New York City Shows Diet Programs Work as Schoolchildren Lose Weight

Demonstrating that if done right, public policies can have a profound impact on social issues, New York city has announced that obesity rates for New York City schoolchildren have dropped by five and a half percent over the past five years; this according to the New York Times, which has been following the efforts of public officials to take an active role in helping to curb obesity in children.

This news comes after years of aggressively targeting sugary sodas by the city via bill boards, television and radio commercials and even signs on busses. Dr. Thomas A. Farley, the city's health commissioner, has been spearheading the project which is aimed at not just children, but parents as well. Dr. Farley notes that the decline is even more profound in light of the fact that up until the campaign against sugary soft drinks began, obesity among kids was growing worse every year.

In addition to the soda campaign, the city has been changing the menus in all of its public schools; adding more healthier options while simultaneously taking out those that offer little nutrition but a lot of fat. NYC public schools have also inserted programs to teach kids about which foods are good for them and which aren't.

Clearly the move has paid off, though city officials are quick to point out that not all gains have been equal across the board. The best results for example were seen in white children that lived well above the poverty line. Less improvement was seen in poor children, and among minority populations.

The report on obesity rates come independently from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and for New York, those figures show that the obesity rate for school age children dropped from 207 per 1000 to 219; a reduction of 5.5%. Translated into real numbers, as New York Mayor Michael puts it, means 6,500 fewer obese children this year, than last. He also pointed out that he believe it's imperative that cites and school districts take the initiative because more often than not, parents are too close to their children to see that they have grown bigger than they think. Thus, parents don't take the issue seriously enough. That's where public officials can help.

Happy to see their efforts finally paying off, city officials are now looking at other ways to keep the battle going. One of those, restricting what can be sold in vending machines installed in schools, is already under review. Another is the abolition of bake sales.

The results the city is seeing prove that public policy can make a difference as during the same time period virtually all other American cities saw obesity rates stay the same or grow.