What is Michelle Obama Really Doing About Childhood Obesity?

In Presidents Obama State of the Union Address January, 27, 2010 he announced that Michelle Obama would be tackling the hard-hitting epidemic of Childhood Obesity. I am sure many Americans were encouraged to hear that considering one third of the children in America is considered overweight or obese. Perhaps with the first lady behind the initiative, we may see trends change.

It is time to see change with childhood obesity because of the increaisng burden on healthcare (as if healthcare needed more trouble.) Mrs. Obama herself called this out when she said "children are showing up in pediatricians' offices with high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol in numbers never before seen."

Further, these problems follow to adulthood. A recent study by the Ontario Medical Association found that three-quarters of obese kids will likely grow up to be obese adults and face heart trouble, diabetes and other related medical conditions. Michelle acknowledged these sentiments in relation to the cost of healthcare at the National Governors Association conference. She said, "The U.S. spends $150 billion a year dealing with related ailments such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure" and "(Health-care) premiums have risen three times faster than wages, often bankrupting families and sinking businesses all across this country." So Michelle gets it. But what is she doing about it?

Since the State of the Union, the question is - how has Mrs. Obama actively worked to further the cause? Where is her focus? What is she doing to help me, a middle-class American housewife with an overweight daughter? The answer is...nothing.

I have seen Michelle in interviews and seen her speak. I respect her as a strong woman and good mother. So, this isn't about her as much as it is about the direction of this campaign that means so much to us who deal with it every day. Let's take a look at who this initiative will help.

Kicking off her cause, Michelle launched a "Let's Move" campaign. This program includes four goals:

1. Help parents get information and support to help children eat properly
2. Help children get regular physical activity
3. Ensure schools offer more healthful food
4. Ensure healthy food is available in all areas and neighborhood

Help Parents Get Information
First, I don't have much hope for number one. Parents know how to eat properly; they just aren't insisting that their children do. A Kindergartener learns the food groups and the importance of each, so any 5 year old could tell us how to eat right. And honestly there is more focus on eating right in the last 5 years than ever in American History.

Go to any Jr. High or High School in the country and take a poll at how many youth think they are vegetarians now, or would seriously consider it. You might be surprised. If we were to compare that to a similar poll taken in the 50's? It would be a landslide for youth today, being aware of healthful options. With momentum from vegan groups, vegetarians, whole foods, organic foods it seems we are inundated with more health information than ever before to appeal to our dietary concerns.

I think the big focus on eating right started the year McDonalds got sued for "making a man gain weight." The outpour of labeling began: Low sodium, high in fiber, Plus Vitamin B12! These promotions are on every label in the grocery store. More recently, the Trans fat issue has swept the Nation. All of the sudden the world needs to watch out for Trans fats. Anyone shops the grocery store or watches television, or reads the news is aware how to eat right, they just don't.

One thing that might work is reorganizing grocery fresh foods sections and display over items the nutritional value of something and what that translates to. For example: Orange Juice, Vitamin C, helps teeth, bones, awareness and brain function. Odds are most people have no idea what vitamin D translates to in their body, really. If a label says Contains B12...so? What does that mean to a consumer? I think that is the gap. We know an apple is more nutritious than a Hostess Ding Dong, but why should I eat the apple again? If I believed an apple helped my eyesight and I was struggling with eye issues, I might buy it more.

As far as I can tell, there is no formal roll out on how Michelle plans to educate parents. In addition, there doesn't seem to be a formal plan on point number 2 either; Help children get regular physical activity, other than emphasizing importance of Gym class and endorsing "work out" video games.

Help Children Get Physical Activity
She has identified the problem. But, did we need the White House to tell us that kids are overweight because of video games, TV time, or unsafe places to play? They say that urban kids have the biggest problem here with no safe place to play. I don't believe it is isolated to urban areas. News of child predators and the growing child trafficking problems have all parents concerned about letting kids get out of sight. Most parents are inclined to watch more carefully and let kids roam less and yes, this does decrease activity.

We all agree P.E. class is important in school and I hope to God that doesn't disappear. Art and music programs have been threatened in my local schools, I know. And after school sporting programs have been cut due to lack of school funding. Why wouldn't PE be next? It truly is a point worth focusing on because it is the ONLY movement kids seem to get in school. And this doesn't even tough on the non-exsistant "recess" in most schools these days.

15 years ago, kids in school played in the morning and afternoon...and if lunch was finished early, kids were free to run. My kids today get 20 minutes for lunch and recess combined. They all want to bring lunch so they don't have to wait in the lunch line because a line leaves them barely enough time to eat, let alone run. When I send them to school with a lunch, they bring half home because they wanted to play, not eat. They are dying to run! They want to move, but a school day doesn't accommodate that anymore with so much emphasis on testing scores - just to keep the funding they have!

