THE NATION’S NEWSPAPER
K-12
Case
Study
www.education.usatoday.com
If parents lighten up, then so
will the kids
By Nanci Hellmich
.................................................................................................4
Fast food is out; fast teen is in
By Nanci Hellmich
Name of this game
is healthier kids
..................................................................................................5
There are ways to work exercise
into kids’ routines
By Nanci Hellmich
..................................................................................................7
Student extension
..............................................................................................8-9
Corresponding National Standards
NPH-H.9-12.3 Reducing Health
Risks: Students will demonstrate
the ability to access valid health
information and health-promoting
products and services.
By Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY
PE at Bernardo Heights Middle School, Calif: Experts have long said that the school
environment must be improved to get kids to eat better and exercise more.
NPH-H.9-12.4 Influences on
Health: Students will analyze the
influence of culture, media, technology, and other factors on health.
Schools face a struggle to change food, activity habits
USA TODAY Snapshots®
By Nanci Hellmich
USA TODAY
Where kids buy food
American children ages 8 to 17 list where they make
food purchases when away from home (at least three
times a week):
School cafeteria
36%
Vending machine
20%
Restaurant
11%
Grocery store
10%
Convenience store or street vendor
9%
School is where teens spend most of
their waking hours, so if we want them to
eat better and exercise more, it's the
logical place to make some of that
happen. But it isn't easy to get schools or
kids to make changes, judging from a
two-year study of 30,000 middle-school
students.
Researchers at San Diego State
University found that boys will become
more active during physical education
class if offered the chance, but girls are
reluctant to do so. And getting teens of
either sex to eat better is hard to do,
according to the landmark study paid for
by the National Institutes of Health.
The findings come as childhood obesity
rates are skyrocketing: 20% to 30% of kids
are either overweight or at risk of
becoming so.
Experts have said for years that the
school environment must be improved to
give kids a healthier start in life. Children
consume about 25% to 33% of their daily
Source: Pursuant Inc. for American Dietetic Association Foundation
By Marisa Navarro and Bob Laird, USA TODAY
Reprinted with permission. All rights reser ved.
AS SEEN IN USA TODAY LIFE SECTION, TUESDAY, MAY 20, 2003, 7D
calories at school and get about 20% to
30% of their physical activity there. This
is one of the first big studies to
investigate the benefits of overhauling
the school environment.
chips. Food service workers encouraged
kids to take fruit, salads and bottled
water.
Researchers spent two years working
with 24 middle schools. Students there
were in PE class five days a week for 45
minutes. None of the schools had
vending machines, but 23 schools had a
la carte foods; 13 schools had student
stores that offered mostly sodas, cookies
and chips. Half of the schools were in a
control group and made no maj or
changes. Researchers worked with the
other half, the intervention group, to try
to make changes:
After two years, researchers received
reports on the heights and weights of
students and monitored PE classes and
after-school programs. They also
measured the food consumed at the
schools, including 13,000 bag lunches.
Among the findings, reported in a recent
issue of the American Journal of
Preventive Medicine:
u PE teachers in intervention schools
tried to get students to be more active
during classes. For instance, they created
games that modified spor ts like
basketball, softball and soccer. The games
had different rules and were done with
smaller groups so everyone could get
more involved and develop skills while
having fun.
For example, in modified softball, there
are five or six players on a long
rectangular field instead of two teams of
nine or 10 players. The game is modified
so that each player gets at least 10 turns
at bat in 15 to 20 minutes. It's designed
so students get to throw, catch, run or hit
on every play.
Students were encouraged to exercise
while attendance was being taken.
Instead of sitting or standing around, they
did what were called "super starts" —
such as dribbling a soccer ball or
practicing volleyball skills with a partner.
u Volunteers supervised after-school
activities on school grounds, including
aerobics classes and basketball and
soccer games.
u Food car ts and stores in the
inter vention schools offered some
healthier fare such as fresh fruit, carrots
and sandwiches on wheat bread without
mayonnaise. Fresh fruit was also offered
at lunchtime. Some schools had baked
Healthy food in bag lunches
u There was no significant change in
the amount of food with fat and
saturated fat purchased at the
intervention schools compared with the
control schools.
u Bag lunches contained the
healthiest foods consumed.
By Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY
For girls: A landmark San Diego State
University study suggests schools should
find programs to make sports more
appealing to girls like Jessica Hood.
