From The Morning Call -- October 7, 2002

Parents worried about fitness, survey says
East Pennsylvania Wellness/Nutrition forum will use results to decide what programs to implement.

By Kathleen Parrish
Of The Morning Call

Turning couch potatoes into healthy spuds is a big issue with East Penn parents who rated fitness as their No. 1 priority in a recent survey by a committee of the district's Wellness/Nutrition forum.

''It was overwhelming,'' said Jane Ziegler, a member of the forum's curriculum committee and director of nutrition at Cedar Crest College. ''Parents want more physical activity during school.''

The committee received 1,429 responses to the survey, which asked parents to prioritize what health issues they were most concerned about. Physical fitness and nutrition ranked first, followed by weight, tobacco/alcohol and other drugs and mental health.

As for what school health/wellness programs for adults and children they'd like to see implemented, 1,000 people said fitness, 760 people checked off cooking and nutrition classes, 730 are interested in stress reduction, and 375 said drug/alcohol abuse awareness programs.

George Ziolkowski, forum coordinator and the district's director of pupil personnel services, said additional gym time would come at the expense of something else, but the survey gives the group ''ammunition'' with the administration in building more physical activities into the curriculum.

''It's not like this is a fad or this is a neat idea,'' he said. ''This is what people want.''

The Wellness/Nutrition forum was created last year after East Penn's controversial decision to send letters home to students considered overweight, at-risk of being overweight and underweight based on height and weight calculations. The weight notification letters touched off a nationwide debate over childhood obesity, nutrition and a school district's role in promoting health.

Deciding to be proactive rather than reactive to the weight issue, the district pulled together about 80 parents, fitness and nutritional experts, pediatricians, nurses, teachers and administrators to brainstorm ideas on improving height and weight screenings, nutrition — including cafeteria meals and vending machines — physical activity and the health curriculum.

The committees, which have been meeting since June, presented some of their recommendations last week, including a revamping of the screening letter. This year, all students will receive a letter indicating their body mass index, which is calculated from height and weight.

On the nutrition front, the committee recommended stocking vending machines with healthy snacks, although finding a supplier to distribute something other than chips and candy has been challenging, Ziolkowski said.

It's also expensive. A nutritional bar can cost $1.50 and not all students have that kind of money, he said.

Doug Delvernois, the district's food service director, said there are 19 vending machines throughout the schools, and only Emmaus High School and the two middle schools offer beverages of iced teas, juices and water. The district broke off its negotiations with Coca-Cola in the wake of last year's brouhaha over the weight notification letters.

The vending machines are turned off during lunch.

The biggest obstacle to healthy eating is not a lack of selection in the cafeteria, but the limited time high schoolers have to eat, he said. Lunch periods are about 20 minutes long, and by the time students grab their meal and pay for it, it's time to go back to class. It's easier to buy a hot pretzel and candy bar and call it lunch, he said, or not eat at all.

''There's 800 kids per lunch,'' he said. ''It's a sardine can.''

Delvernois and his staff also are looking to provide the nutritional content of meals on the district's Web site so students and parents can make informed choices.

In regard to physical fitness, the committee is looking to start after-school clubs for weightlifting, running and walking and provide weekend programs.

Currently, elementary students attend gym once a week for 30 minutes. High schoolers go for 43 minutes, three days a week, for one semester. One committee member suggested offering activities that students who don't typically participate in organized sports enjoy, such as BMX biking and skateboarding.

Administrator Denise Torma, who was acting high school principal last year, said the high school's parking lot is off limits to skateboarders because of damage issues. But the district supports alternative activities. A group of students formed a mountain-climbing club after a teacher agreed to act as an adviser, she said.

''It's a way to keep them active and away from negative activity,'' she said.

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