Childhood Obesity Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

High School Journalists Find No Regulation of Sugar in School Breakfast

**This story is part of a youth reporting project between the Fayette Institute of Technology and West Virginia Public Broadcasting. It was written by high school seniors Katie Cameron and Tabitha Gill with support from health reporter Kara Lofton.**

A lot of research says sugar is bad for us, but federal nutritional standards for school meals don’t regulate sugar consumption. And this means some elementary school students in West Virginia are eating a lot of it — especially for breakfast.

Katie Johnson, a health educator for several Fayette County schools, said one of her goals is to have quality protein at every breakfast because it slows down how quickly the body absorbs sugar.

“My long-term goal in the elementary schools is to have all fresh food. Either made-from-scratch or fresh fruits and vegetables, and maybe eggs and sausage,” she said.

Part of the problem is that some schools in Fayette County share kitchens, which means they don’t always have hot meals for breakfast. And the pre-prepared foods considered a “protein” in school breakfasts, such as yogurt, can have a lot of sugar in them.

For instance, Trix yogurt, one of the breakfast items served, has 14 grams of sugar per serving — or about half of the daily amount of sugar the American Heart Association recommends for kids under the age of 18.

“The elementary kids at one of the schools I’m at are getting about 52 grams of sugar a day, and that’s about three days a week,” said Johnson.

Two days a week, she said, kids can get a hot meal that’s cooked at a school with a kitchen and then taken to Valley Elementary.

Eating breakfast in the morning has a positive impact on children’s behavior and academic performance, according to a 2013 article published in The Frontiers of Human Neuroscience. But we also know that eating lots of added sugar leads to tooth decay and is related to developing diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure later in life.

Yet federal regulations for school breakfast don’t mention sugar.

Kristy Blower is the State Coordinator of the West Virginia Office of Child Nutrition. She said that federal regulations require that all state schools offer a breakfast with at least one grain, a fruit or vegetable, and 1 percent milk or fat-free milk.

All Fayette County schools comply with those regulations and serve the lowest amount of sugar recommended, said Joseph Dooley, the Fayette County schools nutrition director. But for him, sugar isn’t as serious as fat and sodium.

And he bigger issue, he said, is that kids aren’t guaranteed to actually eat the healthier food options they provide.

“It may take a little while for that child to acquire that taste and that desire to choose a better item, ” he said.

Valley Elementary School cook, Kelsey Critchley, also had her doubts about if kids would actually eat healthier food.

“They won’t even eat the corn we put on their trays,” she said.

But some counties like Cabell are moving toward an initiative called “from-scratch cooking.”

Cabell County Schools nutrition director Rhonda McCoy said when they first started, kids struggled to accept the new menus. For her, it was all about consistency.

“As we continued to stick to the course of preparing our meals from scratch, students began accepting the food,” she said.

Blower said the state is encouraging all schools to make their meals from scratch. The idea is to train cooks from around the state to create healthy meals with recipes that follow USDA standards. McCoy said the initiative has helped make food more nutritious for students in Cabell County.

Johnson said she hopes the from-scratch initiative becomes Fayette County’s normal routine as well. But in order for Fayette County to adopt all from scratch cooking, she says the mindset about food needs to change. Starting that change may begin with getting back to basics.

“I think one of the best things that we can do is to start gardening at school,” so kids can know where their food comes from, Johnson said. “We have a small garden at school and the kids love to work on it.”

And as kids become familiar with where their food comes from, she said she hopes that eating healthy, including eating less sugar throughout the day, will become the new norm.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Marshall Health and Charleston Area Medical Center..

Combating Obesity, Building Resilience Through Mountain Biking

West Virginia’s youth obesity rates have soared over the years, and a new report found that more than 35 percent of teens here are overweight or obese. A new statewide youth development organization is trying to address the problem, and teach resilience, by encouraging kids to enjoy their native hills — on a mountain bike.

Earlier this year, West Virginia established a state chapter (the 22nd nationwide) of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association league, which was first started in California in 2001.

The idea is to “enable every West Virginia teen to strengthen body, mind and character in the most equal and inclusive way through the life-long sport of cycling,” said Cassie Smith, league director and the force behind bringing the league to this state.

“NICA is about inclusivity. Everyone rides, no one tries out, and no one is benched. This is a program where you can race, or you can just join it for an adventure,” she said.

The need for this bike initiative was highlighted by the release today [10/24/18] of the annual Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report, which found that more than 35 percent of children ages 10 to 17 are overweight or obese in West Virginia.

So far NICA in West Virginia consists of nine active teams spread from southern West Virginia to the panhandles, with 128 registered riders and 98 coaches. This fall the teams have practiced together a couple times a week and participated in three races, where kids raced as both individuals and teams.

Smith points out that mountain biking is challenging , so finishing a ride or competing in a race helps to teach kids that doing hard things can be rewarding and worthwhile. Basically, she said, it’s building resilience through sports: “It goes over into everyday life things. You learn how to deal with obstacles. And you learn things are hard, but you just keep trying until you accomplish it or get better at it.”

Smith’s son, 15-year-old Levi, has been racing since he could first balance on a bike. He’s is one of the older kids in this year’s league.

“It’s fun and a lot of adrenaline,” he said. But it also helps him to stay in shape, and may help him to be healthier as an adult.

“To the extent that we can get more kids and their families out walking and biking and doing activities that are fun and expending calories, that certainly matters when we think about what it takes to ensure that all kids can be at a healthy weight,” said Jamie Bussel, senior program officer for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

West Virginia has the second-highest rate of childhood and adult obesity in the nation. Experts say obesity is basically the result of too many calories and too little exercise. And numerous studies have shown that the habits established early – as early as kindergarten – can yield dividends for a person’s entire life.

