By Jodi Bodner DuBow
Jewish Week - May 18, 2001
he People of the Book may need to stop turning pages
and turn on to a new diet and exercise regimen instead. Mirroring the rising
trend in overweight children and adolescents that is, some in the medical
world say, reaching epidemic proportions, more and more Orthodox kids are
being diagnosed with obesity and its subsequent diseases such as diabetes,
high blood pressure, high cholesterol and even osteoporosis.
The epidemic of polio will be dwarfed by the epidemic
of obesity, predicts Dr. Henry Anhalt, director of the Division of Pediatric
Endocrinology and medical director of the Kids Weight Down Program at Maimonides
Hospital in Brooklyn. It is estimated that 90 percent of the population will
be overweight by the year 2030.
The problems cited by the rest of the world inactivity
due to hours spent sitting watching TV, playing Nintendo or on the computer
are compounded in the Orthodox world by lengthier school days and an emphasis
placed on educational advancement, leaving little or no time for active play
during the school day or after hours.
Its not so much that this group of children is overweight,
said Dr. Ilene Coopersmith, a pediatrician in Brooklyn whos been in practice
for 30 years, its that theyre not fit. Theyre soft and pasty. Even their
posture is inadequate. Being fit depends on the amount of tissue thats muscle,
which they dont have much of.
The declining activity level is definitely the biggest
part of the problem here, said Bonnie Taub-Dix, a registered dietician and
certified dietician nutritionist, with offices on Long Island and in Manhattan
and a long list of young clients. In the Orthodox world, physical education
is put on a back burner kids come home late, eat dinner and do their homework
and theres no time for anything else. Some go to school on Sunday too so
unless its a nice walk to temple, they get no activity all week long.
To be sure, said Dr. Michael Frogel, chief of general
pediatrics at Schneiders Childrens Hospital, anorexia and bulimia which get
so much attention are terrible, but the havoc they wreak are nothing compared
to the losses each year due to weight.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, physical
inactivity and poor diet together account for an estimated 300,000 deaths
each year in children. The National Health Examination Surveys show that
the prevalence of childhood obesity nationally is estimated to be 25 to 30
percent. Further, over the past three decades that number has increased by
54 percent in children ages 6-11and by 39 percent in adolescents 12-17.
Standards of obesity are measured by body weight index
as compared to age and sex match norms.
It was this grim news that woke up the activist in
Evelyn Weinberger. Always interested in health and nutrition, this Brooklyn
resident, whose children attend yeshiva, was having dinner with Coopersmith
one Friday night, and she made a statement that blew me away, said Weinberger.
She said that she believes we will see an increased incidence of mortality
in the Orthodox population because of their inactive lifestyle. Now I know
that healthy children produce better, so we need to see to their health.
So Weinberger, together with Frogel, founded the Yeshiva
Health Task Force (YHTF), a multidisciplinary group of physicians, rabbis,
educators, therapists and parents, formed to help schools promote good health
through curriculum development, Health Fairs and resource materials.
Its the halachic thing to do, said Frogel. The Torah
clearly states that we must diligently protect our physical and mental health.
People must recognize their obligation to care for their health.
We need to start educating our kids at a young age
and get them to think from early on about the good way to live. And its not
just about weight its about being healthy and safe.
Coopersmith agrees. They key is in the percent of
muscle tissue. Ashkenazic Jews are predisposed to being fatter. You cant
defy your own body, but you can work at making it work more efficiently and
at being physically fit.
She also stressed that the emphasis should not be
on obesity but on fitness. We dont want kids to become anorexic but to
concentrate on looking good and fit. And its been proven that exercise is
an anti-depressant and gives adolescents good strong ego formation.
Said Anhalt: Its all about the energy expenditure
and the energy intake and the balance between what we take in and what we
put out. We need to get back down to basics and take care of our physical
bodies.
To that end, there needs to be cooperation between
the home and the school. Parents set an example, said Taub-Dix. If theyre
not physically active, their kids will see that. And they do the shopping.
They need to watch what kind of foods theyre bringing into the home.
And schools need to start working fitness and health
education into their daily schedules. Some area yeshivot have already worked
with the YHTF and hosted weeklong health fairs. Time must also be made for
physical activity, even 15 minutes of Jumping Jacks every morning will make
a difference, said Anhalt. Curriculum also needs adjustment and, says Frogel,
can be worked into any subject without missing a beat. On Rosh HaShanah when
we teach about new fruits, a discussion on fruits and vegetables and a
well-rounded diet can be launched. Matzah on Passover can veer into carbohydrates
and grains. It can be woven into the fabric of the curriculum without any
loss of time.
Life begins with health, he says, and parents and
schools need to work in conjunction.
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