Of the Largest of Them All

Let us begin our discussion today on Mississippi, the only word in the English language that can be spelled with three sets of double letters.

Mississippi is also the only state in the United States to boast a 31% child obesity rate, the highest rate in the United States.According the the Mississippi Department of Health, 80% of children who are obese will suffer from obesity as adults.

And these adults are costing the state. Mississippi spends 757 million dollars on health care for adult obesity. It is estimated that Medicaid costs would be 11% lower in the absence of adult and child obesity, and Medicare costs would be 8% lower.

However, Mississippi has not stood idly by as its population expands. in 2004, the state implemented the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act, forcing every public school to establish a Local School Wellness Policy, which included provisions to restrict vending machines, provide healthy options in school cafes, and other similar measures. Then in 2007, the state passed another major piece of legislation called the Mississippi Healthy Students Act. The law stipulated minimum requirements for physical education in public schools, required an official Physical Activity Coordinator in schools, required mandatory "health councils," required the State Board of Education to adopt measures to promote healthy food and beverage decisions, and, lastly, required every school to create a personalized Wellness Policy.

If it seems as though the state has passed extensive legislation to deal with the issue, it has. In fact, Mississippi passed so much legislation to deal with child obesity that in 2009 the Center for Disease Control and Prevention named Mississippi as one of the top states regarding school policy implementation.

Additionally, according to the MSDH, there are literally hundreds of grants to promote healthy living amongst school children-- everything from the Bower Foundation, which provides millions of dollars to make healthy options more attractive to students, to the Committed to Move grant, which provides over $ 9,000 to fund physical education teachers and top-of-the-line physical fitness equipment, has been showcased.

And yet,  Mississippi still has the highest child obesity rate, beating out second place by over 9%, though clearly not for lack of effort or funds. I believe that the problem lies in how the state is managing the millions of dollars it pours into the school systems. Perhaps, the solution to child obesity is not far-away government laws, no matter how well intentioned. Through my research, I have come to believe that the most effective solution lays in working directly with families, instead of forcing schools to change their ways. Perhaps with greater focused family attention, more productive change would come.

I have spent the bulk of this week researching Mississippi, and the more I read, the more I find out how much I do not know. However, I am fascinated by the states legal records, and the disparity between funding and results. Working with Mississippi first has proved invaluable, as I now feel I have a strong basis for understanding other states' policies.

I will post more research as I encounter it.

Thanks for reading! Please post any questions or comments you have! :)