“You cannot get
something for nothing.
And if we value our kids'
health, we've got to
invest more in assuring
they get more physical
activity and better
nutrition.”
— James Sallis,
San Diego
State University
u Boys at the intervention schools
were active about 25 minutes of PE class,
compared with about 19 minutes for
those in the control group.
u Girls in both the intervention and
control schools did about 16 minutes of
activity per class.
u The average weight of the boys in
the control schools increased about 2
pounds in two years, and boys' weight
decreased 1.6 pounds at the intervention
schools. The average weight of girls didn't
change in control or intervention schools.
Lead author James Sallis, professor of
psychology at San Diego State, says he's
not sure why girls' activity levels in the
study didn't rise. But he theorizes that
girls are less confident of their athletic
abilities, and they get less support from
their peers and adults for being active.
They may want to sit and socialize more
and are less likely to be willing to sweat
during class.
Also, boys tend to dominate active play,
so Sallis believes teachers probably need
to offer more activities that appeal to
girls, he says.
© Copyright 2003 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. All rights reser ved.
Page 2
AS SEEN IN USA TODAY LIFE SECTION, TUESDAY, MAY 20, 2003, 7D
The trick to getting kids to move more
in PE is to make it fun, says Paul
Rosengard, who was in charge of the PE
portion of this study. "Sometimes it
means disguising fitness so kids play up
a sweat."
What teens say they
like about PE class
The opportunity to exercise
Getting the girls into sports
Most school officials want to improve
the health environment of their schools,
but there are financial barriers, Sallis
says. Foods like chips and sodas help
subsidize the regular lunch program and
other extracurricular activities. Plus, it's
difficult to find the money to pay people
to supervise after-school programs or to
find volunteers.
"The only way schools can do
something significantly different from
what they are doing now is if parents and
districts invest money and support the
18%
It’s fun
Researchers around the country are
continuing to study why adolescent girls
are less active than boys the same age,
and they are looking for ways to modify
PE classes and other activity programs to
attract girls, says Judith Young, executive
director of the National Association for
Sport and Physical Education.
"We may need to honor the special
interests of some girls, offering aerobic
activities such as spinning, kickboxing,
step aerobics, Pilates, yoga. Girls want to
do what they see adult women do."
20%
Getting fit
16%
The activities offered
16%
What teens say they don’t
like about PE class:
Running
13%
Boring activities, no variety
9%
Dressing and undressing for class
7%
By Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY
For boys: The study finds that kids like
Matt Werner would become more active
during physical education class if offered
the chance.
school food service so they can serve
healthier food, and if they fund afterschool activities," Sallis says. "You cannot
get something for nothing. And if we
value our kids' health, we've got to invest
more in assuring they get more physical
activity and better nutrition."
What teens say they should be
learning in PE class:
How to stay fit
52%
Skills and rules for different
physical activities
20%
How the body works
10%
Source: National Association for Sport
and Physical Education
By Adrienne Lewis, USA TODAY
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AS SEEN IN USA TODAY LIFE SECTION, MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2003, 6D
If parents lighten up,
then so will the kids
Weight-loss experts say adults
must go slowly, set better example
By Nanci Hellmich
USA TODAY
When adults want to lose weight, they
often revamp their eating and exercise
habits by choosing healthier foods and
being more active. But losing weight is
trickier for children and adolescents who
have to eat what their parents buy or
their schools serve and do the sports and
activities that are available to them,
pediatric weight-loss experts say.
That's why weight-loss success for
children often depends on an overhaul of
the family's lifestyle.
Parents have a great opportunity in the
new year to take a look at their own
eating habits and make some changes
that could benefit the entire family, says
Keith Ayoob, associate professor of
pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College
of Medicine in New York.
"I never see a child who has better
eating habits than his parents," he says.
"Parents are captain of the ship here. Kids
need to see their parents eating healthy
foods."
Leonard Epstein, professor of
pediatrics at the University of Buffalo and
a leading researcher in childhood obesity,
says most of the kids who are
overweight have at least one overweight
parent. "When we search for overweight
Children packing on pounds
The percentage of children who are overweight has
increased over the past three decades:
kids with two thin
parents, they are hard
to find."
Ages 6-11
Almost 65% of adults
in the USA are either
overweight or obese;
overall, 20% to 30% of
children in the USA are
either overweight or at
risk of becoming so,
according to the latest
government statistics.
