NEW SURVEY REVEALS KIDS WORRIED ABOUT OBSEITY, TOO
Survey finds 57 percent of Lehigh Valley 9- to 13- year-olds have tried to lose weight.

(Easton, PA) The Weller Health Education Center has figured out exactly what kids in our region think about obesity—simply by asking them.

Recently, the Weller Center participated in the first KidsHealth® KidsPoll—a national research project that gives children a platform to share their views on health-related issues. Thirteen health education centers across the country took part in KidsPoll surveying 1,100 kids ages 9 through 13. The Weller Center surveyed 121 Lehigh Valley students as part of the poll.

The intense media attention and warnings from the medical community about the alarming rate of childhood obesity in the United States appear to be reaching children. Survey results revealed that 53 percent of students think there is a problem with kids being overweight today. Nationally, 59 percent have tried to lose weight. In the Lehigh Valley, 57 percent of 9- to –13-year-olds have tried to lose weight.

Further, children appear to make the connection between weight and nutrition and exercise. When asked what is the most important cause of kids being overweight, 29 percent said it was kids not getting enough exercise, 25 percent said kids not eating right, and 19 percent blamed fast-food restaurants “serving the wrong foods.”

A hopeful statistic found that 69 percent of kids said that “eating healthy and exercising” was the best way to control body weight, well ahead of the second place answer, “going on a diet” (17 percent of respondents). When asked for the best way to learn how to keep a healthy weight, 34 percent said “from a doctor or nurse,” followed by 27 percent who said “joining a group, club, or team that teaches me about physical activity.”

The poll also revealed that kids are aware of the social and emotional ramifications of being overweight. Sixty percent of kids surveyed said that it was harder for overweight kids to make friends. Fifty-four percent of kids said they worry about their weight—14 percent say they worry every day.

Despite their worries, when asked who talks to them individually about their weight, 44 percent of kids surveyed said “no one ever talks to me about my weight.” Only 31 percent of kids said their parents talk to them about their weight.

Kerri Green, M.S., Weller Center health educator, says many parents are worried that talking to their children about weight issues will lower the children’s self-esteem. Green advises, “Parents should address the issue from a family standpoint—this is something we will do as a family to get healthy—rather than isolating the child.”

When survey participants were asked to describe their weight, 55 percent said they were “about the right weight,” 22 percent said they were “slightly or very overweight,” and 23 percent said they were “slightly or very underweight.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the percentage of overweight children in the United States has tripled since 1980. Thirty percent of children are now classified as being either overweight or at risk for becoming overweight.

Why should we worry about childhood obesity? According to a study performed by Duke University School of Medicine and Emory University, chronically obese children are at risk for psychological and behavioral disorders such as depression. About 50 percent of overweight kids and 60 percent of normal weight kids think it’s harder for overweight kids to make friends, and one in ten children is constantly worrying about his or her weight. That’s not to mention the obvious health risks, including diabetes and heart disease.

Concerned parents and teachers can turn to the Weller Health Education Center for help.

Parents and children can visit www.wellercenter.org for more information on childhood obesity. The “Parent’s Place” section includes articles that can help parents overcome overweight and obesity in their children. The “Just for Kids” and “For Teens Only” sections include recipes and age-appropriate articles as well.

The Weller Center also partners with school districts to offer curricula-based nutrition and fitness programs for children of every age. Programs include I’m Somebody (Grades K–1), Kids in Motion (Grades 2–5), Way to Grow (Grades 3–4) and Food and Fitness for Life (Grades 5 – 6). The Center’s program Beyond the Looking Glass (Grades 7–12) addresses the issues of self-esteem, eating disorders and how the media influences our eating habits and body image. Programs on bullying, such as Where Do Bullies Grow? (Grades 2–5), Mean Streets of Middle School (Grade 6), and Emotional Health: It Counts! (Grades 7–12), address some of the social issues that may stem from obesity.

The KidsHealth KidsPoll is a joint project of the National Association of Health Education Centers (NAHEC), Nemours Center for Children’s Health Media, Southern Illinois University, the Weller Health Education Center and 12 other health education centers across the country.

The obesity poll included 11 questions with multiple-choice answers and also collected data on the gender and age of each student. It was the first of four polls for the Weller Center, which is currently collecting data on bullying from students in grades 3 through 5. Data for each study is collected by the Weller Center’s E-instruction technology, which uses a wireless audience response system to get feedback from students after each program.

One of only 33 nonprofit health education centers in the nation, the Weller Center offers more than 30 programs for students grades K – 12 in human anatomy and biology, character education, global health, drug abuse prevention, general health, growth and development and nutrition. The Center’s mission is to partner with schools to provide students with the information they need to make informed and healthy decisions. The Center has been offering high-impact, curricula-based preventive health education for 21 years and serves more than 75,000 students each year from 39 counties in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.