Schools address childhood obesity

Elia Powers

Jennifer Contreras has never had a problem motivating her daughter to

study. Eleven-year-old Alexandra is in fact a straight-A student.

Still, Contreras’ lectures on eating a healthy diet weren’t well

received, she said.

“She always had a weight problem, but she didn’t want to hear it

from me,” Contreras said. “She was a nervous eater who couldn’t

master the problem.”

Contreras, a Mission Viejo resident, registered her daughter more

than a year-and-a-half ago in a weight-control program run by Costa

Mesa-based Lindora Medical Clinics.

After 10 weeks of counseling -- as well as diet and exercise

changes -- Contreras said her daughter lost 26 pounds, which she has

mostly kept off.

Contreras is cognizant of the increasing attention paid to

childhood obesity, but she said many parents aren’t responding

proactively.

“I’ve gotten criticism from people for taking my daughter to the

clinic,” Contreras said. “They feel their children will grow out of

being obese.”

Dr. Joe Risser, director of clinical research at Lindora, points

to recent studies that disprove that sentiment.

One is a report out of Minnesota that shows overweight children

and adolescents are at an increased risk for adult obesity, but

losing weight during childhood can eliminate some of the risk.

Another is a report published in the New England Journal of

Medicine that predicts life expectancy may decrease later this

century because of a rise in obesity, particularly among children.

Risser, whose company runs 33 clinics throughout Southern

California, said pediatricians are starting to refer children to

specialized clinics for treatment.

He is seeing clients as young as 6 years old for weight loss or

Type 2 diabetes.

“We thought we’d have to change a lot about our program in terms

of treatment,” Risser said. “It turns out children respond similarly

to adults. It comes down to emotional support.”

Risser stresses low calorie intake and a systematic approach to

food monitoring. He suggests patients chronicle everything they eat

for weeks at a time.

Newport-Mesa School District nutrition services director Dick

Greene said he understands the immediacy of the problem.

“Childhood obesity is an epidemic now,” Greene said. “We have a

lot of families where both parents are working and aren’t able to pay

attention to what their kids eat.”

He said a recent experiment conducted at TeWinkle Middle School

showed that children are willing to eat healthy foods when presented

with the option.

The National Institutes of Health awarded UC Irvine a grant to

perform a study in which junk food such as nachos and chili cheese

dogs were replaced with an assortment of health foods over a

six-month period last semester. Greene said sales at the TeWinkle

cafeteria during that time increased by 20%.

And he said the district takes part in a program sponsored by the

United States Department of Agriculture in which staff members teach

students about exercise and proper nutrition.

Newport Heights Elementary School participates in the Coordinated

Approach to Child Health physical education program (CATCH) that aims

to set a district-wide workout curriculum.

Greene, who serves on the California State Department of Education

Child Nutrition Advisory Council, said the school board is planning

to adopt new wellness standards at its next board meeting.

Chazz Weaver, whose nutrition-focused film “Downsize Me” made its

debut last week at the Newport Beach Film Festival, has sent a letter

to the district asking schools to screen his film and to inquire

about speaking opportunities.

Weaver, a doctoral candidate in psychology, whose work focuses

largely on child obesity, said he has booked two engagements at

elementary schools in Orange County.

“I’m older than most of the kids’ parents, and yet I look nothing

like them,” said Weaver, a fitness buff with a bodybuilders’

physique. “I can get their attention and tell them to exercise and

eat properly.”

Weaver, who started an organization called Truth in Fitness in

2004 to dispel what he calls incorrect information about health, said

he wants to develop a workshop for parents to teach them how to

balance fitness and nutrition in their children’s lives.

He cites a study that shows that 80% of children whose parents are

overweight will likely be obese before they become adults.

“We’re becoming more accepting of obesity,” Weaver said.

“Designers are making special clothing, parents are looking the other

way. We’re adding to the problem.”