by Luke Saliga
Obesity is a problem in America and all over the world. At Hudson High 35% of students are classified as overweight or obese according to the Department of Public Health’s 2011 report of the Status of Childhood Weight in Massachusetts.Obesity has grown all over the country. In 1960 12% of people in the United States were obese. Now it is 32%. But it’s not just adults that are becoming obese. Children struggle with their weight, too.
So who is to blame? Why has obesity become a bigger problem in the last ten years?
According to the DPH’s 2011 report, for the first grade and seventh grade in Hudson, 34% of students were overweight or obese. Surprisingly 44% of fourth graders were obese or overweight. In the tenth grade only 25% of students were obese or overweight. This data is based on the body mass index (BMI) test.
“I hate the BMI test,” said Nurse Pat Emmons. “It doesn’t accurately show a school’s obesity rate. I wish they could come up with a new test.” The BMI test is not accurate because it does not count muscle weight, so a star football player could be considered obese.
Given this increasing problem, both schools and families have a role to play to solve it. “I feel like the youth obesity is fully the responsibility of the families,” Principal Brian Reagan said. “Parents need to provide healthy eating lifestyles for their kids at a young age.” The schools provide a healthy environment where these ideas are reinforced.
Many people blame fast food restaurants. “I hate when families blame fast food restaurants for their kid’s obesity,” said freshman Jordan Poirier. “Kids should have the willpower not to go to Mcdonalds every day.”
But there are other factors to consider. Not every family has the money to buy a salad and steak every night for dinner, so Mcdonalds’ dollar menu seems like a smart choice. “Just one factor can not solve obesity,” said health teacher Dee Grassey. “The economy has to get better, families need to make healthy choices, and the school system needs to teach kids more about the dangers of obesity. That is the only true way we can stop obesity for good.”
