the Physical Activity and Nutrition Advisory Council for APS), and the Agricultural Collaborative at MRCOG co-sponsor a follow-up event when the legislative session is over in order to vision work around developing "Rethinking School Lunch New Mexico" or a "School Outside the Box" initiative of some sort.

We are actually incredibly "ripe" in terms of all of the great work already going on in the community, including some of the initiatives at APS (like the fruit and vegetable tastings), but we now need to figure out if we can come together to envision something more coherent. The five co-sponsoring groups will meet and will be in touch regarding the follow-up meeting.

Rethinking School Lunch Initiative--2 Events with the Center for Ecoliteracy

Please join us this week for a lecture and a community discussion on sustainability and healthy school food intiatives with Ms. Zenobia Barlow, Executive Director of The Center for Ecoliteracy.

Lecture: "Living Systems and Leadership"
Thursday February 3rd, 12:30pm-2pm
UNM Student Union Bldg. Santa Ana A&B
Sponsored by RWJF Center for Health Policy at UNM
For more inforation contact  (505) 277-0130

Community Discussion: Rethinking School Lunch
Friday February 4th, 3:30pm -5pm
Harwood Art Center
1114 7th Street, Northwest, ABQ, NM 87102
Refreshments will be provided.
Sponsored by ACHIEVE
For more information contact Erin Engelbrecht, ACHIEVE Coordinator: (505) 350-8984


These events are free and open to the public.
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The Center for Ecoliteracy is a leader in the green schooling movement.

Smart by Nature™, the Center’s framework and services for schooling for sustainability, is based on two decades of work with schools and organizations in more than 400 communities across the United States and numerous other countries.

The Center is best known for its pioneering work with school gardens, school lunches, and integrating ecological principles and sustainability into school curricula.

The Center for Ecoliteracy offers books; teaching guides; professional development seminars; a sustainability leadership academy; keynote presentations; and consulting services. Among its books for educators, parents, and other people interested in sustainability are:

•Smart by Nature: Schooling for Sustainability (foreword by Daniel Goleman);
•Ecological Literacy: Educating Our Children for a Sustainable World (foreword by David W. Orr);
•Big Ideas: Linking Food, Culture, Health, and the Environment (foreword by Michael Pollan).

The Center’s work has been praised by numerous organizations, including the National Science Teachers Association, National Wildlife Federation, North American Association for Environmental Education, and Participant Media, producers of the Academy Award nominee Food, Inc. Others who have endorsed its work include Daniel Goleman, Richard Heinberg, David W. Orr, Michael Pollan, Frances Moore Lappé, Joanna Macy, and Alice Waters.

The Center for Ecoliteracy was cofounded by Fritjof Capra, physicist and systems thinker; Peter Buckley, former CEO of Esprit International and environmental philanthropist; and Zenobia Barlow, now its executive director. It is located in the award-winning David Brower Center, a home for environmental and social action in Berkeley, California.

The Center's website offers hundreds of downloadable resource materials, including practical guides, essays by leading writers and experts, and inspiring stories of school communities and organizations across the country that are engaged in this vital work.

http://www.ecoliteracy.org/