Final Thoughts

As described in our action plan, we have contacted the key stake holders that we identified for this bill. Unfortunately, we have not received any feedback thus far. We are hoping to hear from the key stake holders at some point, as we feel they will have a professional understanding of how this bill will impact society. As future nurses, we strive to make a difference in the lives of our patients and their families. Therefore, it is important for us to have an understanding of current issues and bills within the communities in which we will be working.

At this point, there is nothing more we can address in this blog until we hear from our stake holders. We hope that they will visit and comment on the important issues in this blog. To our knowledge the bill has recently been passed!

Key Stakeholders and Developments

We have identified six key stakeholders that relates to this bill on childhood obesity. The main stakeholder is Virginia Senator J. Chapman Petersen. We chose him because he is the main supporter of this bill. We also decided to choose the Superintendent of Harrisonburg City Public Schools, Dr. Donald J. Ford. This decision was based upon his overall understanding of the current health within the school system he oversees. Additionally, we chose two Physical Education Department Chairs and a Physical Education teacher because they are the ones that implement the changes to the physical education programs in their schools. The first is Candace Underwood from Lord Botetourt High School in Botetourt, VA. The second is Phil Hudson from Rachel Carson Middle School in Herndon, VA. The PE teacher we chose is Joseph Plato from Grafton Village Elementary School in Fredericksburg, VA. The last stakeholder that we decided to contact is Jessica Dawson, Henrico County Public Schools Health Services Supervisor. We chose to contact her because we thought she would have a large knowledge base of the health issues within the Henrico County school system. We tried to incorporate all areas of Virginia, different age levels, and different professions to obtain the best information.

After reviewing the bill, we have found that there are no new developments at this time.

Our Political Action Plan

We support this bill and believe that it should be implemented into public school systems in order to help fight childhood obesity. There are many aspects of the bill that we feel should be expanded upon. For example, there should be specific guidelines as to which activities should be implemented during these sixty minutes of physical activity proposed by this bill. Also, what constitutes as "healthy nutrition?" We feel that there also should be specific guidelines regarding healthy food choices. For example, we believe the bill should state the serving sizes and specific food groups that would be available. We support this bill and its efforts to be passed. However, we think there are aspects that need to be further modified before being enacted.

Our plan is to contact key stakeholders such as Virginia Senator, J. Chapman Petersen; two public school superintendents and three physical education teachers throughout the state from different levels of education.

Time Magazine states that, "Pediatricians are diagnosing type 2 diabetes — what used to be known as adult-onset diabetes — in heavy children. And studies show that childhood obesity is significantly associated with heart disease in adulthood." The childhood obesity epidemic is compounding an already overburdened healthcare system. Although some statistics show the levels of childhood obesity are leveling off, this doesn't mean the epidemic has stopped. This problem still needs to be addressed with significant amounts of time, energy and money.
Without this, the effects of childhood obesity on the public health system will continue to grow. According to David Ludwig, an obesity researcher at Children's Hospital Boston, "The childhood obesity epidemic is a tsunami, we're beginning to see the wave hitting the shore."

Political Influences and Recommendations

According to the Department of Health and Human Services there are approximately 12.5 million children who are overweight in the United States. These children are at greater risk for serious health issues later in life. The Surgeon General has an initiative to promote healthy eating and physical activity in young children to decrease the percentage of obese and overweight children. In order to achieve this goal some objectives include:

- Helping Kids Stay Active

- Encouraging Healthy Eating Habits

- Promoting Healthy Choices

The American Heart Association has enacted The Fitness Integrated with Teaching Kids Act (FIT Kids Act) which incorporates the ideals of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Together, these acts promote physical education and activity for public school children through high school, as well as education concerning important healthy eating habits. The FIT Kids Act will require all schools, districts, and states to report on quantity and quality of physical education within the public school system. Physical activity and wellness will be promoted throughout the school day instead of only during the time of physical education class.

Congress should be aware of this initiative because it is a growing concern for society and affects everyone. The following reasons are why Congress should enact this legislation:

1. Many schools are cutting physical education classes and 22% of schools do not require students to take physical education classes at all even though physical activity is the most important component in fighting childhood obesity. The statistics show that only 3.8% of elementary, 7.9% of middle, and 2.1% of high schools provide daily physical education or its equivalent for the entire school year.
2. It is proven that a lack of regular exercise can actually decrease a child’s academic, social and emotional development. Children who exercise can be more successful in the classroom and achieve more in life.
   

The Mayo Clinic recommends yearly well-child visits to your primary health care provider as well as providing healthy eating choices and regular physical activities for your child outside of school. It is suggested to encourage things other than food as an incentive for good behaviors. These simple ideas can lead to healthier futures for children.

If this legislation is enacted, it would have a positive impact on nurses, clients, and the health care system. Nurses would have an increased role as patient educators in preventing obesity, creating healthy lifestyles, and changing current view points on eating habits. Clients would be more informed on how to fight obesity and prevent obesity in their children. They would have the power to make informed decisions. The health care system would change from a system of illness treatment to a system of illness prevention and education regarding childhood obesity. Overall, this legislation would be beneficial to society in all aspects.

The Importance of Childhood Physical Activity

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, health care costs for obesity-related morbidity may soon approach $147 billion per year in the United States. In order to impede this growing problem, Senator J. Chapman Petersen (D) of Virginia District 34 is taking action. He is proposing a bill to increase physical activity and solid nutrition in Virginia public schools to reduce childhood obesity.

The American Heart Association states that "Today about 25 million kids and teens in the U.S. are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. That’s nearly one in every three young people."

This graph is from The Virginia Department of Health and depicts the obesity rates for selected states.

The Senate Joint Resolution bill No. 85 states 60 minutes of physical activity a day and healthy nutrition is strongly encouraged to be implemented in public schools. These changes are important because school age children spend the majority of their week in school. Some children may not have the opportunity to engage in healthy lifestyle choices in their home environment.
Therefore, involvement in physical activity during school hours is necessary to ensure that the child develops a healthy lifestyle.