1988-94
1971-74
4%
1976-80
7%
11%
15%
1999-2000
Ages 12-19
1971-74
1976-80
1988-94
1999-2000
6%
5%
11%
15%
Extra pounds take a
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
toll on children,
By Bob Laird, USA TODAY
putting them at a
greater
risk
of
becoming heavy adults and increasing Laboratory at Louisiana State University's
their chances of developing health Pennington Research Center in Baton
problems such as type 2 diabetes. Rouge.
Chubby kids are often teased by their
She recommends that families cut back
peers and have low self-esteem.
on junk foods, control portions, increase
For some children, it might be a matter fruit and vegetable intake, trim saturated
of maintaining their weight while they fats (fatty meats and whole dair y
continue to grow, so eventually they are products), cut back on snacking, reduce
at a healthy weight for their height, T V and computer time and increase
physical activity.
experts say.
Children with about 15 to 20 pounds to
lose can do so by following a balanced
low-fat, low-sugar diet and becoming
more active; those with more to lose
should discuss it with their doctor, says
Melinda Sothern, director of the
Prevention of Childhood Obesity
Many parents are serving kids portions
that are far too big, Ayoob says.
"Some of these 6-year-olds eat like
lumberjacks. Parents feed them like they
are linebackers, but what they are doing
is creating linebackers."
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AS SEEN IN USA TODAY LIFE SECTION, MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2003, 6D
Rather than serving piles of fries, pasta and rice at meals,
Ayoob recommends dishing up one piece of meat and a serving
spoon full or rice, pasta or potatoes and offering unlimited
fruits and vegetables to fill out the meal.
When parents try to revamp eating habits, they often try to
do too much too soon, Ayoob says. He suggests making one
change a month so that by the end of the year, they've changed
12 habits.
“I never see a child who
has better eating habits
than his parents.”
— Keith Ayoob,
associate professor,
Albert Einstein College
of Medicine
Among Ayoob's
recommendations:
u Keep "impulse
fruits" like grapes,
clementines, small
apples,
small
bananas and pears
around the house.
These foods are
easy to eat without
having to do much
cutting and slicing.
u Practice the
"Rule of One." When it comes to high-calorie foods, you're not
going to go wrong if you allow one a day, Ayoob says. That
might be one cookie or one soda.
u Build on healthy foods the child already loves. If they like
apples or tomatoes, offer them every day. "Kids will eat a better
diet and the parents don't end up in a food fight."
Sothern suggests:
u Make changes gradually — going from macaroni and
cheese to whole-grain pasta with tomato sauce. Instead of a
baked potato with butter, try veggie pizza made with wholegrain bread.
u Insist that children eat in limited areas of the house —
either at the dining room table, kitchen table or snack bar. No
eating in the car, in front of the TV, in front of the computer or
anywhere else. She says that when children are allowed to
watch TV or play computers while eating, they don't pay
attention and eat way too much.
USA TODAY Snapshots®
Junk food part of teens’ diet
Percentage of
American
teenagers’
consumption of
unhealthy food:
Some
67%
None
1%
Great deal
17%
Hardly any 15%
Note: Poll conducted
among teens ages 13 to 17.
Source: Gallup Poll
By Cristiane Nascimento and Karl Gelles, USA TODAY
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AS SEEN IN USA TODAY LIFE SECTION, MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2003, 6D
Fast food is out; fast teen is in
By Nanci Hellmich
USA TODAY
Trey Olano of Marrero, La., grew up on
a diet of fried seafood, pizza and other
fast food. By the time he was 12, he
weighed 205 pounds, far too much for
his age and height.
He wanted to run faster and be better
at sports, and he wanted to feel better
about himself. "I can't say I wasn't
happy," Trey says. "I always had friends. I
wasn't one of those big kids who nobody
talked to. But I got down on myself and
looked in the mirror and said, 'I need to
lose weight.' "
His family agreed. So his dad, Marcum
Olano, and his grandmother, Julia Agoff,
enrolled Trey in the Committed to Kids
pediatric weight-management program
at Louisiana State University Health
Sciences Center in New Orleans.
Trey attended weekly meetings and
learned to cut back on fast food, eat
smaller portions, limit snacks and sweets
and be more active.
His entire family — dad, stepmom,
mom, grandmother and grandfather —
suppor ted his effor ts and began to
revamp the family's eating habits:
preparing grilled meats, offering more
fruits and vegetables and keeping snacks
out of the house.
