Inquiring Minds: Patricia Risica on schools’ anti-obesity campaign

Parents of students in some schools in Pennsylvania and Florida received letters this year notifying them that their children are overweight and encouraging them to change their children's eating habits and help them get more exercise. Administrators consider the letters a public health measure – much like notification of a hearing impairment. But some parents thought it inappropriate. Kristen Cole asked Patricia Risica (below), assistant professor (research) of community health in the Medical School and Institute for Community Health Promotion, for her reaction.

What is your reaction to this campaign?

Obesity and overweight have reached epidemic proportions in the United States. The prevalence has more than doubled for kids in the past 30 years. As a nutritionist and a public health advocate, I applaud the program. The offense that some parents have taken to a letter from the school notifying them of a weight problem for their children highlights the sensitivity of weight for Americans. Unfortunately, weight is seen by most Americans in terms of aesthetics and not health. By parents, a child being overweight is viewed as an indication of failure on their part in parenting and sometimes with their own weight.

Do you think the educational system is an appropriate medium for delivering a public health message?

Yes. I think that schools have been successful in delivering messages regarding dental health, anti-smoking, anti-drug, and other types of safety. Also, screening of hearing and eye sight are provided by the school. Overweight and obesity awareness for parents and for the kids themselves are very appropriately delivered through schools as well as through other community organizations.

However, schools need to be certain that the information they send home to parents is not just that the child is overweight (backed up by national data standards for children's weight) but also carefully developed and with appropriate information on how to improve eating habits and physical activity of children as well as information on where parents can go for more help. What I have read about these campaigns indicates that some steps were taken to include these pieces in their communication.

What other measures do you think should be implemented to address the problem of obesity in children and adolescents?

The problems of obesity and overweight are from many nutrition and activity sources at the level of individual choice and the environment in which we live. Some of those factors include increased TV, computer games, and other sedentary behaviors; unsafe neighborhoods and poor access to acceptable play areas; marketing of high-calorie, high-fat, high-sugar, low-nutrient foods to kids in "super sizes," which encourages overeating; parents who have grown tired of, forgotten the need for, or don't know the benefits of encouraging consumption of fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods. I could go on.