Teen lobbies to ease childhood obesity
BY MARY LOU PICKEL Cox News Service
For some middle schoolers, hearing that P.E. classes are limited to nine weeks a year is good news. But for one committed runner, it was a call to action that stretched from a Cobb County, Ga., principal's office to the halls of Congress and beyond.

PHOTO BY ANDY SHARP / COX NEWS SERVICE In addition to running, Chandler Converse lifts weights and dances. Her mission includes healthier food choices at schools.

Chandler Converse, 15, didn't succeed in getting that policy changed. But those efforts started her on a quest to boost students' health by promoting physical activity and more nutritious food in schools.

"Kids have a voice," Chandler says. "We need help from adults, sure. But it's our issue."

In the past three years, the east Cobb teen has made it her own, becoming a sought-after speaker at national conferences on childhood obesity. She has shared podiums with others who share her passion, a group as diverse as former University of Georgia football standout Herschel Walker, comedian Chevy Chase and scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

And she's done it while juggling high school and several performing arts productions a year.

"She's a go-getter," says Denise Reeves, her dance teacher at Pebblebrook High in Mableton, Ga., a magnet school for the performing arts.

Chandler stays fit by running, lifting weights and dancing. Between dance classes and hitting the treadmill at home, she works out about two hours a day.

"As a teenage girl, I know it's not about appearance," she says. "It's about being healthy."

She's eager to share that message. When Chandler speaks to adults, she talks about the invigorated feeling she gets from exercise and how it boosts her ability to focus at school. She started with her middle school principal, then served as one of two students on a committee that drew up wellness policies for Cobb County schools.

That led to appearances at national conferences on childhood obesity. The percentage of overweight children has tripled in the past three decades, putting them at higher risk for diabetes, heart disease and other health problems. Solutions are being sought, from improving school environments to building communities that encourage walking.

Last year, Chandler testified before a congressional subcommittee looking into school health policies and spoke at the National Press Club as the CDC released its latest survey on school health standards. Now she's working on a book - talking with Dr. Mehmet Oz, co-author of "You: On a Diet"; two former surgeons general; and others for their take on childhood obesity and health - and planning to find a publisher this summer. She's thinking of organizing a 5K run this year to raise awareness.

"From day one, she's been an activist," says her mother, Gayle Converse.

Cynthia Downs, executive director of Cobb's food and nutrition services, watched Chandler in action on the district's wellness committee. Downs calls her one of the most driven and civic-minded students she has worked with.

Still, change comes slowly. Chandler worked to get healthier offerings in vending machines at her middle and high schools, and she's gotten standing ovations at national conferences. But she wants more action.

When she testified before the House subcommittee last year, she talked about delays in implementing school wellness policies, and how much resistance they faced from entrenched interests.

"I need to convey very strongly that this bureaucracy surrounding this crisis not only is chipping away at our health ... it's chipping away at our dreams," she said.

Downs watched Chandler advocate big changes to benefit children's health when Cobb was drafting its wellness policy. Some got a tough reception.

"A lot of the schools we work with want to reward children with food," Downs says. "She said, 'Just don't do it. It's easy.' "

In some ways, Chandler speaks with the certainty of youth.

"It's always the same thing. Money. Money. ... It's amazing that people put money ahead of children's lives."

In other ways, she's a seasoned lobbyist who chooses her words carefully. She visited Georgia Sens. Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson to discuss stronger measures addressing childhood obesity and describes a welcoming reception, with some qualifiers.

"It was just one of many things they have to think about," Chandler says. "It was a little disappointing. It needs to be one of their top priorities."

Still, she is keeping up the struggle. "I'm one person, but one person can do a lot," Chandler says.

"I'm hoping children hear what I say and take it up in their own schools. I'm hoping to rid this country of childhood obesity, but I need some allies."