| Calgary school boards and the Calgary Health Region (CHR) are falling short in their efforts to fight the growing problem of childhood obesity despite good intentions, according to a University of Calgary researcher on obesity.
Dr. Keith Sharkey, who has researched the causes of obesity, and currently leads the Calgary Obesity Research Initiative, says a lack of qualified nutrition experts in the school system is something that should be addressed, and he is skeptical of the CHR’s initiative to promote healthy living in schools.
"The opportunities for nutritional education are there and not fully realized because teachers are not trained nutritionists," says Sharkey. "There are too few teachers who are truly qualified to help our children in intake. I think we could be doing more and we should be doing more."
The CHR recently announced that 100 Grade 5 students will be tested for obesity as part of a pilot project. Eventually, the region wants these height and weight measurements, also known as Body Mass Indexes (BMI), carried out on all Grade 5 students in the city.
But Sharkey warns that relying on BMIs could be a dangerous and simplistic approach to the problem, and says that while research is always beneficial, there is a good body of data available already and now it’s time for action.
"These are rather complicated issues. I want to stress the need not to label kids, not to blame kids. It can be quite detrimental if it’s not used as a mechanism to help generate a positive course of action. We don’t want to be told that 20 per cent of our kids are overweight — we know that already."
According to the CHR, obesity costs the province between $620 million and $700 million, compared with smoking which costs the health care system $800 million.
Janice Popp, director of Southern Alberta Child and Youth Health Network, says the initiative will go beyond just collecting BMIs, but says it would be impossible to fill the city’s schools with dietitians.
"We are rolling out a plan that includes a number of components," says Popp. "(The BMIs) are more to test our own progress. That should give us a better indication of what the prevalence is as well as changes in population."
Popp says the CHR is also in the midst of developing a healthy food policy guideline to change the way schools provide food in vending machines and cafeterias, with discussions around working towards an 80-20 ratio, where 80 per cent of choices available will be nutritious.
Another aspect of the $1 million project to combat obesity will include the promotion of healthy living in areas of the city where poverty rates are higher.
Sharkey believes education is key, and says programs aimed at promoting savvy consumerism would be beneficial. Studies show children under 11 tend to take everything they see on television as fact. An overall trend in the advertising industry toward more subtle forms of marketing — such as product placement in movies, where the persuasive message comes across indirectly — has worried childhood obesity experts.
In just one year, the average child sees 10,000 food commercials — 95 per cent of which are for junk food. The Calgary Health Region has recognized TV as a potential cause.
In an attempt to understand the impact of advertising on children, researchers at Lancaster University showed 105 children, aged six to 12, a brief clip from the movie Home Alone. Half were shown a clip in which Pepsi is visible, and the other half a similar scene involving food and milk without branded products. The researchers then offered the children a choice between Pepsi and Coke. Most of the children shown the brand neutral scene chose Coke while nearly all of the children shown the Pepsi clip chose Pepsi, but had no recollection of seeing the brand depicted in the movie.
The CHR initiative is still in its early stages, with the BMI tests expected to begin this coming school year. |
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