"It was a total commitment on his part,
so it had to be a total commitment on
our part," says Marcum, who also has
two daughters ages 6 and 18 months.
They also stopped going to fast-food
restaurants. "We couldn't go to Burger
King and everybody order fast food and
expect him to eat a grilled chicken,"
Marcum says.
Trey lost more than 30 pounds in 10
months while growing 2 inches. Now, at
5-foot-8, the 14-year-old weighs 170 to
174 pounds.
This year, as an eighth-grader, Trey
played football on the varsity team. Now
he's wrestling, and he'll play baseball in
the spring. Marcum says the weight loss
helped his son's esteem and confidence.
"It also made him quicker, stronger, more
energetic," says Marcum, who lost 13
pounds himself.
Trey eats a grilled chicken sandwich
and a salad for lunch, and he often has
grilled meat and vegetables for dinner.
He likes to snack on rice cakes. He says
he doesn't miss fast food, although he
occasionally has pizza.
He feels sorry for other kids who are
too heavy. "I know what they going
through. I know their hunger, and I know
how they feel about eating.
"I know how they look on themselves.
I know they want to get better, but they
don't have enough motivation to do it.
And if they don't have their family
behind them, they can't do it."
Trey plans to maintain his weight. "I
don't want to be heavy again. I don't like
how it feels."
Typical day's menu
u Breakfast: Wheaties
cereal with skim milk
u Lunch: Grilled chicken
sandwich on wholewheat bread, salad,
strawberries, Diet Coke
u Dinner: Grilled steak or
pizza, vegetables, Diet
Coke or diet root beer
u Possible snacks: Fruit,
rice cakes
© Copyright 2003 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. All rights reser ved.
Page 6
AS SEEN IN USA TODAY LIFE SECTION, MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2003, 6D
There are ways to
work exercise into
kids' routines
By Nanci Hellmich
USA TODAY
More activity is crucial if kids are to achieve a healthy weight,
experts say.
Between sitting at school for six to eight hours and lounging
in front of the TV or computer at night, some children and
adolescents burn very few calories during the day. Sitting burns
about 30 to 50 calories an hour for children, while running
around outside and playing for an hour burns 400 to 500
calories, depending on the weight of the child, exercise
physiologist Melinda Sothern says.
She's a founder of the Committed to Kids weightmanagement program at the Louisiana State University Health
Sciences Center, where she has helped many children lose
weight.
Some heavy children who aren't very good at sports get very
proficient at computer games, so their problem becomes
exacerbated as they spend hours doing this sedentary activity,
she says.
Those kids have to be introduced gradually to more activity,
says Sothern, who often has heavy children do strength training
or biking first so they can be successful and then work up to
other sports.
"I want people to understand that you can't push them too
hard," she says. "You want to gradually get them to a healthy
physical activity level, and you want them to enjoy it. Kids
aren't going to keep doing something they don't like."
Sothern, a co-author of Trim Kids (HarperResource, $25.95),
offers several exercise strategies for children:
u Insist that children play outside for 30 minutes before
doing homework. They'll think you're the best mom or dad on
the block, she says.
u Encourage homework activity breaks. Sothern suggests
that when children are doing their schoolwork, they take
three- or four-minute breaks every half hour to shoot some
basketball, dance to some music or jump rope.
u Spend at least a half-day each weekend on family activities
such as skating, biking, walking the dog, ice skating or hiking.
This is the time to teach children to do different sports.
u Redirect children who are doing unhealthy activities. If
your child is sitting with a bag of chips in front of the TV, try not
to nag them about eating. Instead, you might say, "Hey, I'm
going to walk the dog. Why don't you grab your skates and go
with me?"
USA TODAY Snapshots®
Softball scores as most played sport
Percentage of the U.S. population that has
particpated in the following organized sports
based on an ESPN Sports Poll:
34.7%
Softball
32.1%
Basketball
Baseball
Football
Soccer
29.8%
22.3%
15.8%
Source: ESPN Sports Poll, a service on TNS Intersearch
APPLICATIONS: competition, cause & effect, character education
How many organized
sports do you participate
in? What are the benefits of
j oining a sports team? Are
there any drawbacks? If so,
describe them.
Sports are fun, healthy
activities that can also help
boost a person’s selfesteem. They teach kids
how to interact as part of a
team, let them know that
everyone makes mistakes
and reinforce that it isn’t
necessary (or even realistic) to always be the best.
