School Desks Too Small For Obese Children

Schools across the country are pioneering big changes in the classroom -- to accomodate the 17 percent of U.S. children who are overweight or obese, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Schools have started to provide separate chairs and desks for the increasing number of students who cannot fit into regular school desks, CNN reports, and the manufacturers of the school furniture have begun increasing the size of the desks and chairs for future students. The figure for overweight or obese children in the U.S. has tripled from just one generation ago, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"I was so large, I couldn't fit in there," 19-year-old Taylor LeBaron told CNN about his school experience. "I couldn't get my legs to fit underneath the desk or my stomach to fit between the chair without getting the desk stuck with me."

LeBaron went on to detail how difficult it was to endure the snickering from other students when he would struggle to get out of his desk.

Dr. Richard Deckelbaum, director of the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University, told ABC News that while this is a problem that schools must accomodate, he hopes that childhood obesity -- and its consequences -- won't continue to be a problem.

“If you want to learn well, you have to at least be comfortable. But the best solution in the long term is prevention,” he told the network. “I would hope that even if schools did buy [larger furniture], the problem will go away in the next few years.”

Contrary to these reports, New York City public schools reported fewer instances of childhood obesity after implementing a series of measures they believe have alleviated the problem over the last few years.

"The tide of the obesity epidemic is beginning to ebb," Thomas Farley, commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene told Bloomberg. "We see this as validation that our public health efforts to address the obesity epidemic are beginning to work."

Some of the changes included limiting the amount of time in front of televisions and computers as well as increasing physical activity time.

Also on HuffPost:

Comments

[mkerbug]

06:19 PM on 02/23/2012

In alot of schools recess isn't allowed. Alot of children don't play outside because their parents fear them being taken. PE is boring to alot of students. Children don't want to do jumping jacks, they want to run around like wild animals! Bring back recess!

[thestarfish6393]

06:14 PM on 03/02/2012

I AGREE! RECESS NEEDS TO COME BACK IN SCHOOLS...that's where physical activity can come with fun and imagination--i remember i HATED sports in elementary school (still do even in college) and gym was horrible but at recess we could make up dances, climb things on the jungle gym...pretend to be going on various adventures--kids are so stifled these days and recess is a HUGE part of elementary school.

as far as the desk issue--we need to SOLVE the obesity problem, not accomodate it. there are a WIDE plethora of things schools should be spending money on aka the arts, special education, more teachers, science programs etc. we should not be wasting money on making unhealthy and fat kids more comfortable. if a kid says to their parent "i can't fit into my desk at school" the parent shouldn't say "well then your school needs bigger desks", the parent should say "well, clearly i need to help you make healthier choices so you can sit there comfortably and learn, so that when you grow up you can fit into an airplane seat comfortably, and when you go to an amusement park you can fit on the roller coaster because i CARE about your health and you being able to enjoy life and not becoming another statistic."

didn't we learn anything from WALL-E? with all those fat people sitting in big chairs floating around in space watching screens? we need to prevent that.

[harriettubman]

11:09 PM on 02/21/2012

My grandson recently visited and even though he's not obese by any means, he didn't want to do anything physical. The child didn't even want to go outside. This is the couch potatoe, gaming generation!!!! However, I made him do things and I took him to do it. He lives hundreds of miles from us so we don't get to take him places unless he visits us.

[terriheyu]

04:05 PM on 02/21/2012

As with most things in this country it's amazing how much everything is controlled by socio-economics including the food we eat. We are ultimately responsible for choosing what is healthy for us. Food Inc. is an excellent documentary about how controlled the food industry really is and how you have to take personal responsibility for what you and your family consumes.

[DeuxExMachina]

07:55 AM on 02/21/2012

Not surprised. Parents need to set a good example for their children regarding diet. Otherwise, overweight children will one day graduate from extra large school desks to the extra-large re-inforced hospital beds and operating tables that doctors and hospitals are now having to use. Then, failing that, into extra-big coffins to take up more space in the cementaries.around the country.

[psandysdad]

06:49 AM on 02/21/2012

Food is a pleasure that most people can afford. It should come as no surprise that there is an 'epidemic'. When there isn't enough money there isn't really much else to do.

[grod805]

07:22 PM on 02/20/2012

Everyone on HP seems so educated most of the time except when it comes time to go against a group. Let the lynch mob start.

