Manchin touting health measure
Date: Feb 23rd, 2005 5:15:02 pm - Subscribe
Mood: perturbed
Therese Smith Cox
Daily Mail staff
Wednesday February 23, 2005
Gov. Joe Manchin wants to improve the health of state residents by beefing up physical education requirements, removing soft drinks from most schools and setting up a Healthy Lifestyles Office.
His Healthy West Virginia Act of 2005 was to be proposed today to lawmakers.
Among other measures, it establishes the office under the Secretary of Arts and Education, recommends a voluntary food labeling program for restaurants and restricts the sale of soft drinks and unhealthful snacks in schools.
"There is a health-care crisis based on the high number of obese individuals in the state and the resulting incidence of chronic disease that burdens the health care infrastructure of the state," Manchin's proposal says.
He first suggested the measure in his State of the State address two weeks ago.
"Just like children must be taught to read in order to be successful, they must also be taught the skills that will help them stay healthy throughout their entire life," Manchin said in the speech to legislators.
A coalition of members appointed by the governor would oversee the Healthy Lifestyles Office, with the first lady of the state as a "special advisor." The coalition would develop an action plan, with the help of a clinical advisory committee.
The office also would establish a voluntary menu-labeling program for restaurants, coordinate higher education training programs for dietary and exercise physiology students with rural health care providers. Officials would report to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resource Accountability.
A separate, special revenue account will be known as the "Healthy Lifestyles Fund."
The proposal would prohibit the sale of soft drinks in elementary, middle and junior high schools but permit sales in high schools as long as the vending machines also offer healthful beverages -- water, 100 percent fruit juice, low-fat milk and any drink that contains no more than 10 grams of sugar per serving.
Sens. Truman Chafin, D-Mingo, and Dan Foster, D-Kanawha, previously had proposed legislation that would also specify what beverages will be allowed to be sold in schools.
"A lot of studies show our children are on top of the obesity scale," Chafin said. "We think kids are taught very early."
Chafin said he was discouraged to see unhealthful products sold at his daughter's school.
"I object to schools letting that be available," he said.
Currently, state requirements for physical education, which could be different for county school systems, are in flux. However, a report from the National Association for Sport and Physical Education reports that, in West Virginia, physical education is required every year and that grades nine through 12 must complete one class.
On the other hand, Manchin's bill would require 30 minutes on three days a week for grades kindergarten through fifth and not less than one full period each school day of one semester a year for grades six through eight.
High school students would take one full course credit of physical education for graduation.
All students -- no matter what grade -- would be tested annually for their body mass index, a ratio of weight to height.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that only 28 percent of high school students in the country attended a daily physical education class in 2003. Yet 38 percent watched at least three hours of television a night.
Comments: (0)
Create your own Free Aeonity Blog Today
Content Copyrighted josetted at Aeonity Blog
