State Rep. Danny Sterling (R-Tecumseh) today held an interim study before the House Health Services and Long-Term Care Committee on potential solutions to the problems of childhood obesity and related illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
“We have an alarming epidemic of children experiencing obesity and related health problems in Oklahoma,” Sterling said. “I believe this could be remedied by expanding our current physical education programs in our public schools and by helping parents with additional information and services for their children who struggle.”
Sterling said physical fitness is as important as other core subjects such as English or math.
Sterling authored House Bill 1051, which passed the House Common Education Committee last year but failed to advance to a vote in the House. Sterling said the interim study gave him and other lawmakers a chance to study more in depth some of the challenges his bill faced.
Sterling said childhood obesity rates in the last 15 years have risen from approximately 13% to a staggering 39%. The state is currently 10th highest in the nation in obesity rates and 5th highest among children ages 10 to 17. It is estimated that one in two Oklahoma children are obese. That can lead to illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. He said this could be the first generation of children whose parents outlive them.
He said while the top concern is a child’s health, there are other worries as well.
“Being obese or ill will affect a child’s relationships, his or her performance in school and later could affect job performance and even his or her ability to join the military,” Sterling said.
Current statistics show 73% of young people nationwide, between the ages of 17 to 24, do not qualify for military service, with obesity being listed as the number one cause, he said.
In addition, there is always the concern of rising health care costs for those who struggle with preventable diseases.
In contrast, research shows that increased physical activity shows a marked increase in academic test stores and even is shown to be a deterrent of adult diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
Sterling said since filing his legislation, he’s been contacted by a number of groups interested in helping, including representatives from the Cooper Institute in Dallas, the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET), Healthy Schools OK, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, Integris Health, Native American tribes, Sarkeys Foundation, the Oklahoma Department of Health, and others. Many of those groups took part in today’s study.
Part of today’s presentation was to discuss the need for fitness testing of each child to be included in physical fitness curriculum in Oklahoma classrooms as a way to measure progress and maintain interest in health-related fitness activities. Presenters stressed the information included in the tests is kept confidential outside of being shared with the child’s parents and teacher.
Joel Romo, vice president of government affairs with The Cooper Institute, provided information about the science behind the philosophy that exercise is medicine. He said the institute’s work has shown the world the positive effects that health and fitness have on quality and quantity of life.
“Our goal in supporting this initiative is to start the discussion on the need for quality physical education for all Oklahoma public school students, but also demonstrate the need for data to help determine interventions that may be needed to address obesity rates in Oklahoma,” Romo said. “It has been determined if children are encouraged to be physically active at an early age, they are more likely to stay active throughout their life and encourage their families to do the same.”