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Education Government Politics

Eat Right, Earn an iPod 380

Posted by Zonk from the sign-me-up dept.
TheMster writes "The BBC is reporting on the UK government's latest policy to tackle obesity - through offering iPods and XBoxes to pupils. The lucky lads and lasses of 29 Glasgow secondary schools will be part of the pioneering scheme, which utilises the newly introduced swipe-card canteens to create a system of the 'better you eat, the bigger the treat'."
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Eat Right, Earn an iPod More

Eat Right, Earn an iPod

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  • Runners Up? (Score:5, Funny)

    by LiquidCoooled ( 634315 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @08:43PM (#12595604) Homepage Journal
    Runners up in the competition get XXL t-shirts as prizes ;)
  • Nutrition... Free iPod...

    Would this be a food pyramid scheme? /ducks
    • in school cantina, you often do not want to eat stuff that looks like it dropped on the bottom of the food pyramid. Haver you seen what goes there under name of fruit, salad?

      In Limburg, Belgium, they have pilot program trying to swich kids from Cola to ...beer. Low alcohol low calory version of it. The dark kidbeer is especialy popular. iPods are not included.
      • This is Glasgow. The parts of it they are talking about are the most deprived regions in Scotland and probably rank amongst the most deprived regions outside the Third World. Light beer won't work as the dobbers are already on 15% "tonic wine" and have impregnated someone by the time they're sixteen.

        This is just the first step. Giving kids status symbols for not being fat-guzzling, booze-swilling louts will do more for the crime figures and life expectancy than any amount of "zero tolerance".

    • Re:pioneering scheme... (Score:2, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      > Would this be a food pyramid scheme? /ducks

      Good thing you ducked, I just spewed Lagavulin 16 all over the fookin' monitor! (+6, wasn't ready for that)

  • sounds easy (Score:2, Funny)

    by sven_eee ( 196651 )
    sounds like fun, first you take a packed lunch, second you use your card for all the apples you can throw

  • Free Xbox? (Score:5, Funny)

    by filterchild ( 834960 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @08:48PM (#12595644)
    Here, kids, we'll give you a reason to sit on your ass all day if you get up and excercise!

  • Outside food (Score:5, Insightful)

    by tmbg37 ( 694325 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @08:49PM (#12595646) Homepage
    Hmm, what happens when kids buy healthy food from the cafeteria, but also eat unhealthy snacks from home?
    • The schools introduce bag searches upon entry.

      I don't wanna know where kids are gonna hide their fudge, though.

      • Re:Outside food (Score:3, Interesting)

        by HaloZero ( 610207 )
        They already do this.

        Not kidding, either. I'm not sure about the UK (though I probably should know better...), but one of thw two high schools I went to prohibited students from bringing backpacks of any size smaller than X - unless they returned a waiver signed by the student, and the students legal guardians (i.e. parents) stating that while on school grounds they had absolutely no reasonable expectation to privacy - were prohibited. Bags of or larger than size X were absolutely prohibited. I do recall b

    • Re:Outside food (Score:5, Interesting)

      by MolBiolDoc ( 838070 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @09:10PM (#12595813)
      There was an interesting study done with overweight kids in a metabolic unit that says a lot about how we eat and what it is doing to us. They split the kids into two groups, fed them all exactly the same amount of fat, carbohydrates, and protein during regular meals, but let them eat whatever they wanted between meals (and recorded it).

      The difference between the two groups was high vs. low glycemic index....in other words, one group got carbohydrates that were absorbed fast (think prepared foods, instant oatmeal, etc.) and the other good complex carbohydrates (e.g. steel cut oats). Remember, the absolute composition of the diet was otherwise the same.

      The kids that ate the simple sugars ate 500 - 600 more calories a day between meals, since the simple sugars induce a "stress response" and induced the urge to eat prior to the next meal. Those unhealthy snacks prime susceptible kids to eat more, and 500 calories/day in 7 days (3500 cal) is another pound of fat.

      In Australia, they have the glycemic index on food labels. Our kids could benefit from that here.

