Several Cherokee County initiatives that aim to combat obesity among young people have been halted due to state regulations and mandates associated with the pandemic.
The suspension of such programs seems counterintuitive, especially considering data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention shows obesity increases the risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
CDC data shows South Carolina and Tennessee are among 12 states that have an adult obesity prevalence at or above 35 percent.
Meanwhile, North Carolina has the 18th-highest obesity rate among ages 10-17, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which based the ranking on data from the National Survey of Children’s Health, combined with analysis conducted by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal & Child Health Bureau.
‘Steps to Health’
Prior to the pandemic, the N.C. Cooperative Extension office in Cherokee County offered several nutrition programs to grade-school students. However, that education has been suspended because the programs must be taught by cooperative extension employees who are not allowed to enter schools due to COVID-19.
“This school year is the only year that I have not taught a Steps to Health program,” Extension agent Shannon Coleman said, adding that the program was placed on hold after COVID-19 restrictions were implemented in the first quarter of 2020.
“The kids miss having that program. For a lot of them, it was the first time they had tried some fruits and vegetables.”
In addition to encouraging youth to try different vegetables, the program taught them how various foods are produced.
“Some kids have no clue that a potato grows in the ground, but some adults don’t, either,” Coleman said. “It’s important for them to know where their food comes from.”
The program also taught youth about plant science, gardening and the importance of bees. In some cases, the program resulted in healthy habits being passed on from youth to their parents.
“We found that we can get to the parents through the kids,” Coleman said. “If they try a healthy fruit or vegetable given to them by a different person, they may take that home and say, ‘Mom, I like this better; I’ll eat it this way.’ ”
School salad bar
Prior to the pandemic, the county implemented a program at Murphy High School that allowed students to select a salad as an entree and choose from a variety of different vegetables each day, as opposed to settling for the premixed salad ingredients mandated by the federal government. That program is too on hold because students are not eating in cafeterias.
“The program allowed us to have better salads,” said Justin Clapsaddle, director of nutrition at Cherokee County Schools. “At Murphy High, we were serving about 50-60 salads per day, where before we would serve maybe four or five.
“Once COVID-19 is over, we’d love to get back to serving more salads at all the high schools and down to the middle school level. Right now, we have to deliver meals to the classroom to prevent cross-contamination of kids.”
The state’s mandates have even prevented officials from measuring students’ body mass index, which is normally done at the beginning of every school year.
“Since we’re trying to avoid mass gatherings, we have not completed those yet for this school year,” said Heather Watson, lead nurse for Cherokee County Schools.
Let’s get physical
Although state regulations during the pandemic have hindered many initiatives aimed at combating obesity, Cherokee County school officials continue to encourage students to make healthier choices by incorporating nutrition education into various subjects other than health class. In addition, physical activity is always encouraged.
“We never withhold recess or physical education for punishment reasons,” Watson said. “We always try to give them that physical activity.”
Coleman said state cooperative extension officials are discussing ways to implement some aspects of nutrition education through a virtual setting. However, even after the pandemic passes, the availability of the programs will be limited due to a lack of funding.
“I miss seeing kids liking new foods, trying new things and seeing that healthy difference that it can make [in their life],” she said. “I’ve had students who quit drinking sodas because of it.”