Childhood Obesity and California: How to Pretend to Solve One Problem While Creating Another

This past year, a new California law that prohibited the sale of sodas, chocolate, chips, and other junk food went into effect and was to begin for the 2006-07 academic year. The law was welcomed by many to be one way to remedy the growing problem of childhood obesity, but for students of schools, it was seen as another problem that they have to deal with.

While childhood obesity is a problem, underfunded schools is another problem whose solution could very well help solve the obesity problem. Because of the new ban on what is essentially fundraising food for extra-curricular activities, schools have little fundraising alternatives left to them. At my school for example, we are now limited to car-washes as a main fundraiser, and for  dozens of active, money-starved clubs, the idea of holding a car wash opposite another club's car wash diminishes profits. There is a loop-hole that allows the sale of select candy bars that are "California Approved" because of their alleged nutritious content determined by some esoteric equation that relates the amount of nuts to the amount of chocolate in the candy bar, but those are few and far in between, and the arts, sports, and clubs continue to suffer.

But what does the ban accomplish? Nothing, really, since those that want chips and soda can still access them from gas stations close to schools, and one can still bring whatever food they please from home and eat it at school. Therefore, those wanting chips and soda will get them whether or not the school sells them.

A better solution? Fund Physical Education classes. It's that simple. P.E. classes are graduation requirements in many high schools, and making students accountable for physical fitness as well as 'fitness' in math, english and science should be the norm. If you can't figure out synthetic division, you go home and study to learn it. If there's a novel that needs to be read for english, you go home and read it. If you can't run a 13 minute mile, you should go home and train to get below that.

Even the healthiest of fruits and vegetables will make you fat if you don't exercise, so parents need to be aware that their children should eat right and within sane portions. No matter what schools ban, kids will eat at home whatever they please, so anything that isn't eaten at school will more than likely be swallowed up at home. Discouraging the consumption of food at McDonald's, Burger King, and other fast food restaurants should be done in the same manner we condemn the consumption of tobaccco and alcohol. After all, they're all detrimental to our health; shouldn't we call a spade 'a spade' and do what needs to be done?

In theory, the ban should make kids slim down. Politically, the ban is a great façade to make it appear as though lawmakers and Gov. Schwarzenegger are looking out for us. In practice, it hurts schools that are already underfunded. In reality, the strength of a nation is derived from the integrity of the home, and it is parents, ultimately , who should be accountable for the state of their children's health.