Tackling childhood obesity in schools is tough. Just bringing up the idea can be even more difficult.

About a decade ago, Hirschi High School in Wichita Falls, Texas, looked into starting a support group for teens with weight issues. The effort stalled, though, because of a lack of interest and the awkwardness of trying to drum up participation, said Barbara Galyean, lead guidance counselor.

“It was definitely hard to go to a student and say, ‘You’re overweight. You must feel bad about yourself; that must be an issue for you,'” she said. “You hate to go up to someone and say, ‘Because of the way you look, you must have problems.'”

Ten years later, the crisis has only become more pronounced and the solutions less clear. Pitted against cost constraints and growing pressures, some school districts question how much more they can do and how much more should be expected.

“How much of it is the school’s responsibility?” Galyean said. “There’s no way we can be the policeman for weight problems, other health issues, sexual concerns … It’s very difficult to be the total answer to the child’s needs.”

Public perception

Many educators fear the public believes schools are no less to blame for the crisis than parents themselves, with school meals and physical education serving as big strikes against educational institutions.

School lunch has long been maligned as unappetizing at best and unhealthy at worst, said Ken Weaver, former director of the Wichita Falls Independent School District food service. A recent study, though, underscored some problems.

A congressional audit of 22 schools nationwide found that three out of every four had more fat than the Department of Agriculture recommends. That agency oversees lunch programs and had deemed meals should only have 30 percent fat content.

Sedentary lifestyles have been a focus for tackling childhood obesity, and that's resulted in greater pushes for schools to get kids active. Get Moving, a community-based initiative that encourages children to exercise through a reward system, has been used at Wakarusa Valley School for 11 years. Physical education teacher Dorothy Kempf, standing at center, worked with students in the Get Moving program earlier this year.

The survey found many schools had content of 34 percent. Just as bad, the study also found too much salt. In 1998-99, elementary school meals had 1,285 milligrams of salt and high schools had 1,502 milligrams. The recommendation was 800 milligrams.

Many critics also point to children’s soda consumption and the seemingly ubiquitous appearance of vending and soda machines throughout educational facilities.

Images of gloppy mystery meat and unending fountains of soda have made things difficult, Weaver said.

“That’s really not accurate. They’re getting a hot, balanced meal at school,” he said. “I think (parents) are looking for a place to place the blame.”

Keeping kids active

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fewer than three out of 10 U.S. kids attend physical-education classes; 42 percent of youths had in 1991. According to the American Heart Assn., less than a quarter of high school students got 20 minutes or more of vigorous physical activity each day.

In Texas schools, though, their culpability might be a bit overblown, local school officials say.

One of the biggest things people should remember is how little the school meals make up for kids, Weaver said. The number of lunches provided dwarfs that of breakfasts: 1.6 million compared to 833,000 in 2002. Most youths are eating lunch mainly at schools, but Weaver said, “School lunches and breakfasts make up about one-third of the daily recommended intake.”

And even the congressional research points out that strides have been made: The amounts of cholesterol in school meals had dropped while vitamin C content had gone up. Beyond that, though, the Texas Education Assn. audits the school district’s meals and has shown it’s stayed pretty much in line.

Beyond what youths eat, parents also worry about how active they are. Sedentary lifestyles have been a big focus for tackling childhood obesity, and that’s resulted in greater pushes for schools to get kids moving.

In 2001, the Texas Legislature approved a bill mandating elementary schools to be involved in a school health program by 2007. The State Board of Education opted to require elementary schools to provide 30 minutes of physical activity daily or 135 minutes weekly. Still, according to an April 2003 report by the Texas Medical Assn., many education and fitness officials wonder how well schools are keeping in line with the law or even if they are.

Money becomes an obvious obstacle.

The Wichita Falls Independent School District, for example, uses a program that was approved last year to fulfill the mandate. Coined CATCH, the Coordinated Approach to Child Health is an intervention program focusing on classroom teaching, physical education, food service and family involvement.