Tennessee has the nation's fattest kids. Why?
This distinction is as dubious as it is dangerous.
Research by The Commonwealth Fund, a private health foundation, found Tennessee children weighing in as the fattest in the nation. About 38 percent of children in the state are either overweight or obese, a higher percentage than the rest of the states and Washington D.C. The national average was 31 percent. That ranking comes as no surprise to people like Paul Evelyn Allen, a retired Shelby County Schools music teacher. In Memphis, 19 percent of high school students are classified as obese.
She’s seen obesity not only eat away at her students’ health and their academic focus, but at their esteem.
“One of my students was so large, she had to have a special outfit made (for a choral production),” Allen recalled. “We’re talking about a high school girl who was larger than a 4X. I literally ran out of (measuring) tape trying to size her.
“But when she put the outfit on, she said, ‘Ms. Allen, this is the prettiest I’ve felt in my whole life.’ ”
That child, Allen said, had worn illfitting clothing because she was so large. That’s heartbreaking – because a young girl shouldn’t carry excess pounds nor a poor self-image.
What’s also heartbreaking is that she isn’t alone – and in Tennessee and in Memphis, unraveling the obesity epidemic plaguing her and other youths means working through complexities that don’t burden other places.
In Memphis, fattening food kind of defines the culture – and when barbecue, fried chicken, soul food and local delicacies like fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches are part of that, it’s difficult to shun it – and children grow up immersed in it. Then there’s the poverty. Tennessee ranks 39th among the states in child poverty, while in Shelby County, 34 percent of children live in poverty. Of that percentage, 11 percent of those poor children are white, while 48 percent are African-American, according to “The Poverty Report: Memphis since MLK.“
That means scores of African-American students struggling with obesity live near food deserts, places where supermarkets are scarce, and convenience stores and fast food joints are plentiful.
So, not only do they live far from places where they can buy apples and bananas, but their tastes become acclimated to chips, Ding-Dongs, sodas and sugary drinks.
That makes it tough to introduce students to healthier eating habits, and it creates a conundrum for teachers looking for alternatives to reward students, Allen said.
For example, she said, teachers are encouraged to create treasure boxes to reward students for good behavior and for other accomplishments. But teachers who want to include homemade, healthier goodies in those boxes, as opposed to chips, candies and junk food, are banned from doing so because if a child is allergic to any of the ingredients, it could invite a lawsuit.
So, they’re stuck. Sort of. But through applying some initiative, the school district can change that – and lead the way in helping to battle childhood obesity here.
Freedom Preparatory Academy is showing the way.
The charter school recently became a School Food Authority. That USDA designation will allow it to administer its own food program and will give it more say over providing healthier meals and nutrition, said Teresa Thornton, senior director of network operations for the school.
Through that, Freedom Prep plans to use snack time not just to give treats to its students, 68 percent of whom receive free lunch and 28 percent of whom receive reduced lunch, but to structure lessons around fruits and vegetables, as well as introduce healthier snacks such as okra chips, she said.
Oh, and the school also hopes to fill several openings for physical education teachers this year, Thornton said.
Of course, reversing the childhood obesity epidemic shouldn’t fall solely to schools. Parents play a role, too – as do communities – in making environments safe enough for parents to not fear for their children if they play outside.
But when poverty and culture combine to deepen the obesity problem, education is a potent means for reversing that.
Doing this, of course, need not require drastic measures such as banning all chips and sweets, but some innovative ways to incorporate healthier foods and snacks into the mix.
If the schools can play a bigger role in leading this effort, it will be worth it. Students will perform better in school, and they’ll miss fewer days of school because of obesity-related issues.
And they’ll not only feel better on the inside, but about how they look on the outside.