However, sometimes the
importance of sports and
the emphasis placed on
competition and winning
can be overwhelming for
kids. This can lead to a
breakdown in self-esteem.
As a class, discuss ways that
students can avoid taking
sports too seriously.
By Ellen J. Horrow and Adrienne Lewis, USA TODAY
© Copyright 2003 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. All rights reser ved.
Page 7
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Name of this game is healthier kids
u Why did researchers from San Diego State University decide to focus on making schools healthier places for teens?
How did the “intervention schools” in the study attempt to encourage fitness? Do you think any of these methods
would work at your school? What factors might explain the study’s disappointing results?
u Why do teachers need to offer more activities that appeal to girls? What suggestions would you make?
u What suppport do schools need in order to make significant changes in the amount of activity students are
engaged in while at school? In what way is improving fitness at school a financial issue?
AC TIVI T Y: Increasing exercise
APPLICATIONS: health, cooperative learning, problem solving
D I R E C T I O N S : Divide students into small, same-sex
groups. Ask some female groups to identify five actions
your school could take to boost the amount of time girls
are physically active at school (not just in P.E. class). Ask
some male groups to do the same — but with boys in
mind. Direct the remaining groups to identify ways that
the school community could encourage healthier eating.
After each group has shared their ideas, decide which
warrant further attention.
SNAPSHOT: Youths yearn to work out
USA TODAY Snapshots®
APPLICATIONS: health, analysis, creative thinking, language arts
Youths yearn to work out
Perentage of Americans by age group that exercise or
participate in a sports activity at least once a week:
71.3%
57.0%
47.9%
Source: ESPN
Sports Poll, a
service of TNS
Intersearch
45.2%
39.1%
27.6%
24.5%
1217
18- 2524 34
3544
4554
55- 65+
64
Why are young people
between the ages of 12 and
17 more likely to exercise
than individuals in other
age groups? What happens
between 17 and 18 that
causes such a decline in the
number of people who
exercise? When does the
second biggest drop occur?
What might account for
this decrease?
How much exercise does
a teen need to get each
week to be physically fit?
How much exercise is
required to lose weight and
develop muscle tone? Will
exercising once a week
accomplish either of these
goals? Do you engage in
physical activity at school?
As a class, list what you
believe are the most popular reasons people your age
cite for not exercising.
Then, in pairs, develop a
short, funny and creative
response to each. Aim to
motivate with humor.
Share your best idea
with peers.
By Ellen J. Horrow and Marcy E. Mullins, USA TODAY
Page 8
8
Page
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: If parents would lighten up, then so will kids
u Why is it more difficult for children and adolescents to lose weight? What does weight-loss success depend on?
In what way are kids influenced by what their parents’ eat?
u What percentage of U.S. adults are overweight or obese? What percentage of kids are overweight or at risk of
becoming so? What potential problems are heavier children at risk for? How are they treated by their peers?
u What behaviors does Keith Ayoob, associate professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, suggest parents
adopt? What is the “Rule of One”? Do you follow it in your household? If not, should you?
u Which of the recommendations for change mentioned in the article should your family implement?
SNAP SHOT: Nutr ition knowledge
USA TODAY Snapshots®
Learning to consume the right foods
People say they gain nutrition knowledge by:
Reading food labels
79.7%
Reading magazines
43.3%
Family and friends
41.8%
t
Information on the Interne
41.1%
Watching television
34.1%
1 – Other responses include consulting nutritionists and reading newspapers.
Source: Equation Research for Balance Bar Co.
APPLICATIONS: health, knowledge, social studies
In your opinion, which
of the sources listed in the
Snapshot provides the
most accurate nutrition
information? Which influences your food choices
most? Why?
Achieving a healthy
balance between daily
activity and calorie intake
plays a maj or role in how
we look, think and feel.
Clearly, the ever-popular
quick fixes and fad diets
are not the solution to
long-term health for one
simple reason: they are
too hard to maintain.
Eating right and exercising not only improves
your physical appearance,
it boosts your self-esteem
and influences your mental outlook.
On paper, list five to 10
ways that you could
increase the amount of
physical
activity
you
incorporate into your
daily routine. Then, try
implementing at least two
of these.
By Charmere Gatson and Karl Gelles, USA TODAY
For more information, log on to http://www.education.usatoday.com
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