EDITORIAL – Childhood obesity a complex problem

Michigan’s senators are taking a long look at childhood obesity this week. Designated one of… Michigan’s senators are taking a long look at childhood obesity this week. Designated one of the country’s most overweight states, Michigan has a vested interest in teaching its children healthy eating habits. Not only will a thinner population suffer less from diabetes and cardiovascular problems, but it will cost the state less in medical bills.

One specific way in which the Senate Health Policy Committee hopes to decrease obesity is by requiring public schools to focus more on their students’ health. This is an admirable goal, but the proposed bill raises some critical issues.

Still in its early stages, the bill would restrict the sale of high-fat, high-sugar and non-nutritional food on school property. Offending schools could be fined up to $100 per violation, according to an article in Monday’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. What exactly constitutes a violation has yet to be determined; the entire character of the bill, though, rests on this definition.

Would each candy bar in a vending machine count as an infraction? Every portion of french fries served up each day? Or would schools be audited only every few months, and fined $100 for an overall violation of the policy?

Depending on just how much food is counted as one violation, the bill will be either a devastating fine or simply a slap on the wrist. Either way, such a broad rule overlooks the fact that schools are not homogenous; assigning one regulation to cover all of the state’s schools is ineffective.

Within any state there are wealthy districts and poorer ones. There are children who count the free school lunch as the day’s only hot meal and those who bring a packed lunch from home every day. Others have parents who simply provide them with money to buy whatever they want.

Because the students’ relationship with school food varies from district to district, the state’s plan to regulate this relationship must also vary. Some districts simply don’t have the money to implement these changes, and those struggling to pay teachers appropriate salaries need to be careful where they spend each dollar.

No one deserves to be kept from a healthy diet, and all children should have the option of a nutritious lunch. Punishing schools for also offering less healthy alternatives, though, will not solve the problem.

Educating children to make wiser choices at a younger age might not be a complete solution, but it would likely help.

Classes on a balanced diet and the dangers of obesity can be introduced at a younger age, and physical education programs can be restructured to provide children with more of a chance to burn calories – after all, caloric expenditure is just as important as a healthy and balanced caloric intake.

Obesity is a key issue in many states. Let’s hope that Michigan’s senators come up with a workable but rational solution, not one that is overly simplified to make a good sound bite.