Fifteen percent of American children and adolescents between the ages of six and 19 were overweight as of 1999-2000, according to federal data. This figure is three times the number calculated for 1980. In Massachusetts, the picture is just as grim. Approximately 25 percent of high school students are overweight or obese.

As part of a mutifaceted strategy, the Massachusetts Coalition on Obesity Prevention (MA COPE), organized by the Harvard Prevention Research Center on Nutrition and Physical Activity (PRC) at HSPH, hosted a legislative breakfast at the State House on January 27. Approximately 60 legislators and staff attended the third annual breakfast entitled this year "Everything You Need to Know about Childhood Obesity" and hosted by Scott Wahle and Kerry Connolly from WBZ News in the Morning.

PRC is directed by Steven Gortmaker, professor of society, human development, and health. Charles Deutsch and Jean Wiecha, both senior research scientists, are deputy directors. All three work in the Department of Society, Human Development, and Health.

"This is the third educational event COPE has held at the State House," said Gortmaker. "The number of attendees and of innovative strategies presented just keeps growing."

MA COPE is a collaboration between PRC and the Massachusetts Legislative Children's Caucus. Members include the American Heart Association, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Massachusetts, American Cancer Society and Massachusetts School Physicians Association.

The educational briefing provided recent scientific information and recommendations on childhood obesity. Speakers included Sean Palfrey from the Massachusetts chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and Stephanie Hass, a sophomore from Newton South High School who has written about obesity and nutrition for her school's newspaper.

New Report on Girls' Athletics

Wiecha announced the availability of a new report, "Keeping Score: Girls' Participation in High School Athletics in Massachusetts," undertaken by the National Women's Law Center and PRC. The researchers used public health data to assess gender disparities in physical activity among high school students in Massachusetts, and then supplemented the data with interviews of girls and their coaches about access to team sports and the treatment of their teams. The results indicate that girls in the state are less likely than boys to participate in organized sports, physical education classes or informal forms of exercise. The report suggested that persistent discrimination in Massachusetts high school athletics programs may be one reason for the disparities and provides recommendations for improving gender equity in youth physical activity in the state.

The full report is also available at:
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/press/releases/sports/keepingscorereport.pdf

In a call to action, attendees were provided educational information on a broad range of environmental strategies that have been shown to influence obesity risk, such as improved diet, increased physical activity and reduced inactivity.

Information was also presented on policies and legislation currently under consideration in the Massachusetts House of Representatives or Senate. For example, one bill listed was sponsored by Peter Koutoujian, D-Waltham, that would limit the junk food available on school property during the school day. He described the bill at a lecture at HSPH in the fall.