Childhood Obesity

A reoccurring topic on obesity, is related to childhood obesity. The government has begun formulating policies to encourage children to eat healthy.

The New Hampshire Commission on Prevention of Childhood Obesity has outlined 14 policies to ensure obesity prevention. Some of these recommendations include:

• Department of Education writing rules for selling healthy foods at school
• Medicaid including nutritional counseling as a benefit for overweight children
• Fitness activities in day care, preschools, and public schools
• Children’s BMI should be measured at schools

When reading these recommendations, I’m reminiscing on my childhood and how most of these policies were in action. I don’t remember buying sodas and taco bell at school, and I remember going through the presidential fitness test every year, and my weight and height being measured often. So, when did these things begin to dissapate? At point did the school systems disregard physical education, and what was the purpose?

Perhaps in the midst of stressing out for college at 10 years old, these children and families are neglecting the development healthy lifestyles. It seems that as a society we are so eager to get ahead that we don’t take into consideration negative outcomes. And, so we end up with extreme imbalances in childhood development. Hopefully it is not too late to encourage the healthy progression of these children.