Focusing on the solution, the best suggestion (outside of adding recess back to a school day) actually came from a Canadian Health Promotion Minister, Jim Watson, who declared "Fat is the new Tobacco." Now, if Washington agreed with that and got the states as on board as they have about tobacco abuse, we might see a difference. I am not referring specifically to taxes (I will get to the mysterious "fat tax" in a minute), I am referring to awareness alone.

This last year the war against tobacco has been outrageous. Kids are taught is a drug right along side Cocaine, in public school. Taxes are so high due to federal and state increases, millions have quit smoking or supporting premier brands due to cost alone. If a war were created on fitness, like that of tobacco, there may be some traction. But so far, there is no clear plan for that.

I just don't see P.E. class impacting obesity, or a Wii Fit, for that matter (and I say that based on the fact that my child has both now and we have not seen impact - I am sure we aren't the only ones.) No, there doesn't seem to be a clear strategy for point one and two of "Let's Move." But, the final two points of her plan seem to have more structure.

The third foal of "Let's Move" is to create more healthful foods in public schools. For the record, this doesn't help me at all. My kids bring their lunch because it's cheaper for my family of 6 to bring. (And because my kids don't want to stand in line and forfeit play time. Plus, one of my chidren attends a Charter School...there, lunch isn't even offered.) However, many American children depending on public aid get free lunches in school. So, this is for them and others who buy lunch.

This focus on school lunches is based on a fact Michelle quoted, "Most of our kids get the majority of the calories from the meals they eat in schools." WHAT? I don't believe that a school lunch or breakfast is making my child or any child obese. But, the good news Michelle added to that was, "We have an opportunity to work with the federal government and the school lunch providers to figure out how to make those meals healthier," she said. So, we are going to use federal money to improve something that is perhaps broken, but probably not the largest contributing factor? And add to that, only kids who buy lunch, or get free ones will reap the benefit.

What would this cost anyway? The Federal Government may be able to help, but with what money? The schools lunch is not healthy now because it costs less. Healthy foods cost more. I can pack a Little Debbie Snack Cake a heck of a lot cheaper than a Strawberry.

Again, this school lunch plan doesn't help me; the struggling middle class. How about this, if our aim is to help those who get free lunch, let's impact every meal by limiting the options available to those on food stamps to healthy foods (similar to WIC)? But I guess the big picture says, "No, no, that would hurt the sugar food industry and jobs would eventually be cut." Hard, yes. But wouldn't time shake out to jobs being needed where the demand is higher...healthy food industry jobs?

I have heard rumors of "fat tax:" Taxing foods with sugar. But that penalizes everyone. Would it not make sense to give it a-go by simply minimizing tax dollars already available on sugar options for the very group being targeted to help?

Healthy Food Available in All Areas
Speaking if money, let's look at the final point: Ensure healthy foods are available in areas that don't have grocery stores. This assumes that by minimizing "food deserts" people will eat better. Now, only convenient stores are close to some in areas without a grocer nearby, so people in these areas are forced to buy a HoHo. But folks, this is where the money is going.

It was trialed in the Philadelphia area costing 30 million dollars for 80-something grocery stores. Jobs yes, childhood obesity impacted? Unclear. Again, this doesn't help me. Nor does it make a Strawberry more affordable than a snack cake. The Obama administration's $400 million Healthy Food Financing Initiative, which will bring grocery stores and other healthy food retailers to underserved urban and rural communities, is being discussed. This is where the money is going.

Maybe Michelle is just looking at what she can change. I just wish that helped me - a struggling middle class, working, mother. But is anyone really surprised at that?

In the end, I agree this is a tough issue to tackle. And ultimately, I agree with Dr. Sasson Moulavi, ("Dr. Sass," Bariatric Physician) of Smart For Life Weight Management Centers. He said: "My worry is some parents will sit back and wait for the government to come up with a magic plan. It is not going to happen. Although first lady Michelle Obama may create awareness, parents need to realize they must take the initiative now. They have to stop waiting for a solution to fall from the sky. That's just magical thinking." He's right.

A a parent, it is my responsibility and ultimately, I don't want the government to make choices for me either. However, it would be nice if just a little of the $400 million of Federal money were used for something that made a difference to me and for my daughter.

So, let's not call this an initiative for childhood obesity, it gives me false hope. Let's just call it what it is: A program to bring grocery stores to urban and rural communities and the possibility of a more nutritional free lunch at school. And really, will either of those things help childhood obesity?

References:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/02/21/just-say-food-deserts-lady-tells-huckabee/
http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/news/2010/2/19/michelle_obama_unveils_lets_move_childhood.htm
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/population.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/20/AR2010022001752.html?wprss=rss_politics
http://www.parentcentral.ca/parent/familyhealth/children'shealth/article/768986--michelle-obama-urges-leaders-to-fight-kids-obesity
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/33162.html
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20100218/First-lady-Michelle-Obama-announces-Lets-Move!-campaign-against-childhood-obesity.aspx