Currently in the United States, the issue of childhood obesity has grown to be one of the biggest health problems our country faces today. The childhood obesity rate has more than doubled for children and quadrupled for adolescents in the last 30 years(CDC). This dilemma is not only a problem for children's health, but also for their future health as adults as they grow older. Some of the long term health effects include adult heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, strokes, and different forms of cancer(CDC). The term obese refers to someone who has excess body fat, differing from the term overweight meaning having excess body weight for a particular height from fat, bone, water, or a combination of these(CDC). Unlike being overweight, obesity stems solely from the consumption of unnecessary fattening calories that only serve to destroy the health of children all around the country. Obesity is a result of "caloric imbalance", meaning there are too few calories expanded for the amount of calories consumed. According to scientists in employment with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there are said to be genetic factors involved with obesity, however, a large percentage of obese children are affected by this epidemic because of both behavioral and environmental factors(CDC). Public schools and the national government in this country need to take action in order to eliminate these unhealthy foods being currently consumed for the sake of the children and future generations to come. Childhood obesity is a serious problem in America and the national government needs to take a stand in order to improve the health of our nation by enacting certain exercise programs that will improve the well-being of children and help encourage them to eat healthier.

There are many different aspects of one's life that can influence how they eat, how much physical activity they get, what kind of physical activity they participate in, and other parts of their lifestyle. Some of these groups include, but are not limited to family, government agencies, the media, religious groups, and their peers. One of the most important factors in a child's life, besides their family and home-life, is their school and the environment it provides. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention argues that "[s]chools play a particularly critical role [in a child's healthy well being] by establishing a safe and supportive environment with policies and practices that support healthy behaviors. Schools also provide opportunities to learn about and practice healthy eating and physical activity behaviors"(CDC). The question is not how can America try and prevent the further escalation of the childhood obesity rate in this country, it's where can programs and regulations be put into place to help children be healthier. The answer lies in the one place most kids spend most of their time besides home, their elementary, middle, or high school. While most researchers and experts advocate for parents to try and get their children active and eating healthy under their roof, there is only so much you can try and make a parent do in the sanctity of their own home. Therefor, the argument remains in favor of the government, defenders of public health, to take a stand and help the children eat healthier, stay active, and by default, improve their well-being and health.

Today, public schools all around the country vary in what kind of meals they serve to kids in their cafeterias throughout the day. Many public schools in the past and even still today serve foods with calories from food components such as added sugars and solid fats that provide little nutritional value, otherwise known as empty calories(CDC). These calories contribute to the obesity factor that many children experience today and the kids can't do anything about it because it is what they are served at school. Some of these unhealthy foods that contribute to the childhood obesity rate include Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with 182 out of 286 calories being classified as empty and Donuts, which consist of over half of the total calories as empty(CDC). It's these kinds of food that are encouraging kids to eat unhealthy, thus not caring about their health or well-being and only being concerned about which sugary snack they're going to eat at lunch that day. One act put into place to try and correct this problem, called The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, required the USDA to establish nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools. The new rule "carefully balances science-based nutrition guidelines with practical and flexible solutions to promote healthier eating on campus ... [t]he rule draws on recommendations from the Institute of Medicine and has voluntary standards already implemented by schools in the country"(CDC). This act offers healthy substitutions to the unhealthy snacks that have excessive empty calories; for example, some snacks on this program included peanuts, with no empty calories and light popcorn with just 17 empty calories(CDC). Many people support this act and agree that it is a good start to making the nation's children healthier, but not all schools abide by this act because of budgeting and because these rules aren't required. Programs for healthier food like the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act should be implemented by the federal government and required to be followed in public schools across the country. The government needs to get harsher with rules like these and make sure a large amount of schools are enacting these kind of standards with their cafeteria foods. While many people argue that parents who have a problem with the quality of food being served in school cafeterias should stop complaining and just make their kids lunches from home. This seems like a simple solution to most middle class families, but a majority of the kids that eat school lunches are often from low-income families that can barely provide meals for family members not enrolled in school, let alone providing lunch to their kids that have food available to them at school. 

Every American believes that the United States is the greatest country in the world, but with our many health issues, including diabetes and childhood obesity, steps need to be taken in order to compete with other countries in this area of health. One country specifically that tends to have healthier habits, especially in the area of nutritional school lunches is France. "[T]he French, and French children in particular, do not suffer from weight problems, obesity, diabetes, and hypertension like their American counterparts, [largely because they] eat moderate quantities of fresh and freshly prepared food at a set time of the day ... [and they get d]aily exercise, in the form of recess periods(two 15-minute and one 60-minute recess every day) and walking or biking to and from school"(MBG). For French school children's meals, menus are set up two months prior by the cantine management staff and then sent to a certified dietitian who makes adjustments as they see fit. For example, the dietitian might take out an unhealthy dessert and replace it with a fruit option if the menu has too much sugar for that week. All the food is made from scratch in the kitchen of the school to ensure the freshness of the meals. One example of a typical lunch at a French school consists of three courses with cabbage and tomato salad as the first course, roast beef, potatoes, baked tomatoes with herbs, and cheese as the main course, and a dessert of kiwi(MBG). Most people's mouths water when they hear about these kinds of foods and are shocked to find out this is a typical lunch for a school-child in France when their expectation was a dinner at a four-star restaurant. The US would make vast improvements in both child nutrition and the satisfaction of public school's meals if they take some notes from the French in how to serve lunches to children the right way.

