Kentucky Survery Says
Teens Getting Fatter

A new survey by two state agencies says teens are eating worse and getting fatter.

One-third of students in grades nine through 12 were overweight or at risk of being overweight, and half said they'd had little or no physical activity the week before they were surveyed. Nearly one in five said they hadn't eaten a fruit or vegetable during that time.

"I had strawberries about a month ago," said Johnson, a 17-year-old senior at the Brown School in Louisville who loves Snickers candy bars.

The survey also showed that high school students were less likely to smoke or use drugs than in 1997.

The survey was taken by 1,600 high school students randomly selected in 65 Kentucky schools and administered by the University of Kentucky's Center for Prevention Research. State officials Wednesday would not identify the schools that participated.

With the help of local health departments and schools, the state's departments of education and public health coordinated the survey, given every two years.

This year's results unfortunately are no surprise, said Teri Wood, the chronic disease epidemiologist with Kentucky's Department for Public Health.

State health officials have noted for several years that Kentuckians are getting more obese, she said.

"I know it's real hard for people to grasp, but it's just a problem everywhere — this weight and inactivity, and too much tube time," said Wood, who was involved in the survey.

The survey did show that high school students are less apt to smoke or use drugs than in 1997, the most recent survey that provides comparable results, survey officials said.

The survey showed that:

_One-third of high school students said they had smoked a cigarette in the past 30 days, compared with 47 percent in 1997.

_Twenty-one percent had smoked marijuana in the past 30 days, down from 29 percent in 1997.

_Cocaine use dropped from 8 percent to 4 percent.

_And 14 percent said they had sniffed glue or paint to get high, compared with 25 percent in 1997.

But education and health officials expressed concern over the poor physical health of students. Nearly half of the students surveyed purchased non-diet soda daily from school vending machines, and 30 percent ate vending machine snacks for lunch at least once a week.

The state requires schools to shut down vending machines until after lunch periods, said Lisa Gross, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Education.

State Rep. Tom Burch, D-Louisville, has tried unsuccessfully to pass legislation that would ban high-fat snack foods, candy and soft drinks sold from vending machines during the school day, and require students to take more physical education classes. Burch said Wednesday he would refile his bill in the coming session.

"The kids right now are developing diseases at 8 and 9 years old that usually a person 50 years old is beginning to develop," said Burch, chairman of the House Committee on Health and Welfare. "It's all due to the food they eat, and the fact they are getting no exercise at all. ... We're killing our kids."

Officials expressed significant concern that 4 percent of students were diagnosed with diabetes, and another 13 percent had been told by health-care providers that they are at risk for developing the disease.

Kentucky Education Commissioner Gene Wilhoit said in a statement that the state would use the survey to help "tailor programs and strategies that best meet the needs of students."

Dr. Rice Leach, the state's public health commissioner, said in a statement that the obesity rates, limited physical activity, poor nutritional habits and diagnosed health problems among youth suggest "a very unhealthy future for these high school students."

Reference Source 89

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