Obesity Boot Camps Not The Answer; But Gym Class Is.

Yes and no - will not work.

(BTW, note the apparent spelling change in the researcher's name - Wray to Rhea - in this piece. Presumably they were as diligent in vetting this release before approving its publication, as they were in formulating their position. Rhea appears to be the correct spelling.)

Obesity boot camps are not the answer to the nation's waistline problem, says Deborah J. Wray, associate professor in the department of kinesiology at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth.

"Many programs have developed out of a desire to take advantage of the money that can be made from the obesity epidemic," she writes in the March 2010 issue of the Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. "Many of these camps are designed to get kids in shape in a six-to 10-week period, but they are short-term fixes, just like diets."

"Short-term camps will not work in the long term. It takes at least six months of continual practice to create a behavior change."

The thing that will work is physical education class in school, she says, provided that it is taught correctly. Increasingly, however, physical education is not taught at all...

Rhea notes that in the last four years, 47,447 potential U.S. Army recruits flunked their physicals because they were overweight, according to Defense Department figures. Spokesmen for firefighters and police departments also have complained about obesity problems among candidates.

She also cites a 2006 CDC study showing that over a 20-year span the prevalence of obesity increased from five to 12 percent in two-to five-year-olds, from 6.5 percent to 17 percent in six-to-11 year-olds, and from five to 18 percent in 12-to-19 year-olds.

Problems, problems, problems.

Most 2-5 year-olds are not in school, so they cannot be reached by gym classes.

Even if they could reach kids in the schools, it is not the "at least six months of continual practice to create a behavior change" that will make the real difference.

It is the parents who must encourage a culture of fitness at home and not overfeed their kids which will in a matter of seconds to minutes, undo hours of physical activity.

Clearly, it is true that "boot camps" are no solution. They are the equivalent of "quick weight loss diets," for which the other term is "failure."

But this emphasis on school gym classes will fail.

Just like the emphasis on learning in school will fail when the parents do not make their kids do homework and do it well.

Only parental accountability has a chance for success.

In the past year, however, three key voices have joined the fight against obesity and Dr. Rhea hopes their efforts will help slim down America. One is the US. Army. A second is the National Football League. The third is first lady Michelle Obama.

This is more than crap.

The NFL.

The Army.

The First Cow, role modelette, Michellesie "The First Fatty" Obama: