New York City Kids Still Overweight

That holier-than-thou attitude most New Yorkers carry about being healthy because we walk everywhere and have so many food options may have to change, as a study shows that city efforts to curb childhood obesity have not changed. In fact, city kids may be even heavier than the national average. Last year, NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said, "When four out of 10 school kids are overweight or obese, the city has a problem." And despite the city's efforts, the number remains the same.

About 637,000 children in kindergarten through 8th grade were found to be overweight or obese in the 2008-2009 school year, the same number as the previous year. About 22% were obese, compared to the national average of 19.6%. And when broken down by zip code, data shows less-affluent neighborhoods tended to have heavier kids. The highest rate was in Corona, Queens, where 51% of schoolchildren were overweight or obese. Comparatively, just 12% of students were overweight or obese on the Upper West Side.

The city has attempted to make fruits and vegetables more available in less-affluent neighborhoods, banned homemade goods at school bake sales and banned sugary drinks from school vending machines, but it doesn't seem to have kept the city's kids from eating unhealthily. However, Laurie Benson, executive director of the Department of Education's Office of School Wellness, tells the Daily News the numbers may have a silver lining. "While it would be great if we saw the numbers go down, it is encouraging that they're holding steady."

Parents say the data makes sense, and it's hard to make sure their kids eat right. Gabriella Mendoza of Corona says she tries to make her 6-year-old eat right, but also treats him to McDonalds. She said, "Sometimes I bring him here, but not often because I know it's too much calories." Cathy Nonas, the director of physical activity and nutrition for the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, says they'll be beginning a pilot project that would train 3,000 teachers in exercises that can be done during classroom breaks. She told the Times, "I’m sorry to say it’s in line with the nation, but we’re certainly working hard to get it down from here."

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By Jaya Saxena in Food on September 5, 2010 12:03 PM

Comments [rss]

ckl

so the native new yorkers are so defensive because they're fat fucks, got it.

get on a diet and stop bitching at as for taking your jobs, whineypants.

John L

What does this have to do with native New Yorkers and jobs and being "whineypants'?

unretrofiedforu

A lot of people need to see the movie 'Food Inc.'.

It's simple economics; if subsidized corn-based food products are the only food products @ reasonable price points, then kids with only a few dollars to spend and only enough time to walk a few blocks will eat corn-based crap (i.e. - fast food).

Until this country can break free from yet another run-for-corporate-welfare industry then Americans will simply get fatter and dumber.

John L

I saw Food Inc and totally agree with you.

The crap that's being passed for food is crazy. Even so called healthy foods aren't healthy anymore because of all the preservative and additives they put in it now.

I also think that the fact that many sports programs in our schools have been cut has some bearing on this issue.

whitecastlerock

The highest rate was in Corona, Queens, where 51% of schoolchildren were overweight or obese. Comparatively, just 12% of students were overweight or obese on the Upper West Side. Perhaps that is a reflection of the eating disorders that dominate the richie riches of the Upper West Side. Let's do a study on the therapy bills for said children when they are older. They may be slender, but they might turn in to self absorbed neurotic fuck wads. I would take a fat happy person any day over some calorie counting miserable mess. Could you please scoop out that bagel for me?

bashmentgirl

The children of today are too fat and out of shape. I actually saw two teenagers get into a fight. The two kids were so out of shape, that the fight was over in about a minute. The kids were huffing and puffing and decided to stop. I didn't even have time to break it up.

Guest

and the children start the fight club...

"captured on youtube! the first punch to actually touch the sucker's face!*"

*then they realized that they were extremely hungry from spending all that foreign energy, so they went straight to mcdonald's, ordering from #1 - #10.

Guest

the kid's joints remind me of astro boy.

Såkandulæredet

I blame Michael Moore.

eitan

photo caption:

"I'm done with my #4 and #6, you gonna eat the rest of your #2?"

Guest

hahahaha

nicemarmot

Apparently people who are surprised by this haven't noticed that three quarters of the kids in this town get wheeled everywhere in strollers. The other day I saw a double stroller with two kids and there's no way either of them was younger than five. Your kids do have LEGS, you know.

Also making me cringe is that so many parents apparently don't remember what being a kid was like at all. Do they really think if they give their kids money for lunch they'll buy healthy stuff?

thelexiphane

Bloomberg only has so much control over forcing restaurants what to serve and what people can eat. Fortunately, he's got his failsafe plan to eventually make all five boroughs too expensive for poorer people to live in. No lower-income fatties: problem solved!

singalongforever

Maybe we should stop focusing on weight and instead focus on health. The two things, while sometimes correlated, are not mutually exclusive. Just because kids are still chubby doesn't mean they aren't eating fruits and veggies and walking a lot. It just means they aren't losing weight, which isn't the end of the world. Studies are continually beginning to indicate that lifestyle is FAR more important toward overall health than actual weight.

And they indicate that people have set points that have been influenced not only by genetics (which, by the way, play the largest role in determining someone's body type) by factors throughout our lives, many of which are outside our control. However, many things are within our control. Every time someone goes on a diet and deprives their body of fuel and nutrients it raises the set point. Which means all these offensive and misguided campaigns that make parents panic and put their kids on restrictive diets are, in the long run, actually making them fatter.

Banning homemade treats doesn't solve anything except making it harder for teams and clubs that are already strapped for cash raise money they aren't getting from the schools.

Rocknrope

Are you fat?

singalongforever

That's not even remotely relevant.

Rocknrope

That kid's eaten way too much Plumpynut.

paxetaurora

Even with parents' and schools' best intentions, part of the problem is that many kids simply have too much time unsupervised. Combine that with a couple of dollars in allowance, which even poor kids will usually have, and what you end up with is kids having blue soda and potato chips for breakfast. I'm a teacher, I see it all the time. Our school cafeteria is quite a good one as public school cafeterias go--a nice fresh salad bar with dark greens every day, fresh fruit every day--and when parents think their kids are going to eat school breakfast (say a cup of yogurt and a whole-wheat bagel), what they're often doing is stopping at the bodega by the bus stop for chips, soda, and candy bars. Educating the kids also has to happen. When I taught middle-school health, we spent a lot of time on nutrition, with emphasis on exercise, healthy foods, and enjoying treats in moderation.