Speech- Isabelle Rinker

Kentucky currently has the 5^th highest adult obesity rate and the 17^th highest diabetes rate in the nation. What's even scarier than that? 18% of high school students in Kentucky are considered obese, making our state #1 in America among high school obesity rates. 18%. 18% of teenagers in the state of Kentucky were in the 95^th percentile or above for body mass index. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , this is due to unhealthy dietary behaviors and physical inactivity. The time to change this is now.

So what really comprises of a “healthy diet”? Online ads always claim to have the “perfect diet” or pills that will magically make you skinny, however, the Disease Control and Prevention website claimed that the students who were considered obese regularly drink soda, and lacked fruits and vegetables from their diet. Having a balanced diet is crucial to lowering obesity rates. Limiting sugary and fatty foods is key to maintaining or achieving a healthy weight. The “Plate” is the new symbol for healthy eating in the US, reminding us that our diets should contain a balance of fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy.

Regarding school lunches, 99% of public schools in the United States participate in the National School Lunch Program. Most parents tend to think their kids are eating healthy at school, however, 94% of schools fail to meet the national standards. For example, at Henry Clay, there is a line offering healthy choices, such as chicken patties on whole wheat bread with a fruit or vegetable, and milk, but we are also offered a line with options like Domino's pizza, Doritos, and Pop-tarts. It's hard for the chicken patty to compete with that. Other schools choose efficiency over nutritional value. In a Madison, Wisconsin Middle School, kids are given mass-produced, pre-packaged meals that contain greasy pizzas and “PhysEdibles”, claiming to be healthy.

Along with maintaining a balanced diet, it is critical that students get 60 minutes of physical activity a day, specifically comprising of cardiovascular activity, strength-building exercises, and flexibility training. It is recommended that cardio comprise the majority of your 60 minutes of physical activity each day. When you give your heart aerobic exercise regularly, it will get stronger and more effective in delivering oxygen to different parts of your body.

“If you 'go with the flow' in America today, you will end up overweight or obese, as two-thirds of Americans do.” This was stated in the documentary, “Children in Crisis”. Adults who have embraced our cultural norm of living sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diets from the time they were children, have claimed to be suffering with diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, dizziness, and body ache. Society tells to eat what is most profitable, not what is best for our bodies.

It's very important for us to realize that there are so many negative factors that tie into adolescent obesity, not just physical appearance, as some may think. No. Child and adolescent obesity in the United States is an issue that may cause our generation to be the first to be outlived by our parents. Especially in Kentucky, where our adolescent obesity rates are significantly higher than any other state, we need to make a change.

Works cited:

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. September 9, 2014. Web. http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Web. http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/yrbs/pdf/obesity/ky_obesity_combo.pdf

The State of Obesity in Kentucky. Web. http://stateofobesity.org/states/ky/

Children in Crisis. Film. http://theweightofthenation.hbo.com/watch/main-films/Crisis

Community and International Nutrition. Barry M. Popkin. Article. http://www.cpc.unc.edu/projects/nutrans/publications/PopkinUdry-Adolob-JN.pdf