Recently, NASW completed a Health Practice Update entitled, The Childhood Obesity Epidemic: The Social Work Response and has supported First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Initiative. Even though NASW National office will submit comments, NASW members are encouraged to submit their own comments. Below is the summary of the Federal register notice about the Task Force on Childhood Obesity. Comments are due by Friday, March 26.
Task Force on Childhood Obesity: Request for Information – Comments must be submitted by March 26, 2010
Across the country, childhood obesity has reached epidemic rates. On February 9, 2010, President Obama signed a Presidential Memo establishing a Task Force on Childhood Obesity that directs Federal agencies to create a comprehensive interagency national action plan to solve the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation. The Presidential Memo directs the Task Force to focus on four pillars:
- Ensuring access to healthy, affordable food;
- Increasing physical activity in schools and communities;
- Providing healthier food in schools; and
- Empowering parents with information and tools to make good choices for themselves and their families.
This notice announces a request for public comments to assist the Task Force in making recommendations on public and private sector actions that can be taken to solve the problem.
Submit comments online by March 26, 2010. More information…
NASW members are also welcomed to submit general feedback about childhood obesity to NASW Senior Practice Associate, Stacy Collins by e-mail at scollins@naswdc.org
Tags: childhood obesity, children, comments, Health Care, michelle obama, nasw, social work, task forcePosted in Practice and Professional Development |
March 23rd, 2010 at 7:04 pm
While I agree that the four objective listed will help to address the larger systemic issues leading to a dramatic increase in childhood obesity, I feel that they over simplify the root causes of the epidemic.
Objective four misses the mark entirely. Most parents and children are well educated on topics of nutrition. To discredit our clients by saying they do not, would be a disservice to them and to our country. There is a wealth of information about nutrition and exercise circulating through the media. It would be near impossible to miss.
Providing healthier food in schools is also a “band-aid” solution. Most children eat only one meal a day in school. Highly motivated children will always be able to find the unhealthy food they desire. The food served in lunch rooms is an issue that needs to be addressed, but I do not believe it will lead to actual changes in the lives of the children we serve.
The other two objectives could potentially offer more impact by removing barriers for people that are motivated to make changes for themselves and engaging children in activity. Children are by nature energetic and playful. We should support this with creative ways to get children out on the playground.
On an individual level, we need to support our children and address their emotional needs. I feel that as social workers we should address emotional causes of overeating. How can we nurture self esteem in children? How can we help parents engage more fully in their child’s life? How can we support parents in having enough time to cook dinner or plan a trip to the playground? How can we make it fun to pick food that is healthy instead of over processed?
I was obese as a child, adolescent, and as an adult. I lost over one hundred pounds and I now stand here as a success story. I can passionately and personally attest to the reasons why these objectives are incomplete, at best.