Interview by Randy

-->Amy – A member of the community who is a worker in higher education who previously taught ELL abroad.  She is not a parent.

Is childhood obesity a problem you think is important?  Why/ Why not?

         The problem of childhood obesity is hugely important.  It will have an impact on everyone through not only the increased healthcare costs associated with obesity, but also on lost productivity and increased national security risks.  The more minor health issues associated with obesity often result in more days off due to sick leave, resulting in lost work time, which makes the country as a whole less productive.  Also, if more of the American population does not meet the health standards to join the armed forces – which do have maximum weight limits, we may reach a time where we are unable to find enough people to fight in a time of national crisis.  In the past, standards relating to criminal records or academic achievement have been relaxed to ensure that the armed forces can gain enough recruits, but if there are not enough people fit enough to fight, it could really pose some issues with America’s security.

Do you think others in our community this is an important problem? why/ why not?

I think that this problem is not given enough importance in our community.  It can be hard to try to intervene on behalf of children, because it can be seen as telling someone else how to raise their child.  It also seems that many people think that like baby fat, a growth spurt will take care of the extra chubbiness that we have always thought was cute on children.

More than anything else, I think that while the problem is acknowledged, nobody will take ownership of it.  It is always something that should be dealt with by someone else – parents, schools, doctors…

What policy, if any, does government now have to deal with this problem?

         First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign seeks to target the specific problem of childhood obesity.  

         On a more local level, I think that childhood obesity was one of the considerations for the implementation of a walking to school project in the Stoneham Elementary schools.  In this program, students who lived near the schools learned to walk on the sidewalks, avoiding traffic, to reach school without receiving a ride.

What are advantages of this policy?

One of the major advantages of this program is that it not only acknowledges that poor diet is partially responsible, but also that “these kids today” are involved in a lot more sedentary activities than a lot of us were when we were young.  For example, instead of walking to school, students are driven, because it is safer.  Also, instead of playing a pick up game of baseball or street hockey, it is much more normal now to stay inside on the computer.

What are disadvantages of this policy?

         One of the major disadvantages of the policy is that it is completely voluntary.  There are no consequences for not participating.

How might the policy be improved?

         Arguably, one could improve the policy by somehow making it mandatory.  A really extreme possibility to make it more mandatory could relate to changing child endangerment regulations.  If a pet owner allows his or her animal to become obese, it is grounds for loss of custody as an animal rights issue.  While parents can lose custody of their children for a wide variety of reasons relating to the creation of an unsafe environment that endangers the child, obesity is not considered to be such a circumstance.  Perhaps, in extreme cases, the nanny state does need to step in and say: “if you don’t work on keeping your child healthy, DSS will take him or her away.” I realize that this is very extreme, but I think that any policy that is only voluntary will have limited success.

         Alternatively – because I do realize that what I’ve described above is really extreme, maybe there could be some more positive reinforcement to participate.  Perhaps, on the school level, having a certain number of students that have healthy BMIs, or have dropped down to healthy BMIs, could be rewarded with some sort of a free day, like a visit to a local amusement park?

Does the policy need to be replaced?  why?

         I think that for now, Let’s Move is a good start.  While it is not perfect, and might have only limited results, I do not know that it makes sense to make the program mandatory.  And, I’m not sure there are enough funds to reward success on the program.

What disagreements, if any, about the policy exist in this community?

         I do not know of any disagreements with the policy around here.  However, I could imagine that some might see this again as the interference of “big government” or a “nanny state,” that tells parents how to raise their children.  Although there might be arguments like these made, they fail to acknowledge that childhood and adult obesity are problems that will eventually affect all of us.

Where can I get more information about this problem and the different positions people take on this problem?

         You could probably learn more about this problem and various positions taken by people by visiting the local public library.  Not only will they provide unbiased material that evaluates the problem, but they should also be able to offer literature with opposing viewpoints.

I have to say that I find the opinions of my interviewee a little too extreme.  I really do not think that it is the role of the government to impose such restrictions on raising children or on individual health.  I think that instead, government programs should focus on the benefits of being healthy, like the added energy and increased happiness that most people who eat well and exercise often describe.  I had thought that this person would be interesting to interview because she has lived and taught abroad, so she has a different perspective on how fitness is handled in the rest of the world.