The Kids Are Not Alright
Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash
And they deserve better.
We have all experienced or heard about the substantial weight gain that many adults experienced during the pandemic. But what about children? Last week a study was published that followed 200,000 children in southern California during the pandemic and found that among children ages 5-11 there was an average weight gain of 5 pounds during the pandemic.
I saw this study (the largest of it’s kind) cited in two different places and frankly I was simultaneously angry, alarmed and disheartened. Although 5 pounds on average does not sound like a big weight gain; these are small people! It translates to the average 5 year old having a 12% weight gain, and the average 11 year old having a 6% weight gain.
The researchers and physicians who commented on the study point out that what is alarming is how quickly children gained weight. The reasons for the weight gain should surprise no one. Children moved less (due to virtual school and no activities for months) and ate more - especially processed food (which, as a category grew in sales more than any other during the pandemic). And, they experienced unprecedented levels of stress, just like the adults around them.
It turns out that, historically, many children lose weight during the school year, and gain over the summer. Apparently going to school keeps kids from having unfettered access to food like they do at home; school lunches are healthier than what many students bring from home; and recess and moving through the day within the school all contribute to the weight loss during the school year. That has been true for some time, but what has changed over the last number of years is that children are gaining more over the summer, and losing less during the school year, thereby contributing to what were already rising weight gain and obesity rates.
Why was this study not a lead story on all the news outlets? Why are we not collectively working to help solve this problem through education and policy changes at all levels of government? Why do we keep telling people of all ages to move more and eat less when the problem is far more complex than that? Why do we subsidize crops that are used in poor quality food to make them widely available and inexpensive? Why don’t we teach nutrition and cooking starting in kindergarten? Why is food glorified as the quickest way to have fun, relax, or reward ourselves?
There is no question that problem is extremely complex and that people are doing the best they can in any given moment. That is why we need more discussion and education around these issues - so that people of all ages, incomes and backgrounds can begin to understand that health is so much more than an absence of disease. Mental, social and physical well being protect us AGAINST disease.
What I know is that the strong reaction I have to stories like this is that they are a sign; a sign that the issue is close to my heart. I have learned to pay attention - so what am I going to do? Bring these conversations into my health coaching practice and find a community organization that works on these issues and volunteer. I will keep you posted.
