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Suraj George

Professor: Malcolm Campbell

English 1104

4 November 2018

Make America Fit Again: Exploring Governments Role in Child Obesity

As a teenager who has been overweight and later fit, I have personally experienced all

aspects of the food pyramid. From all the greens and bland chicken for “gains”, to all the sweet,

scrumptious desserts that put a few pounds on me, and everything in between. There is no

arguing that food is a necessity; its threads are deeply woven into different cultures and brings

people together. However, food has recently have taken a role of being a leisure activity rather

than being used to fuel and nourish our growing bodies. Mass production of different processed

foods has made food cheap and easy to buy in bulk. Frozen pizza, ready-to-eat burgers, and

many other frozen foods have made dining convenient and time saving. As a result, many

people have taken advantage of this convenience and becaome slowly became unaware of the

many issues associated with an unhealthy diet. As some schools have failed to provide palatable

food for children, some parents are given the burden to prepare or buy food for their kids.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 39.8% of adults aged over 20 are

obese and 71.6% is the total of those who are overweight and obese as of 2015-2016.

Adolescents ages between 12-19 who are obese is 20.6% as of 2015-2016. I will be assessing the

potential causes of child obesity in the United States, and some solutions and preventative

measures as a society we can take to help better future generations. According to the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention, 39.8% of adults aged over 20 are obese and 71.6% is the total of
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those who are overweight and obese as of 2015-2016. Adolescents ages between 12-19 who are

obese is 20.6% as of 2015-2016.

Are programs such as MyPlate effective in helping healthy eating habits?

The food pyramid is one of the most recognizable efforts by the governments to

demonstrate proportion sizes of foods, such as carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. However, the

pyramids sections were too confusing and misleading. As Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public

Health put it, “The problem with the US government’s original Food Guide Pyramid, released in

1992, was that it conveyed the wrong dietary advice. And MyPyramid, its 2005 replacement, was

vague and confusing.” One issue that is predominant was that the bread section on the pyramid,

“failed to show that whole wheat, brown rice, and other whole grains are healthier than refined

grains”, according to Harvard T.H Chan. This showed that the food pyramid wasn’t reliable in

health advice and had to be reformed.

In 2011, during President Obama’s first term, first lady Michelle Obama had retired the food

pyramid and introduced the new symbol for healthy eating, MyPlate, as part of her campaign

against obesity. The plates proportions are from the nutrition advice contained in the Dietary

Guidelines for Americans. The plate is divided into four sections: fruits, vegetables, grains and

protein. Half the plate is taken up by fruits and vegetables. Outside the plate, the diagram shows

the proportion of dairy. According to TIME magazine who have posted an article introducing

MyPlate, discussed about “health officials (having) high hopes that the simple, clear “visual cue”

will prompt consumers to make healthier eating choices — something that the decades-old food

pyramid largely failed to do.” The introduction of MyPlate shows the government has the

initiative of helping the healthy eating movement.

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To analyze MyPlate effectiveness, Dr. Angelina Harman, created a 12-week pilot program, in

the fall of 2013, to assess the eating habits of children from kindergarten through sixth grade in

an elementary school in West Virginia, . The state has the third highest obesity rates in the

nation. Dr. Harman is an Assistant professor in the School Nursing. Harman’s research interests

are Childhood Obesity, Nutrition and Wellness in the Youth. During her Doctoral work she

worked with elementary age students on a grant she received from NAPNAP (National

Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners) teaching them healthy nutrition and exercise based

off MyPlate. Harman said during a poster presentation at the AANP (American Association of

Nurse Practitioners) 2013 National Conference that, “given the amount of time children spend in

school, a school-based education program may be an ideal venue for curbing the trend to

obesity,” to provide insight on why she decided to run this program in school. The program

included meeting students once a week to discuss health and exercise habits for a total of three

sessions. BMI (Body Mass Index), height, weight, and waist circumference were measured and

eating habits were obtained at baseline and again after week twelve. Overweight children who

participated in the program experienced significantly greater decreases in waist circumference

than children with normal-range BMI, Harman found. All study participants consumed less soda

and more milk, fruit and vegetables, but particularly overweight children. “Although this was a

small pilot study, these data suggest that implementing a nutritional educational program in the

school system has the potential to improve behavior habits and improve their overall health,”

Harman concluded. This study shows that the new nutritional guidelines, and MyPlate are

effective in creating awareness of nutrition, and in weight reduction.

