Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Can local genealogists link school lunch burgers and chicken sandwiches to middle-school obesity?

Can local genealogists link school lunch burgers and chicken sandwiches to middle-school obesity?

Sacramento Genealogy Examiner


Can local genealogists link school lunch burgers and chicken sandwiches to middle-school obesity?

March 15, 10:52 PMSacramento Genealogy ExaminerAnne Hart
Abdominal obesity, male.
Abdominal obesity, male.
Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor
When Sacramento genealogists chart genograms, which are family medical histories down through the generations, what do they see as a common link? It's childhood obesity that runs in the family. And what's the link related to? That's where genealogy comes it. It's not only a nutritionist, but also a genealogist that can journal junk food lunches as family habit or tradition. But how healthy, really, are middle-school lunches locally? And do the kids really demand those menus? Or is it all about family habits through the generations? What do the latest studies show as links, but not actual causes of childhood obesity?
Can Sacramento genealogists predict better than nutritionists what local Sacramento schools serve kids for lunch and link the family history records to obesity by middle-school age? By listing traditional foods, parents can find out whether school lunches are linked to childhood obesity or whether it's traditional and familiar foods brought from home.
Look at the school menus online--how many schools daily serve cheeseburgers and chicken sandwiches with fries? How similar is the menu to fast food eateries fare? And how does a family historian keep a record as a genogram to see any links between school lunches locally and obesity in middle-school kids?
Sure, genealogists can keep journals and family history eating records especially when it comes to habits and tradition. It's all about familiarity and tradition before eating habits are formed. And then,