Ebook Financing Childhood Obesity Prevention Programs: Federal Funding Sources And Other Strategies
Over the past generation, dramatic changes in family and community life have altered the way many children and adults spend their leisure time. Gone are the days of healthy afternoons and weekends spent outside with friends and family. Many Americans live in “car-centric cities” where 44 percent of people say it is hard to walk anywhere from their home. Only 17 percent of children walk to school and only 25 percent of all errands are run by foot, a drop of 42 percent in the past 20 years. Instead, children are increasingly spending their time in sedentary activities. Data from a 2001 survey indicated that almost a third of the adolescents sampled had participated in less than satisfactory amounts of physical activity, and about 10 percent had not participated in either vigorous or even moderate physical activity in the time period covered by the survey. The figures for physical activity among children ages 9 to 13 are equally dismal. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Youth Media Campaign Longitudinal Survey conducted in 2002, 61.5 percent of children do not participate in any organized physical activity outside of school hours, and 22.6 percent do not engage in any type of physical activity at all during their free time.
At the same time, schools are providing fewer opportunities for physical activity and nutrition education. As school systems struggle with dwindling budgets and a push to meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act, physical education is taking a back seat. According to the CDC, fewer than 10 percent of elementary, junior high, middle, and high schools surveyed provided daily physical education or an equivalent at the time of the study. Additionally, less than half of all schools offered any out-of-school time intramural activities or physical activity clubs for students.
As American children are engaging in less physical activity, they are also consuming more calories from high sugar, high fat foods. Supersized portions, soda machines in schools, and convenience foods full of fat are now mainstays of our diet. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average person's daily consumption increased by 200 calories between 1970 and 1994.
The growth of women in the labor force has also increased the number of meals eaten outside of the home. In 1996, Americans were spending more than 40 percent of their food budget on meals outside of the home as compared with 16 percent in 1977. These meals tend to be larger in size and subsequently higher in calories and fat than meals prepared at home. According to a recent study by Ludwig and colleagues, the aver-age American child eats a fast food meal one out of every three days, accounting for an extra six pounds of weight gained in a year. The tide is beginning to turn, however. The food industry, an ever growing target of obesity lawsuits and unwanted publicity from documentaries like “Super Size Me” and books like Fast Food Nation, has finally begun to reevaluate menus and phase out large portion sizes.
These two factors–less activity and more food–have contributed to the soaring number of overweight children. Data compiled by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDKD) on the prevalence of obesity are alarming. According to the NIDD-KD, nearly two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight, and nearly one-third are obese. In 2000, approximately 15.3 percent of U.S. children ages 6 to 11 and 15.5 percent of adolescents ages 12 to 19 were overweight. In addition, of the children and adolescents who were not overweight, 15 percent of children and 14.9 percent of adolescents were at risk for becoming overweight. The medical costs associated with this are astronomic. According to a recent study by RTI International and the CDC, annual obesity-attributable medical costs in the United States were estimated to be $75 billion in 2003. If the epidemic continues unchecked, costs soon will surpass the total financial costs of smoking-related illness, estimated to be $150 billion per year.
Contents
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
- Obesity Prevention in Action
About this Guide
Financing Strategies
Types of Federal Funding
Childhood Obesity Prevention Strategies
Challenges
SUPPORTING CHILDHOOD OBESITY PREVENTION PROGRAMS WITH FEDERAL FUNDS
- Promoting Healthy Lifestyles
Fitness and Nutrition Education
Parental Involvement
Access to Safe Environments
Access to Adequate Amounts of Healthy Food
REAL LIFE STRATEGIES FOR FINANCING CHILDHOOD OBESITY PREVENTION EFFORTS
- Coordinating Funds
Creating Public-Private Partnerships
Creating Statewide Networks
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
RELATED FINANCE PROJECT PUBLICATIONS
OBESITY PREVENTION RESOURCES
ABOUT THE FINANCE PROJECT
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