While eating healthy goes a long way in the overall nutrition of a child, another huge part of the well-being of anyone at any age is the participation in physical exercise. The American Heart Association even found that physical exercise not only had a positive effect on physical health, but also mental health. The organization found that exercise can have a "positive impact on cognitive ability, avoiding tobacco use, insomnia, depression, and anxiety"(AHA). The association also recognized that it is not only quantity, but also the quality of the physical activity done that will have an effect on the children participating in it. "Physical Activity Guidelines recommend each child engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity each day", so because of this this hour long suggestion, it is "reasonable that each child should get 30 minutes of that time in school"(AHA). This is a valid point made by the American Heart Association because with homework, sleep, and other non-school related activities, children barely have enough time after school to relax, let alone engage in moderate or vigorous exercise for an hour. For many parents, physical activity seems to be a big concer, largely because of their interest in their child's health and because when kids don't get exercise at school, they return home with a large amount of energy that needs to be released. A lot of parents have other stuff going on and don't want their child's lack of physical movement throughout the day to be an overwhelming distraction. Almost "seven in 10 parents(68%) report that their child's school does not provide daily physical education classes, a recommendation included in CDC guidelines for schools"; this combined with other statistics such as the fact that "[o]ne in four parents said their child's school gives too little emphases to physical education" proves that parents believe their children aren't getting the proper amount of physical exercise that should be provided by their school(Harvard). Physical education should be a vital part of an every-day schedule at public schools because it helps improve both the mental and physical health of children.

Even though childhood obesity continues to become an even larger issue than it already is, many public schools still don't take action against this nationwide issue. "In its biennial survey of high school students across the nation, the Centers for Disease Control reported in June that nearly half [the schools surveyed] said they have no physical education classes in an average week", providing for a very scary statistic seeing as though the American Heart Association advises that middle and high school students are recommended to get about 225 minutes of physical exercise each week(NY Times)(AHA). While there seems to be some sort of awareness of the problem, more often than not, schools cannot act on this issue because of budgeting problems or the fact that they tend to "devote resources to test preparation" instead of physical activity programs(NY Times). If budgeting continues to be an issue, the national government must take action in order to provide public schools with more money to keep the children of this country healthier. 

While some schools have yet to address the problem of physical exercise in their establishments, certain Americans have tried to put programs into place in schools to help children get physically active in order to improve their health. One person in particular that has made public waves over the years is First Lady Michelle Obama and her program called "Let's Move!" Let's Move is a program that encourages a healthier diet in and out of school that promotes better food labeling and increased daily physical activity. Obama breaks her plan down into five simple steps, including "1. Move Everyday, 2. Try a New Fruit or Veggie, 3. Drink Lots of Water, 4. Do Jumping Jacks to Break Up TV Time, and 5. Help Make Dinner"(SPARK). Obama has traveled around the nation explaining her plan and getting involved with schools to help promote the health of children everywhere. In her Let's Move program, she also provides children with three different ways they can stay active in three different parts of their lives. She encourages kids to get active with their families by playing games or jumping rope and she explains that kids can get active in school with a "strong P.E. program where 50% of class time is spent doing vigorous activity ... [and there should be] a variety of options for kids and should be a fun environment rather than a forced exercise regime"(SPARK). Finally, Obama encourages the entire community to get involved in order to help reduce childhood obesity by dedicating some funds to building and improving parks and playgrounds for kids to play in and be physically active. Obama's plan involves many important, and effective aspects of physical activity that should help kids get healthier by having fun and playing; while her plans aren't regulatory and enforced, the government should use these suggestions as a basis to put regulatory policies in place to help kids get healthier with physical exercise. 

Another exercise program that has been catching fire in Chicago-area public schools is the program "Stretch-N-Grow", which is an in-class fitness program that operates in 22 public schools in the city. This program offers "dancing, yoga, and cardio-training in Chicago Public Schools that are a substitute [or complement] for physical education"(Chicago Tribune). This program is known as one that boosts physical activity without schools having to pay a bunch of money to build a new gym or buy a a lot of new equipment to have a great PE program. Schools can only spend about $1,000 or $3,000 depending on the size of the student population in order to put this program into place(CT). In fact, "80% of the dance program is funded by a US Department of Education grant and the remainder by the school board", so this program is appealing to a lot of schools that see the importance of childrens' physical activity, but don't want to use all their money on equipment to make that happen(CT). Programs like "Stretch-N-Grow" are good inexpensive ways to help students learn exercises they can do at home and stay healthier during this time when our country is experiencing certain health issues. The government should fund programs like these and put them into place in public schools all over the nation because it wouldn't be a large price for the federal government and it promotes physical exercise not only during school hours, but provides students with exercises they can continue outside of school in order to continue to improve their well-being.

