A weighty issue
Hispanic children targeted in fitness program
BY MARY LOU PICKEL Cox News Service
A beach ball sails high in the air inside the gym at Norcross Elementary School in Norcross, Ga., as kids run and dart, trying to keep it off the ground.

PHOTO BY VINO WONG / COX NEWS SERVICE To attack the problem of obesity among Hispanic children, the Metro Atlanta YMCA's adjusted its Youth Fit for Life program.

Luis Larios, 8, butts it with his head, as if it were a giant soccer ball.

Soon he'll be sweating as he joins about a dozen kids in sit-ups, push-ups and leg bends as part of the Metro Atlanta YMCA's Youth Fit for Life program. The program attempts to address the rising prevalence of childhood obesity.

This is the first time the YMCA's 12-week exercise and health-behavior class has been offered to a group of mostly Hispanic youths. The 5-year-old program has focused on African-American children, said Jim Annesi, program developer and director of wellness advancement for the Metro Atlanta YMCA.

Youth Fit for Life seeks to motivate children to continue physical activity into adolescence, Annesi said.

By working with Norcross Elementary School, whose student population is about 60 percent Hispanic, the YMCA will learn to tailor the program to Hispanics. It's a step that's needed.

Of Georgia's fifth- and seventh-graders, Hispanics have the highest prevalence of obesity, according to a 2006 study coordinated by Georgia State University's Georgia Health Policy Center.

Nationally, Mexican-American boys ages 6 to 11 have the highest prevalence of obesity, according to a 2003-04 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Children are supposed to exercise five times a week, 60 minutes per day. Only 42 percent of children ages 6 to 11 do so, Annesi said. That percentage drops to 8 percent for kids ages 12 to 15.

Atlanta community workers were alarmed a few years ago when they saw several diabetes cases among Hispanic youths in a Cobb County, Ga., study, said Nicky Rosenbluth, staff development director for the Metro Atlanta YMCA.

In many cases, the children didn't know they had the disease, she said.

The YMCA decided it had to work with the Hispanic community to raise awareness.

No one knows for sure why some groups tend to be more overweight than others. National statistics suggest trends may shift as children become older. One race may have heavier youngsters and thinner adolescents, and another group may show a different trend.

The CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that Mexican- American parents are less apt to say no to a child if he complains about what's for dinner, said Bill Dietz, director of the CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity.

"They'd find something else to make sure the child who said he was hungry was fed," Dietz said.

Part of it could be attitudes coming from a culture of deprivation, he said. There's also the notion that a fat baby is a healthy baby, he said.

"Persuading a Mexican-American parent that their child is overfed is not easy," Dietz said, based on focus group findings.

Lifestyle changes for immigrant children could play a role, said Letycia Pastrana, di- rector of community development and partnerships for metro Atlanta's Latin American Association.

"Once the children come here, the video becomes part of the kid's life and watching TV," Pastrana said. "There's less going outside and playing, not to mention the food."

Rice, beans and tortillas made with lard are staples in the Mexican and Central American diet, Pastrana said. The cuisine uses a lot of oils and grease.

"Our families don't know [it's bad] unless someone gets heart disease," she said. "Then they start eating smarter."

Combine the cuisine with a sedentary American lifestyle and fast food, and the results can be a problem.

The YMCA has not gathered much data about metro Atlanta's Hispanic children and their eating and exercise habits, but it hopes to do so.

Talking about nutrition with Hispanic children can be a challenge because diet materials focus on American foods, Rosenbluth said.

"Most of these kids don't eat an American diet, and if they do, their propensity to obesity is higher," she said.

After the exercise class at Norcross Elementary, Luis and his buddy Jorge Garduno, 9, head to the cafeteria for breakfast. On the menu is either cold cereal or a breakfast pizza, which looks like a white flat bread with yellow cheese on top. The boys pick the pizza. They also get a carton of milk and a cup of orange and pineapple juice.

"Sometimes they give us grape drink," Jorge offered.

What are Luis' favorite foods?

The third-grader says in English: "Hot dogs and pizza," then he adds in Spanish, "spinach!"