Promoting the well-being of children.

Friends know Mari as a very talented and level-headed beginning teacher. Her students look forward to her well-designed and fun lessons that highlight their ability to learn. Colleagues and supervisors observe that Mari seems like a natural teacher because she teaches with poise and expertise. As a scholar who reads widely, travels, and loves people, Marl does make teaching look natural. Mari is a clever and thoughtful teacher; and she is beautiful and slim.

Yet, Mari told me that she was a heavy child; by the time she was in her mid-teens, she had been on every diet imaginable. She went to "fat camp" twice. She lost a lot of weight, but, like most dieters, gained it all back, and then some. It seemed that no amount of exercise or special food worked to help her keep her weight down. Mari did not want to be skinny, but she could not face her life being fat. She wants to make a difference in children's lives as a teacher, and she wants to get married and have children of her own. She read about, and met, obese men and women who were not respected as teachers, and obese women whose size prevented them from becoming pregnant. She wanted to look "normal," to be "normal."

Before she was yet 20 years old, Mari made the informed decision to have gastric surgery. The difficult decision to take such a drastic, life-threatening measure was her own, but it was informed by many counseling sessions among family members and medical personnel. For her, surgery was the best decision; it was her decision. The surgery was successful, but she must be ever-vigilant. She must never overeat or drink the wrong things (sodas are too filling and have empty calories). She must select her food carefully each day in order to maintain optimal nutrition for the brain power and energy to teach young children. She also must balance nutrition with physical exercise to maintain the muscle tone and stamina that supports the miles she walks as she travels the world in wonderment of all there is to enjoy as she learns. Mari reminds me that her story is one of success, but all people who choose gastric surgery are not successful. Some die; others need to have restructuring operations that cause other traumas. She knows she is fortunate.

According to many studies, childhood obesity is an epidemic. Kathleen Glascott Burriss and Jeremy B. Harrison give a comprehensive overview of the problem in the ACEI Speaks "Obesity and Children." Every school should have copies of this highly informative, inexpensive, and easily accessible tri-fold publication available to share in their learning community.

Studies of populations in the United States and Australia highlight the critical need for children to be physically active in order to maintain healthy weight. Findings speak to the need for parents to make sure children, especially girls, have opportunities for outdoor play and organized sports. Latchkey children from lower socioeconomic groups tend to stay inside after school because many do not live in areas with parks or other places their parents deem safe for unsupervised play outside their homes.

According to reports from the Mayo Clinic, children and families in the United States combine too much "screen time" (television, computers, and video games) with too much junk food. Consequently, childhood obesity has more than tripled for 6- to 11-year-olds over the last 30 years. These statistics also note that the highest rates of increase in obesity are among blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians. Although parents are advised to serve colorful fruits and vegetables, the truth is that junk food is cheaper and more filling; thus, poor children are more likely to have beige or white diets that are rich in carbohydrates, but poor in nutrition.

Quoted in London Free Press (2006/03/07), author Philip James, Chairperson of International Obesity Task Force, said that world marketing strategies are promoting the wrong foods, and living in remote areas no longer safeguards the quality of one's eating habits. In the same article, Phillip Thomas and other medical doctors from Manchester, England, observe that children today will tend to be sicker as they get older and will likely have a lower life expectancy than their parents.

ACEI colleagues support parents and caregivers in promoting the well-being of children in their homes, schools, and communities. What are some things that we can do? According to Australian Dr. Rick Kausman (reported by Dr. Andrew Binns, 2005), we can focus on such positive goals as practicing a positive attitude about food. Thinking of food as bad, or junk, often leads people to think of themselves as bad. Food is "morally neutral," neither good nor bad, and Kausman suggests we instead talk about "everyday food" and "sometimes food." Other suggestions include: eat slowly and enjoy, avoid non-hungry eating, avoid getting too hungry, plan ahead to have food on hand when choices may be limited, nurture yourself, avoid confusing thin weight with healthy weight, and look for opportunities to be physically active (www.medicineau.net.au/clinical/obesity/ obesit4234.html).

During the ACEI Annual Conference and Exhibition in San Antonio, a resolution on childhood obesity was passed (see p. 292-G) and there were presentations related to the issues of nutrition; perhaps colleagues will continue to share knowledge on this topic at our 2007 Conference in Tampa. As advocates for the well-being of all children, I urge ACEI colleagues to notice and actively support opportunities for children and youth to have clean water to drink and nutritious food to enjoy. I am especially interested in children's books that offer positive concepts about nutrition and outdoor play. Please E-mail suggestions about this topic, and any other issues, to [e-mail]. I look forward to hearing from you.

--Kind regards, Jeanie Burnett, ACEI President