Nutrition, Metabolism, and Diabetes

Overview

Obesity plagues both our nation's adult and youth populations. In the United States, approximately 30 percent of adults, 16 percent of children ages 6 to 19, and 10 percent of children between the ages of 2 and 5 are obese ¹. Obesity is defined as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) above 30 ². Perhaps even more striking as it concerns this curriculum unit is the fact that the numbers of obese Mexican-American children (which represent the overwhelming majority of the student body at my school) are markedly higher than those of Caucasian children. Research indicates that while obesity rates for Caucasian boys and girls are 14.3 and 12.9 percent respectively, the numbers for those same sub-groups of Mexican-American youth are 25.5 percent and 18.5 percent ³. Therefore, more than a quarter of Mexican-American boys are obese; these numbers are especially troubling and suggest a clear and abundant need to refocus our energy on teaching children about how they can literally change their bodies by making healthier food choices and engaging in regular physical activity.

There are indications that students who are severely overweight have a greater tendency to perform worse in school and are more likely to be placed in special education or remedial classes than students who are not. In their extensive studies of the role of schools in preventing obesity, Mary Story, Karen M. Kaphingst, and Simone French found that "…severely overweight children and adolescents are four times more likely than their healthy-weight peers to report impaired school functioning" ⁴. Though other factors, including socio-economic status and level of parent education, are certainly at play as well, the numbers are alarming and beg the need for intervention and prevention.

My colleagues and I have debated the role of schools in this epidemic. As teachers dedicated to educating youth in the twenty-first century, it is our responsibility to share our knowledge about both developing a healthy mind and a healthy body. I do not believe the two spheres can be separated, nor at this time in our history as obesity rates rise to an unprecedented level, should they be. Story and her colleagues state an important point, "More than 95 percent of American youth aged five to seventeen are enrolled in school, and no other institution has as much continuous and intensive contact with children during their first two decades of life." ⁵ Though many young people are passionate about what they will and will not eat, there is room for change. Caring, impassioned adults in their lives, including parents and teachers, not only have the power but also the responsibility to educate them about the food they eat and how that food subsequently affects their health. Despite the fact that food costs are rising and many families have limited access to fresh, locally-grown produce, I remain hopeful that programs, such as the one outlined in this unit in addition to others that are being implemented across the country, will ameliorate the growing issues of obesity and mal-nutrition that plague our population. With knowledge comes the ability to change and to share one's knowledge with others. It is my hope, that by educating youth about nutrition and how to make healthier food choices, young people will be instrumental in initiating such change both personally and also on a greater scale.