While most Americans believe that the amount of unhealthy food in our nation is a problem and increases health risks among many US citizens, the disagreement comes when the question of how do we address this is asked. A study done at John Hopkins University by professors with MBAs and PhDs, concluded that while government intervention was an option to deal with this problem, the better solution would be to have the food industry self-regulate in order to reduce the amount of unhealthy foods being provided to the country(APHA). These professors state that "[t]he food industry has made some highly visible pledges to curtail children's food marketing, sell fewer unhealthy products in schools, and label food in responsible ways"(APHA). While these professors discussing the food industry are primarily targeting the bigger fast-food corporations, they are still arguing against government involvement in all areas of the food industry, including schools. The study gives historical evidence of other industries that have tried to self-regulate and have been successful without the presence of government, specifically the forest and marine fishery industries. They then lay out an 8-fold plan that requires many scientist examinations of the food industry's products and other steps that have no use of the government at all. The professors argue that if the food-industry follows their 8 requirements for self-regulation, they will be successful in regulating their marketing and production of unhealthy foods.

While these professors are bright-minded, intelligent people, their study done on past self-regulating industries and plan laying out how the food industry should go about regulation does not provide the right kind of evidence that would sway someone to agree with them. While the study gave two examples of industries that succeeded with self-regulation, they did not mention one of the most important industries that was successfully regulated with the government's involvement: the tobacco industry. With the raising of taxes and certain restrictions involving tobacco use, the rate of usage in the country has decreased dramatically and many people's health has improved because of it. There has been less lung cancer related deaths, and the life span of people in this country has grown as well. Another reason why this 8 step plan will not work for the food industry is because this industry is one that this country has never seen or dealt with before. The food industry in the United States has taken on a mind of its own; the advertisements for food are everywhere: billboards, commercials, even ads in magazines. They've targeted children and expanded into public schools all around the nation, which is of main concern to parents around the country. If these fast food corporations can provide their children with unhealthy food at school, where will the line be drawn to where they can't access the children. The government may not need to go head to head with the food industry as a whole in order to avoid "big government" in this country, but they definitely need to intervene when unhealthy food continues to be served to innocent children at schools, where they are trying to be educated but are bombarded with high fructose corn syrup and carb-loaded fatty foods everyday.

More opposition for government involvement in children's school lunches comes from the resistance of government intervention in private matters, which is how some view what people eat. In 2012, the "Nutrition Standards for School Meals" act was put into place by the federal government in order to try and make foods healthier for children consuming them. "The new standards align school meals with the latest nutrition science and the real world circumstances of America's schools"(USDA). After only about 6 months after these standards were put in place, about 500 schools dropped out of the program because 90% of them were said to have "one or more problems" with the new rules that prevented them from following them(Washington Times). Barry Sackin, who is the head of a consulting firm in California specializing in the school food-service industry explains that, "Getting whole-grain bread items, and finding them at a good price range has been challenging. Because the menus are so restrictive in terms of their structure, it decreases flexibility and there are still reports of significant waste, particularly with fruits and vegetables."(Washington Times) While a lot of these points are valid, and following some of these nutritional guidelines has been difficult for a lot of schools, the fight for healthier foods and following these standards will only get easier as the federal government has already heard the concerns of the schools and has started making changes in the rules to address them. There have been adjustments to the act every year following it to make the rules more flexible for the schools involved, consisting of such changes as not limiting the amount of potatoes in school cafeterias and allowing flexibility in the amounts of grains and meats that are sold in the cafeterias each week(USDA). Even though some schools dropped out of the program, 80% are still complying with the rules and have agreed to fight through the difficulties in order to improve the health of the nation's children.

The United States as a whole has a serious problem with childhood obesity that needs to be addressed and dealt with. The self-regulation of the food industry will not provide the kind of change we need, so the government needs to take action starting with programs involved in public schools. Children spend a vast majority of their time in a school setting and what kind of foods they eat combined with the physical activity they participate in will largely effect their health both in the immediate and long term time periods. Ranked 5th in childhood obesity out of all the countries in the world, America must first recognize that there is a problem, then come together to take steps to solve it(Takepart). Children alone can't recognize that what they are doing to their bodies is bad for them, they are only concerned about which snack tastes the best, so as a society, Americans must step up and do what is right for the well-being of the nation's children. One of the tasks of the national government is to deal with and defend the public health of the nation, so with childhood obesity standing as one of the country's long-standing health issues, it is the government's duty to take action in order to prevent the rates from rising by implementing programs in the public schools to help children get healthier. 

