Health advisers discussed the growing issue of obesity in children during a recent conference in Washington, D.C.

Photo courtesy of Reuters

by FEDERICA VALABREGA

Reforming physical education standards in schools is a crucial component to tackle child obesity, said representatives of Democratic and Republican candidates.

Only 8 percent of schools in the United States have standardized physical education programs, an adviser to presidential candidate Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., said in a conference on Sept. 19.

For this reason, Democrats want to sponsor federal government-based guidelines for schools to implement physical education and health programs.

Health advisers to Republican presidential candidates, however, said that they disagree on reforming health and physical education standards on a federal level, and would rather have each state address the issue according to the needs of its schools.

Mitt Romney, Republican candidate and former Massachusetts governor, “is a big proponent of encouraging state localities to engage in healthier activities rather than having federal mandates dictate how things have to be done,” said Lanhee Chen, domestic policy director for Romney. “When he was governor of Massachusetts, he encouraged ways of giving kids healthier options and revitalized after-school programs to get them engaged in physical activities.”

Medical literature on child obesity shows that approximately 25 million children are either overweight or obese, and the numbers have doubled since the 1970s.

Advisers to presidential candidates of both parties discussed the issue of child obesity at a recent conference at George Washington University in Washington. The conference was organized by the Obesity Society, a non-profit organization of 2,000 researchers.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., also supports state-based legislation for school reforms. McCain believes it allows for a more parent-oriented intervention.

“Republicans and parents have to step up, not only at home but also by getting involved within the schools,” said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, policy director for McCain for President. “We want parents to be part of a physical education board and implement decision-making within the school.”

However, a 2007 report from the Trust For America’s Health, called “F as in Fat,” showed that state legislative actions and policies aimed at obesity reduction in schools are often inadequate and not correctly enforced by school districts. The report also says that schools may choose to ignore such policies due to a lack of federal government coordination.

Dodd supports the Fit Kids amendment to the No Child Left Behind Bill, federal legislation promoting the increase of physical education in schools; 150 minutes per week for elementary schools and 225 minutes in middle schools and high schools.

The bill also promotes educational training for principals and teachers on how to guide children to healthy habits and physical activity.

“Dodd supports either an increase in formal physical education or organized recess,” said Barbara Smith, an adviser to Dodd. “He believes that letting kids run around in the playground is not only important to prevent obesity, but to maintain [the] child’s mental health and promote learning abilities.”

The American Heart Association also approved the Fit Kids Act as a measure to address children’s obesity, and also to protect children’s long-term health, well-being and academic success, director Dr. Daniel W. Jones said on the group website.

Studies collected in the 2007 report from the Trust for America’s Health has shown that even a small amount of physical activity can improve weight loss in young adults and prevent health-related problems, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke.

While presidential candidates are debating whether to support a federal or states-based approach to implement physical education, some schools in the District suffered budget cuts and have to rely solely on organized recess.

“This year we cannot afford a physical education teacher,” said Darwin Bobbit, principal of Benning Elementary School. “We offer a 30-minute structured recess where kids can play, but we could not implement additional physical activities because we had to spend our money for math and English coaches to keep our kids up to speed.”