Lakewood Weighs in on ‘Healthy Children’ Act

Ohio Senate Bill 210 — known as the Healthy Choices for Healthy Children Act —  requires that kids are screened for obesity-related health issues and measure the body mass index (BMI) of students in kindergarten, third, fifth and ninth grade.

But the don’t need to worry too much about new legislation.

The district — the most-recent recipient of the state’s Stellar Award for Best Nutrition Practices — is already about a year ahead the measure.

Nancy Early, nutrition services supervisor for the district, said the district already has the new guidelines in place — and beyond.

Carbonated beverages were taken out of the schools four years ago. And seniors at the high school were in the second grade the last time there was a deep fryer in any Lakewood school building.

“We started that way before that legislation came down,” said Early, who is a licensed and registered dietician. “I feel bad for some of the other school districts.”

She said the key was planning ahead — as well as keeping an eye on what’s happening in Columbus.

With child obesity on the rise nationwide, Ohio decided to put a portion of the burden of keeping kids active and healthy on local school districts.

That’s a burden the district was willing to shoulder, said district spokeswoman Christine Gordillo. She said keeping students in Lakewood have quite a few advantages to being healthy.

 “We are doing the right things, and its not about the food in the cafeteria,” she said. “We promote healthy living through programs and activities.”

Those activities include the Jump Rope For Heart event, set to take place from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday. In its 13th year, the event — set to take place in the East Gym of Lakewood High School — will raise funds for the American Heart Association.

And it also serves as a program that focuses on keeping students healthy.

In addition to an extensive, district-run recreation department, there are a variety of other programs and activities, Gordillo said.

It also doesn’t hurt that Lakewood is a “walking district,” a school district without daily bus transportation.

“Overall, we’re a healthy district,” Gordillo said.

This bill was signed into effect June 18 and was supported by the Healthy Choices for Healthy Children Coalition, a group composed of organizations and businesses across the state and led by Cleveland Clinic CEO Toby Cosgrove and Nationwide Children's Hospital CEO Steve Allen, who also co-chair the Ohio Business Roundtable Childhood Obesity Taskforce.

The primary goal of these organizations — and the legislation — is to decrease and prevent childhood obesity.

Authorities said the purpose of the new legislation is to educate parents on their children's BMI and the health risks that may result. Schools will have the option to create and join programs to increase quality physical activity. Schools will not only have to provide healthier food and beverage options during the school day and during extracurricular activities, but also serve free breakfast to eligible students.

According to the Healthy Choices for Healthy Children website, one in three children born in Ohio is overweight by the age of eight. In addition, children who are obese when they are 10 years old have an 80 percent chance of being obese as an adult.