Childhood obesity task force releases 14 recommendations

Raleigh, N.C. — A Legislative Task Force announced 14 recommendations Monday to curb childhood obesity in North Carolina.

Among the suggestions is making evidenced-based fitness testing part of every K-8 physical education class. The In-School Prevention of Obesity and Disease (IsPOD) software program would be used to measure and track student fitness performance.

“We applaud the task force’s decision to support evidence-based fitness testing. This is a step in the right direction. We are confident the task force’s position to advocate for statewide policy change, combined with our organization’s execution of the IsPOD program, will provide a powerful impact in the fight against obesity,” Dr. Ron Morrow, IsPOD co-founder and executive director of the North Carolina Alliance for Athletics, Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, said in a statement.

The evidence-based fitness testing proposal and 12 other measures to reduce childhood obesity will go before the North Carolina General Assembly in this summer’s short session.

If the proposal becomes law, every K-8 student in the state could begin participating as early as the 2011- 2012 school year.

15 Comments

WRAL.com welcomes your comments on this story. All comments are moderated prior to publication based on our posting guidelines. Please review them prior to posting and if your message is not approved.

VIEW ALL 15 COMMENTS

This story is closed for comments.

Latest Comments

My second grade daughter was going through her lunch money much quicker than I thought she should be...come to find out she was buying ice cream sandwiches everyday. Schools really shouldnt sell dessert, who eats dessert with lunch?

Raleighite
April 21, 2010 11:46 a.m.

Cut the carbs a little more in the school lunches and allow for a couple of recesses. Candy and soda machines get eviction notices. The rest is up to the parents. No expensive studies or testing needed.

readme
April 21, 2010 9:33 a.m.

How about the problem with obesity that is a real issue.... Get all the sex offenders and pedophiles off the streets so that our children can ride bikes, walk, etc. by them selves without parents driving them all over the place.

When I grew up in the late 60's, I went by myself on my bike almost everywhere. Mommy and daddy did not drive me around.

Get all the perverted garbage off the internet and start executing all these pedophiles, maybe things can turn around....

chargernut69
April 21, 2010 8:49 a.m.

Here is a crazy idea...How about putting recess and PE back into the schools. My 10yr is made to sit all day in the same room. Lunch is even served to the Trailer they learn in.. They get NO recess and PE is like 1 a week... As it is they get little to no lunch now (portion sizes)... To me seeing what is served for lunch is not too much the problem as to the children sitting all day in the same chair....

Phlebotomia
April 20, 2010 2:32 p.m.

Here's an article that reveals what kids are getting in their schools lunches... SUGAR.

http://www.grist.org/article/healthy-schools-with-a-big-lump-of-sugar

how about we fix that instead of buying new software and adopting flashy new programs?

sail
April 20, 2010 2:25 p.m.