[El Chingaso]

11:23 AM on 02/20/2012

Well, now that schools are providing students with three highly-processed meals per day, manufacturing super-sized desks for the f*t ones...will become a new cottage industry. Maybe Washington, D.C. will provide seed money to finance upstart companies.

[lynninny]

09:04 AM on 02/20/2012

It makes me sad to think of children starting their lives in such an unhealthy way. As a parent I realize that my child's health is a direct result of my actions until he is grown and can take responsibility for himself (so punishing these children in a cruel way, like making them face humiliation because they can't fit in a desk, doesn't really address the problem).

It is a huge national health problem, and it is only getting worse--I have heard stories recently of caskets, operating tables, airplane seats, and and the like having to be adapted or being inadequate for the increasing population of obese citizens we have. I don't know what the answer is, but the problem is literally growing as we speak. I don't want to punish obese people, but I do hate the thought of a society burdened with growing health costs and issues related to something frequently preventable.

[thestarfish6393]

06:15 PM on 03/02/2012

very well said--especially the last paragraph. these constant adjustments are a HUGE alarm and people just aren't hearing it.

[getfit7]

11:02 PM on 02/19/2012

As a P.E. Teacher, I'm not surprised. They want to cut out P.E. in favor of constant FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Test) indoctrination.

[MissMichelleP]

03:22 PM on 02/20/2012

PE isn't even enough. Yes, when kids are younger, PE is great. The kids just want to play! But, as they get older, they're more resistant to doing anything like playing a sport in PE. (I'm sure this isn't anything new to you.) We need to encourage all students to get up and move around. My school's PE classes just started doing P90X. The kids love it, and they're all talking about how hard it makes them work. Schools are cutting recess and sports. And, parents can't afford to pay for their children to participate in sports outside of school. These kids need to start finding ways to amuse themselves that are not in front of the computer (says the woman who has wasted several hours today on the internet!)

[VioletGrey]

03:11 PM on 02/21/2012

Ok, now I didn't want to play sports or participate in PE because I just flat out never enjoyed it. I don't get the physical high that others do when performing those activities, and I know I'm not alone. That being said; I'm also not over weight. No, I'm not in particularly good shape, but I try and watch my diet and get out and walk when I can. We need to teach kids and their parents better dietary habits and that will go a long way to fixing the issue. as for the PE ans sports thing; some kids just arent so competitive. don't give out participation trophies just because but stop making everything a damn competition. Let them have fun for the sake of having fun and they'll take that with them as they get older.

[liberalpolicysucks]

08:37 PM on 02/19/2012

HAHAHAHA

If your too fat to sit in a desk, then sit on the floor. It sounds like a personal problem.. There's your motivation, lose weight until you can fit in the desk, because we ain't buying a special one for you.

[grod805]

07:16 PM on 02/20/2012

Why is it a personal problem? This is a societal problem. Ever wonder why poor kids are fat and rich kids are normal weight? Cheap food is fattening food. If kids are poor they don't have the option to eat healthy. Just go to Whole Foods, very expensive because its healthy. We need to change policies.

[acumenguy]

02:03 PM on 02/19/2012

In general, people are larger than they were years ago. Look at the size of an NFL player from the 60's and compare it to the size of a modern NFL player. The "average" high school lineman is +200 LBS.
Also, during the 70's the "work-out at the gym" fad took hold. People started eating better, grew bigger, and had large children.

I'm not promoting bad health, but, Americans are becoming obcessed with this "stay slim" thing. These skinny super models look down right hideous.
Put some meat on them bones! Eat a dog-gone sandwich!
Skinny does NOT always = healthy or attractive.
Face it, some people just have a large carriage. Big parents produce big children.
Play, run, go outside.
But let's quit picking on people JUST because they are large. It's not always the kid's fault.
Buy bigger desk.
BTW, I'm slim and I'm WORKING to add more weight.

[PirateJohn]

03:31 PM on 02/19/2012

However, the expanding waistline of America is not a result of more muscle.

[Jill Press]

12:00 PM on 02/19/2012

Obesity is ruining this country. Overweight people are responsible for more than half of all medical expenses in the country. We could solve the health care crisis if fat people could lose weight.

New buses in NYC now have fewer seats because the old one could only accommodate people who weigh less than 201 pounds. So, as public transportation funding gets cut and the price of gas goes up, the numbers of riders must go down because so many people need more room than is healthy for anyone.

