Publication Date: Wednesday, October 26, 2005
The fight against obesity and Oreos
The fight against obesity and Oreos
(October 26, 2005) East Palo Alto launches campaign to educate community on healthy eating and excercise
by Saqib Rahim
Feeding three children is no easy task for East Palo Alto resident Maria Legorreta. Because there's no grocery store in her city, getting food to feed her family requires a trek to a neighboring community.
Some days it requires too much effort. That's when she turns to something fast.
"We order pizza or McDonald's," she said.
The Legorretas are one of many families targeted by a new East Palo Alto collaborative called Get Fit EPA to reduce youth obesity rates.
In partnership with the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, a nurse from the Ravenswood School District and a local nonprofit, the Ravenswood Family Health Center created a game plan to tackle obesity through schools, churches, restaurants, and community programs.
Luisa Buada, CEO of the Ravenswood Family Health Center in East Palo Alto, foresees many possibilities through this effort, such as redoubling the city's attempt to attract a grocery store or farmer's market and pushing for healthier offerings at the high-traffic fast-food joints.
Community leaders' concerns turned to action when the 2004 California Physical Fitness Test showed that 49 percent of fifth-graders in Ravenswood School District were overweight or at risk of being overweight.
Those numbers result from many factors, said Luisa Buada, CEO of the Ravenswood Family Health Center in East Palo Alto.
"Part of it is access to good food," she said. "People don't have access to the kinds of food that are better for their health."
East Palo Alto hasn't had a full-scale grocery store since the mid-1970s, and since local stores carry little produce or health food, Buada said residents have become used to traveling out of town for the basics.
Fast food becomes an attractive option to many East Palo Altans, especially among working-class parents pressed for time and money. Without time or money, Buada said, joining a fitness club or even taking an evening walk can seem burdensome.
When night comes, many East Palo Alto parents even hesitate to let their kids play outside.
"Because of the history of high crime in the area, even though most crime here is not random, there is a sense that it is safe not to walk around on the streets after dark," Buada said. "Certainly people don't want their children out alone playing without an adult around."
Get Fit EPA got started on promoting healthier habits at an Oct. 15 kickoff at Cesar Chavez Elementary.
Anita Black, a longtime local resident and aerobics instructor, emceed as kids played hopscotch, grown-ups danced on stage, and parents learned healthy recipes such as black bean salad and a peanut dipping sauce for vegetables.
The new effort will go beyond that event. Ravenswood School District nurse Laurie Bauer will teach nutrition in the classroom and attempt to make school lunches more nutritious.
But if kids are eating Oreos in line for the school lunch, then that counteracts the school's efforts, she said.
"Where we need to do more is reach the parents, because those habits start so early," she said. Otherwise, she said, a cycle of bad behavior begins: overweight children's poor sleep and lower self-esteem keeps them from wanting to exercise.
Black, a fitness instructor who has lived in EPA for 35 years, likes the way fitness clubs are approaching the issue. A local Curves gym is encouraging mothers and daughters to exercise together and a new YMCA facility in Belle Park will offer equipment specifically for teens, she said.
Engaging youth, she said, is crucial in a city where young people have gone "from riding bicycles to doing nothing at all" over the last 20 years.
Get Fit EPA will also attempt to engage kids who aren't interested in conventional sports such as basketball and soccer. The East Palo Alto Recreation Department, for example, will not only expand its after-school sports, but will also establish dance and performing arts programs.
The program will also educate the community about what it eats and get fast food chains to offer healthier foods. While East Palo Alto's two McDonald's are members of the city's young Chamber of Commerce, Buada wants them-and all city businesses -- to know "we're not out to close you down."
Businesses are gradually understanding, she said, that a healthy city is in their own best interest: employees will miss fewer days due to weight-related problems, and tomorrow's workforce will be healthier if children learn good habits now.
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