[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 5 (Wednesday, January 25, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S108-S109]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




GSRI HEALTHY LIVING STUDY--THE NEW NORMAL? WHAT GIRLS SAY ABOUT HEALTHY 
                                 LIVING

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, America is confronting a childhood obesity 
crisis, and over the past 25 years, the percentage of overweight girls 
has more than doubled--to 16 percent of girls ages 6 to 19, up from 6 
percent in 1974.
  To support the search for a solution, the Girl Scout Research 
Institute

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asked girls directly how they define health and what motivates them to 
lead a healthier lifestyle. The results are captured in a new report, 
titled The New Normal? What Girls Say About Healthy Living.
  This new report brings the voice of girls to the forefront of the 
conversation on childhood obesity for the first time and finds that 
girls are in many ways ahead of the curve, using a varied, complex set 
of norms to define health.
  Today's girls are defining ``health'' on their own terms, placing the 
same value on emotional well-being and self-esteem as they do on diet 
and exercise. For girls, being healthy is more than just eating right 
and exercising; it is also about feeling good about oneself and being 
supported by family and peers.
  Girls say that efforts to reduce childhood and adolescent obesity 
that focus solely on nutrition or physical activity miss the mark.
  The study lays out four key findings:
  One, girls aspire to be ``normal healthy,'' a concept they often 
associate with appearing normal and being supported by peers and 
family. Girls tended to view any diet or lifestyle choice as healthy as 
long as it doesn't harm their appearance or their relationships with 
friends and family. Overall, 65 percent of girls say their lifestyle is 
``healthy enough for my age,'' while just 16 percent describe their 
lifestyle as ``very healthy.'' Although about two-thirds, 65 percent, 
correctly identify themselves as being either normal weight or 
overweight, one in three girls has a distorted idea about her weight. 
Older girls also tended to be less satisfied with their weight than 
younger girls.
  Two, girls have a holistic view of health and describe emotional 
health as important as physical health. Virtually all girls agree that 
emotional health is as important as physical health--and 88 percent of 
11- to 17-year-old girls believe that feeling good about yourself is 
more important than how you look. More than a third of girls ages 11-17 
reported eating more when they are ``stressed out'' and overweight 
girls are more than twice as likely as girls who are not overweight to 
report eating more in times of stress.
  Three, girls already know what is healthy, but many don't use the 
information they have to make healthy choices. Obstacles at home 
include a decline in the frequency of family meals and increased 
television watching and computer use as girls get older. A third of 
girls experience sit down to a family meal no more than twice a week. 
More than 60 percent of teenage girls skip breakfast at least once a 
week and nearly 20 percent skip it every day.
  Obstacles at school include reliance on vending machines, poor taste 
and quality of school lunches, optional physical education classes, and 
a lack of access to more informal physical activities are all barriers. 
Many girls ages 11-17 say they do not play sports because they do not 
feel skilled or competent, 40 percent, or because they do not think 
their bodies look good, 23 percent.
  Four, girls cite their mothers not only as role models but also as 
leading sources of nutritional information and emotional reinforcement. 
Mothers exert tremendous influence. Girls tend to mirror their mothers' 
activity levels, weight and body image. And given the increasingly poor 
diet and sedentary lifestyle of today's adults, it is clear that 
efforts to improve the health of girls must also target parents--
especially mothers.
  Continuing a 93-year tradition begun by founder Juliette Gordon Low, 
Girl Scouts offers an array of successful initiatives and age-
appropriate curricula in health, nutrition, and fitness--including more 
than 60 badges and awards related to healthy living. And the findings 
of The New Normal? What Girls Say About Healthy Living, will continue 
this tradition in helping inform GSUSA's ongoing program and policy 
work.
  To turn this research into action today, Girl Scouts is encouraging 
all girls and their families to engage in advocacy at the local level. 
Advocacy is a critical component in educating and influencing key 
policy and decision makers as well as the general public about what 
girls need to lead healthy lives. To bring girls' voices to the 
discussion about health in their communities, Girl Scouts is calling on 
all girls to become involved in the development and implementation of 
their local School Wellness Policy.
  Ninety-five percent of schools must establish a school wellness 
program consisting of nutrition and physical activity goals by the 
first day of the 2006-2007 school year. We want girls to take action 
through advocacy on this timely and important issue so that as schools 
address the wellness of our Nation's children and youth, the unique 
girl-perspective is fully considered.

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