“So if you have young people that have actually adopted and integrated physical activity and general healthy living into their lifestyle,” said Bussel, “then they’re much more likely to be healthy, physically well and physically active adults well into adulthood.”

At a recent practice in Morgantown, kids were playing a game in which they rode in circles and practiced balancing. When they lost their balance, they were “out” until the next round.

“This is a great activity because the other kids get to see what it’s like to have this level of agility on the bike and then they get to do that do,” said coach Jessica Harmening.

The team practices motivate them to keep riding, she added, and to try things they might not ordinarily tackle within a safe place to fail and succeed.

As great as mountain biking is for physical fitness, the bikes themselves can be expensive. A quick Google search shows options ranging from around $100 up to $10,000. And, in West Virginia, even $100 for a bike can be too much for some families.

Fortunately, said Smith, friends in the cycling community have stepped up and donated bikes for the couple of kids who didn’t have one this fall.

She said there are scholarships available for kids who need them, but that no one has used them yet, though this may change as the league grows. She anticipates the league will be double in size by next year.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Marshall Health, Charleston Area Medical Center and WVU Medicine.

Early Weight Gain May Harm Children's Livers

A new study has found that childhood weight gain may have a negative impact on liver health in children as young as eight.

The study found that bigger waist circumference at age 3, raises the likelihood that by age 8, children will have markers for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease occurs when too much fat accumulates in the liver and triggers inflammation, causing liver damage. It’s the most common chronic liver condition in children and adolescents.

The disease is usually symptomless in children, but if left untreated can cause liver scarring and in some cases, liver cancer.

Childhood obesity is also associated with type 2 diabetes and other metabolic conditions.

Experts say the best way for kids and adults to combat fatty liver disease is to lose weight, eat fewer processed foods and get regular exercise.

16 percent of West Virginia children ages 2-4 who participate in the federal Women’s Infants and Children program are obese, ranking the state ninth in the country, according to the State of Obesity.

The study was published today in The Journal of Pediatrics.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Marshall Health, Charleston Area Medical Center and WVU Medicine.

A New Study Suggests New Ideas to Overcome Pediatric Cancer

The University of Texas Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital released a study this month showing that diet and exercise may improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Healthy eating is already encouraged during treatment but diet plans are uncommon. When it comes to physical activity, the study says, doctors are cautious when suggesting an exercise routine.

The study also shows that obesity is a risk factor for several cancers and can lower survival rates. West Virginia has the highest obesity rate in the nation and more than a third of children ages 10 to 17 in the state are obese.

In West Virginia, 1 in 285 children were diagnosed with cancer in 2014 and that is rising each year. The University of Texas research team says it plans to explore the impact diet and exercise have on chemotherapy and survival rates.

Obesity Rate Increases in W.Va. Children from Low-Income Families

Obesity rates among West Virginia children in low-income families have increased by 2 percent from 2010 to 2014.

West Virginia’s obesity rate among young children from low-income families increased from 14.4 percent in 2010 to 16.4 percent in 2014, according to the national Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The study was published Thursday in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Obesity rates, however, significantly decreased in 31 states and three territories. Those rates however, did increase significantly in Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia among 2 to 4 year-olds enrolled in WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.

West Virginia’s obesity rate is ninth highest in the nation.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Benedum Foundation.

McDowell County Kids Get Soccer Back

What happens to a community as coal jobs go away? Here are some things you might expect: many people leave, schools empty, local businesses struggle to keep their lights on. But here’s something that may not come to mind: extra curricular sports go away.

That’s what happened to children in McDowell County over 25 years ago. They lost their local soccer league. And while the thousands of lost coal jobs may not come back, thanks to a 4-H project, and about a dozen volunteers, soccer is making a comeback in McDowell County.

It’s a windy fall day. Two teams of children hurdle towards a green ball. Parents are cheering, and shivering.

9-yr-old Andrew Curry playing goalie at a match in Welch, W.Va.

9-year-old Andrew Curry is watching, waiting for his turn to get back into the game.

“I like that you get to run a lot because I used to play baseball and you didn’t get to do a lot of activity,” says Andrew. He likes to play defense the best. He’s one of 156 elementary students playing soccer this year in McDowell County.

The games are held once a week at Mt. View High School.

Parents and other volunteers coach for free, people like Tom Morsi, a retired coal miner.

“We started a soccer program up here in Welch 26 years ago,” says Morsi. “Jobs started going down, people started leaving, going to other states…and they disbanded. Now a lot of kids that played soccer have kids that play in this soccer league. It’s come full circle.”

Morsi says they want to keep the cost low to make soccer available to any child who wants to play. Parents pay $10, local businesses and funding from West Virginia University’s 4-H program pays for the rest.

Although there is no breakdown of childhood obesity rates by county, here in McDowell, 45% of adults are obese. That’s almost twice the national average, of 28%.

According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, one of the reasons many low income children are obese is because they often don’t have access to safe places to be physically active.

Take McDowell County, where traveling 30 miles through rugged mountains means an hour’s worth of driving. To help parents have an easier time getting their children to soccer practice, the teams mostly practice in makeshift fields in neighborhoods throughout the county.

Places like “church parking lots or old baseball fields that you could turn them into a practice soccer field,” says Nathaniel Smith, another volunteer who’s helped get this soccer league up and running.

Smith says this soccer league is just one example of what’s possible in McDowell, even though times are hard.

“And my hope is…turn some things around, make some things better, and work together.”

Smith says they’d like to see at least two hundred families sign up to play next year. The economy here may be spinning out of control, but he’s not giving up. He hopes they can start middle and high school teams in the next few years. Smith gestures toward the children at play and says, “these kids are the future of McDowell County.”