Renee Rosenow

When today’s South Korean children become adults, their fondest childhood memories might not consist of how much fun it was to jump into the big pool of plastic, multi-colored balls at McDonald’s PlayPlace, but rather how great the burn was after they did 30 reps of bench presses at 200 pounds.

To help curb the trend of obese children, the South Korean government has plans to pay around 40,000 won (about $33) for health club memberships and other activities for children whose body mass index suggests obesity.

Overall, the idea behind this is commendable. Children are becoming extremely overweight and are setting themselves up for serious health problems. I agree something needs to be done, but paying kids to go work out at fitness clubs is unrealistic.

In all honesty, could you imagine an eight-year-old child working with any of the equipment? I can’t.

When I was eight years old my imagination ran wild. One time at a wedding I managed to turn a coat rack into my own personal jungle gym. It was really fun until a number of adults told me to cut it out and go by my parents.

I can visualize a similar situation occurring at gyms in South Korea. One child might believe the bench press seat could be more efficiently used as a pretend surfboard or skateboard. And who could blame them; it’s flat and promotes balance. To them it’s perfect. However, adult patrons won’t see the creative vision and might become annoyed and possibly discontinue business with the fitness center.

The problem of obesity needs to be addressed differently.

There are better options that can help lower the number of obese children. Despite the fact that the United States can probably be blamed for bringing in restaurants like McDonalds, KFC and Taco Bell to South Korea, America has tried to put forth different options in promoting healthy lifestyles.

An article published on Oct. 6 in Wyoming’s Star-Tribune reported that many programs over the past few years in Wyoming’s schools have been used to curtail childhood obesity. The article said things like breakfast and after-school snack programs, having students submit two health policies about how they could promote physical activity and nutrition, taking 10-minute walks before the school bell rings, sending home weekly nutrition newsletters as well as creating holiday activities like a “Pumpkin Stroll” were implemented to spark student interest in healthy living.

A recent study done in Lexington, Mass., has also shown that reading has inspired a fight against childhood obesity. The Duke Children’s Hospital conducted a study which revealed that the popular book series “Beacon Street Girls” helped ‘tween girls improve their eating and exercise habits, which led to significant improvement in their BMI percentiles.

According to an article by the Centre Daily Times of Pennsylvania, the “Beacon Street Girls” brand was specifically designed to entertain while providing healthy role models and positive messages. The results of the study showed that the girls who read either “Beacon Street Girls” book as part of the program decreased their BMIs more significantly than the other girls used as the control group in the study.

If setting up school health programs or promoting healthy reading doesn’t work, South Korea still might want to consider another approach the United States has established. Since 2006, cities, as well as the state of California, have eliminated trans fat in food distribution.

New York City was the first city in America to institute the ban. When the Board of Health voted on passing the ban two years ago, they placed a deadline on its compliance. Since this past July, all restaurants in New York City are officially trans fat free. Other cities that have followed the trend include Boston and Philadelphia.

If the South Korean government wants to invest money into their country’s obesity problem, the answer isn’t in health clubs. Providing money to cities and schools in South Korea to institute healthier lifestyle programs and eliminating unhealthy ingredients make more sense in my opinion. These options allow for everyone in the country to benefit and become healthier, not just one specific targeted audience. I’m always in favor of getting the most bang for my buck, and I’m sure South Korea is as well.

A child can be sent to the gym, but it’s not guaranteed that they’ll actually exercise. Children need a lot of encouragement when new tasks are placed in front of them. If a child is obese, it’s not the exercising that’s the problem, it’s their entire lifestyle and changing that needs to begin through education and help from the community.

Saeger is a senior print journalism major and Showcase editor for The Spectator.