Should states invest more money in cafeteria food for better produce?
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The U.S Department of Agriculture demonstrates that children in the U.S have been

eating healthier because of the nationwide movement of serving healthier school meals and more

time for physical activity. The USDA (U.S Department of Agriculture) summarized that

investing in better and cleaner food in schools is widely beneficial and has very little downside

risks. The USDA have surveyed states and schools across the county to see if there was difficulty

in meeting the current meal standards and they have found out that 80 percent of schools, who

reported, are meeting the updated meal standards and with some states reporting 100% of

schools completely transitioned to the new standards. Through another survey they conducted,

the USDA found that only less than 1% of schools have cited difficulty complying with the new

standards as a reason for leaving the program.

What are some different methods and approaches that the U.S Government can do to

Child Obesity?

Implementing government regulations is an important step to help reduce obesity. For

example, taxes on sugary drinks such as sodas, and energy drinks can help reduce obesity rates.

In a 2016 CNN article titled “WHO urges taxing sugary drinks, but are such measures

effective?” the journalist, Madison Park explores the debate if taxing sugary drinks are effective

in reducing obesity rates. "If governments tax products like sugary drinks, they can reduce

suffering and save lives," said Dr. Douglas Bettcher, director of WHO's Department for the

Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases in Madison’s article. "They can also cut healthcare

costs and increase revenues to invest in health services." In her article, she introduces the

Berkeley Study; Berkeley became the first US city to pass taxes on sugary drinks in 2014.

Berkeley is a city in Northern California whose population in 2014 was 118,925. According to
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the University of California Berkeley, after the tax went into effect, the residents reported a 63%

increase in drinking water and a 21% drop in soda and sugary beverage consumption. Towards

the end of her article, she discusses Hungary’s tax on foods and drinks with high sugar, salt or

caffeine content, called the “public health product tax”. The tax was introduced in 2011, and

according to her findings in a World Health Organization survey, Hungarians ate less unhealthy

products and about 40% of the food manufacturers either stopped selling the junk food or

changed the ingredients, according to a national survey. Although these results are significant, it

is unlikely that these statistics will compare to the United States if the tax is imposed nationwide.

The United States has a culture of having big portionsroportions and people have become

assimilated to these standards. Changing them could cause oppositions such as the American

Beverage Association, who in 2013, appealed to the ban sugary drinks of more than 16 ounces in

restaurants, movie theaters and food services claiming that it was "arbitrary and capricious" after

City health officials attempted to ban it as stated in Madison Parks article.

Conclusion

In order to reduce child obesity rates, it is important that we as a country stand together

and help the world’s future generation. Nothing drastic needs to take place immediately, but it is

crucial that we understand what can be done to solve this issue. Incorporating better strategies

such as MyPlate can bring awareness to making better food choices and being aware of our

decisions which is all part of the weight loss journey as well as healthy living for I can say from

personal experience. However, in a world full of temptations, it is imperative that the

government steps in and ensures health and safety for its citizens. Funding for healthier and

appetizing school lunches to feed future generations, is necessary for children to learn and grow.
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In regard to taxation on junk foods, there is statistical evidence that consumption of junk foods

will reduce, slowly but surely. If all these initiatives are enacted, it will, with determination,

decrease child obesity rates, across the nation.

Work Cited

Cho, Stephan. “'Choose My Plate' Effective for Healthy Eating at Schools.” Clinical Advisor,

Clinical Advisor, 23 June 2013, www.clinicaladvisor.com/aanp-2013/choose-my-plate-

effective-for-healthy-eating-at-schools/article/300040/.

Novak, Nicole L., and Kelly D. Brownell. “Role of Policy and Government in the Obesity

Epidemic.” Circulation, vol. 126, no. 19, 6 Nov. 2012,

www.ahajournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.111.037929.

Park, Madison. “WHO Urges Taxing Sugary Drinks, but Are Soda Taxes Effective?” WHO

Urges Taxing Sugary Drinks, but Are Such Measures Effective?, Cable News Network, 13

Oct. 2016, www.cnn.com/2016/10/12/health/who-soda-tax/index.html.

Thornton, J. (2013, September 30). When Schools Improve Meals, Positive Results Follow. U.S

Department of Agriculture. from https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2013/09/30/when-

schools-improve-meals-positive-results-follow
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