Obesity could crush health system

Kirsten Searer

Tuesday, March 23, 2004 | 9:36 a.m.

It will take a combination of state agencies, school districts, medical professionals and private employers working together to alleviate the epidemic of obesity, legislators and experts said Monday.

"There's not much as profound as obesity," said Sen. Valerie Weiner, D-Las Vegas, who chaired a special subcommittee on the medical and societal impacts of obesity.

Weiner noted that in the first meeting of her subcommittee, a doctor pointed out that virtually every medical condition -- from cataracts to cancer -- can be caused or exacerbated by being overweight.

"We cannot ignore this effort," said Dr. Francine Kaufman, who testified in front of the subcommittee.

Kaufman has worked with school districts and state agencies in California to promote more exercise and better eating habits among students and employees.

"The entire health care system is going to collapse under the weight of these issues," she said.

On Monday, the subcommittee charged a panel of state workers, doctors, nurses, educators, business leaders and more to look at ways to solve the problem.

Not all of their suggestions will require legislation, Weiner said, but she said she will introduce legislation in the 2005 legislative session if needed.

Initial ideas include:

School recess and physical education classes were among the topics discussed in the final meeting of the subcommittee Monday.

The Clark County School District requires that elementary school children receive 55 minutes of time each day to move between classes, eat lunch and play at recess. Many schools have phased out morning recess.

Elementary school students also receive about 100 minutes a week in physical education class, said Kathy Foster, a director in the district's business and finance division.

Also, the district is in the midst of developing nutritional policies on food that is sold in school, including in vending machines and at student stores, Foster said.

The School Board will take up the issue in May, and the nutritional standards could be in place by the 2004-2005 school year, she said.

Kaufman said children can learn how to watch what they eat. She said schools in California have experimented with offering healthy snacks in vending machines such as baked chips, low-fat muffins or even soy chips.

"These children are buying it," she said. "They're learning about labels, they're learning about portion size."