NYC schools are falling apart and closing because of poor performances. And now they have to spend what little money they have on new desks and chairs. And still they will serve non-nutritious fattening food in the cafeteria, because food products are cheaper than food.

It is child abuse to feed children so much junk. But to say so is to be accused of supporting the nanny state.

[noahmarder]

05:00 PM on 02/19/2012

Overweight people are responsible for more than half of medical expenses because MORE THAN HALF OF AMERICANS ARE OVERWEIGHT (at least according to the silly BMI metric). I am not saying fat is healthy, and the morbidly obese certainly increase health care costs, but please learn some rudimentary statistical interpretation skills. Maybe you would be less gullible.

Yes, people are heavier than they were 50 years ago. They are also taller and fewer people are going hungry (although the Republicans are doing their best to change the hungry part).

Our healthcare costs have much less to do with obesity than with greedy doctors, hospitals, pharma companies, implant companies, and insurers. The fact that they have bought off the politicians doesn't help either.

[Jill Press]

11:23 AM on 02/21/2012

Have you not noticed in supermarkets that people have fat kids, who should be walking, sitting in the carts stuffing their faces with chips? Have you not noticed that most “food” is full of dangerous chemicals, with most of the nutrients lost in processing? Have you not noticed that fast food propaganda targets kids and encourage people to think that food should be fast, cheap, and easy, rather than nutritious and prepared with love?

[Jill Press]

11:33 AM on 02/21/2012

We agree that big pharma and other medical profiteers are greedy, although I know many outstanding doctors who, like most Americans today, work longer hours to earn less money.

Thank you for pointing out my error. I should have said far people account for a disproportionate amount of national medical expenses, just as they account for a disproportionate amount of money spent on public transportation and, soon, school desks.

That people are taller is irrelevant, because height is a factor in determining obesity. Also, while it is true that fewer people are hungry, they are not healthier because they fill up on junk. The rate of obesity is rising so spectacularly that it is epidemic even among children. Obesity is not as big a problem among older people, because obese people tend not to live as long as people who eat properly.

Type 2 diabetes, a disease of choice, is rampant. Even some people with a family history of the disease ignore the risks and choose to become diabetic rather than adopt a healthy lifestyle that would prevent the disease. Type 2 diabetics prefer drugs, daily blood testing, and frequent trips to the doctor to a healthy diet and exercise. Everyone's insurance rates go up to pay for that. And that doesn't even count the heart attacks, cancers, and other medical problems that come with the diabetic life style.

Gotta go now. I'm off to the gym, and then the farmer's market.

[Roxx19]

11:00 AM on 02/19/2012

Although I do believe it is ultimately the parents' responsibility to make sure their child is healthy,I wish schools would serve healthier food.The big companies who sell the unhealthy food to the schools hire lobbyists to go to Washington to get their food to be considered "healthy". Wasn't it just a few months ago that they started considering pizza a vegetable or something along those lines because of the sauce.The company who makes the pizza doesn't want to lose business so they come up with this BS.

[PirateJohn]

03:34 PM on 02/19/2012

Did you watch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution? The schools were perfectly okay with the fact that their students had no idea how to use a knife and fork. It took some random English dude to remind the school that their job is to TEACH.

[TINA ANDRES]

01:10 PM on 02/20/2012

There are very few things served at my school that require a knife and a fork. We don't really even have a kitchen to cook things in, only ovens to warm up prepackaged food that comes from a central location. It would be too expensive to have all of those plastic forks everyday for students. There isn't a place to wash silverware for over 1000 students either (nor is there enough staff for that). Kids do not have enough tables to sit at for their meals, the majority of them must sit on the ground outdoors (concrete). There is no cafeteria aside from a line that they rush through to pick out food and then exit to the outdoors. No one ever really questions it because it has been this way for over 20 years. I'm not sure where teachers would fit in "knife and fork" lessons into the curriculum. What a strange country we live in.

[laaambchop]

10:28 AM on 02/19/2012

Must be all those chicken nuggets they are eating.

[trron9]

10:21 AM on 02/19/2012

I was a big kid and I remember being cramped in the desk, I also remember the desk being small! Why can't the desk be designed to be adjustable to accommodate larger kids? This is but a immediate fix as the greater issue here is childhood obesity! Unfortunately we live in a junk food era, with unhealthy eating habits!