26% of Kids Overweight, Study Finds

More than one-quarter of California children are overweight and nearly 40% are not physically fit -- and the problem is most pronounced in Los Angeles County, according to a comprehensive study of fifth-, seventh- and ninth-graders to be released today.

The review of physical fitness and body composition tests for 1.2 million children in public schools is by far the largest ever undertaken in California, and the first to compare various regions. It shows that L.A. County is home to eight of the nine state Assembly districts with the worst findings.

“When I saw this data, I was shocked ... we were all shocked, because we had no idea of this concentration” in Los Angeles County, said Harold Goldstein, executive director of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, a nonpartisan organization that conducted the review based on state data. “Clearly, an emphasis needs to be placed on promoting healthy eating and physical activity in the L.A. Basin.”

The rate of overweight youths in California -- 26.5% -- exceeds the national figure of about 15% for 6- to 19-year-olds, although the numbers are not directly comparable. The state’s definition of overweight -- based on a formula including height, weight, gender and age -- is broader and would therefore include more children.

Public health experts say overweight and unfit children face a greater risk of developing health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, asthma and cancer.

“Almost all of [the results are] pretty appalling,” said Dr. Francine Kaufman, a USC professor and president of the American Diabetes Assn., but she called the L.A. County numbers particularly striking.

Most people “figure that we’re out in the sun all day long, running around,” Kaufman said. In reality, though, “there are unsafe neighborhoods. The parks are not kept up. Nobody in their right mind would let their kids go there.”

Another probable factor is Los Angeles’ high concentration of minority residents. Other studies have shown that the prevalence of overweight children is much higher among blacks and Latinos, compared with whites and Asians, because of an interplay of genetic, economic and cultural forces.

While the California study did not pinpoint specific reasons for children’s weight and fitness problems, the Assembly districts in L.A. County with the highest proportion of overweight children in the state also had the highest concentrations of minorities.

Statewide, independent experts familiar with the study’s findings cited the availability of junk food on school campuses and schools’ noncompliance with state physical education mandates.

Mark LaPlant, a physical education teacher at Thomas Edison Middle School in South-Central Los Angeles, has classes of 55 students and minimal resources. A recreation room the size of two classrooms has been converted into a tiny gym, but its ceilings are not high enough to play volleyball. Most P.E. classes take place outside on a blacktop.

“A lot of the emphasis here at this school is literacy,” he said. “They would rather put all of the funds toward math, science and English because that’s what counts.”

Osahon Ekhator, 11, a student at Charles Drew Middle School in South-Central Los Angeles, said many children are left unsupervised during P.E. class because there are too many students for teachers to watch. Some, like him, play basketball. Others, he said, listen to headphones under a tree, do homework or eat.

“They sneak food,” he said.

A 160-pound 11-year-old who attends Edison Middle School said she would like to stay after school to participate in sports, but she’s not allowed to because her parents think it’s dangerous.

“They have a lot of shooting around here,” she said.

Also, when she plays with other children, she runs the risk of being teased. “They might call me fatso,” she said.

Parents and children say schools bear some responsibility for fostering overweight students, but youngsters also are making some poor choices -- at school and at home. Also, fast food is often cheaper than a more nutritious meal.

Sydni Mahler, 11, a student at Drew Middle School, said pupils flock to the campus store to buy slushies, nachos, candy and chips.

Her mother, Tawnya, frowned when she heard the choices. “What about watermelon and cantaloupe?” she asked.

Sydni, who was munching on a bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, replied with a shrug: “If they replaced all the junk food with healthy food and fruit, that would be nasty.”

With a $722,925, two-year grant from the nonpartisan Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the California Center for Public Health Advocacy analyzed data collected by the state, then broke it down by Assembly district to show lawmakers the need for their involvement.

Children’s weight status was determined by conducting a skin-fold thickness test to gauge body-fat percentage or by calculating a ratio of weight to height. The results were then plugged into a formula based on age and gender. Fitness was measured by one of three timed running and walking drills.

The report found that although a higher percentage of boys were overweight than girls, girls were generally less fit. In addition, fewer older children were overweight but they were more unfit than younger ones. Both findings require further study, Goldstein said.

On the basis of its findings, the nonprofit public health center argues that the state should enforce existing law mandating 200 to 400 minutes of physical education every 10 days in grades one through 12. It also advocates finding the money to implement new nutrition standards for meals served in elementary schools.

“It’s hard to make this [problem of overweight children] seem like a crisis, because it’s a slow-moving crisis, especially when it’s compared to the state going bankrupt,” said James Sallis, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University and an expert on childhood obesity. “But the longer we put off dealing with these issues in a fairly aggressive way, the worse they’re going to get.”

State Sen. Martha Escutia (D-Whittier), who sponsored the bill establishing elementary school nutrition standards, is concerned that state money won’t come through to support her efforts. She hopes to obtain some federal dollars.

Many school districts have begun to encourage more healthful eating. In September, the board of the Los Angeles Unified School District banned the sale of soda and sweetened beverages at middle and high schools beginning in 2004.

Board member Marlene Canter, who spearheaded the ban, said the district is considering offering healthful lunch options such as sushi, or pizza made with nutritious ingredients.

“There are many, many students in our middle schools who weigh over 200 pounds,” she said. “Besides the way it makes them feel about themselves, it’s not healthy.... If we don’t have healthy kids, we won’t have good instruction.”

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Flunking fitness

The percentage of California students overweight or unfit by gender, education and ethnicity. The results were based on responses from 1.2 million students.

*--* Over- weight Unifit All students tested 26.5% 39.6% Gender Girls 21.0 41.1 Boys 31.8 38.2 Grade 5th 28.2 38.9 7th 27.0 36.7 9th 23.6 44.1 Ethnicity African-American 28.6 46.0 American Indian/ Alaskan Native 25.1 38.9 Asian 17.5 35.7 Filipino 24.1 39.4 Latino 33.7 44.5 Pacific Islander 31.1 44.0 White 20.2 33.5 Other 22.3 36.6

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Note: The terms overweight and unfit are based on assessment standards in the 2001 California Physical Fitness Test.

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Source: California Center for Public Health Advocacy, www.publichealthadvocacy.org