      • Re:Outside food (Score:3, Insightful)

        by mongbot ( 671347 )
        In Australia, they have the glycemic index on food labels. Our kids could benefit from that here.

        No they don't. There is no legal requirement, and even most foods that _are_ low GI don't have the actual GI figure stated, just "Low GI".

        Also, FAT MAKES PEOPLE FAT. It's that simple. Under normal conditions, carbohydrates are not converted to fatty acids, even if they are high GI. Study after study (check Google Scholar) has shown that de novo lipogenesis (DNL) only occurs if very excessive levels of carbohy
      • I've noticed that for ages - eat a bag of crisps when you just want to chew on something, and all of a sudden you're starving hungry. Same with certain sweets and snacks. I end up feeling more hungry at work doing nothing than spending the whole day outside without lunch.

    • Re:Outside food (Score:4, Informative)

      by John Seminal ( 698722 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @09:11PM (#12595817) Journal
      Hmm, what happens when kids buy healthy food from the cafeteria, but also eat unhealthy snacks from home?

      At least they won't turn as fat as quickly.

      Say the school cuts out a 200 calorie pepsi out of the diet, and saves another 300 calories by baking the chicken instead of frying it, and offering a salad instead of fries. That is 500 calories, a pound of fat a week.

      Toss in some vigerous PE classes, and that will burn another pound of fat a week.

      Under those conditions, the kid could eat a big mac and suck down a milkshake, and he will still have a chance of not balloning to 300 pounds.

      Plus, if the school encourages extra curricular activites, anything, the kid will have more of a chance to burn calories. Join track or basketball or even band. March around for an hour, or stand up for an hour. It is better than sitting in front of a TV with a bag of Freto's and a six pack of Old Style.

      • I call bull. If your guys math were correct, The 160 lb kid that ate health at home would cease to exist before the school year was over, and the kid that doesn't eat healthy at home or at school would be well over a ton by the time they graduated. I have yet to meet one single person that literally weighs a ton.

        The "experts" (which are almost exlusively funded by the packaged food industry) on nutrition are about as reliable as the "experts" that do funded research for Microsoft. Sugar (which include
  • but I would think this scheme would be exploited mercilessly by kids who simply brought their candy bars in from home, ordered the "good" food and threw half of it away.

    If I can figure out that kind of scheme, a kid surely can.

    D
    • but I would think this scheme would be exploited mercilessly by kids who simply brought their candy bars in from home, ordered the "good" food and threw half of it away.

      And if they DONT get candy bars from home? What if this is the only method they have for lunches - this is what I had in college when I basically lived in a box (although they called them dorm rooms...)

      The meals cost money - and I had to eat them. I suspect that not all these kids have the dispensible income to just "bring" candy bars. I
    • I would think this scheme would be exploited mercilessly by kids who simply brought their candy bars in from home

      Preventing that would be the responsibility of the parents. If the parents can't stop it, then there are probably larger issues than the kid just eating healthily.

  • Great (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Doomstalk ( 629173 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @08:49PM (#12595652)
    So they can eat right, and then sit on their asses when they get their new Xbox. That's not self-defeating at all.

  • How smart (Score:5, Insightful)

    by ucblockhead ( 63650 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @08:49PM (#12595656) Homepage Journal
    Giving kids XBoxes so they don't get fat? That's a bit...counterproductive.


    Now if it was an XBox wired so it only got power from an exercise bike...that'd be genius!

  • clearly.... (Score:3, Funny)

    by kinzillah ( 662884 ) <douglas.price@ma ... u ['t.e' in gap]> on Friday May 20, 2005 @08:49PM (#12595660)
    the way to encourage keeping trim is to give kids video games

  • Interesting (Score:4, Insightful)

    by vga_init ( 589198 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @08:50PM (#12595666) Journal
    I think it would be interesting if this works out.

    With a system based on incentive, the kids are going to have to buy certain foods in order to earn a nice toy. This can a child's eating habits on the basis of one or two meals a day, but that does nothing to preven them from filling up on junk at other times. Many overweight people who diet fail for this reason: they eat healthy foods IN ADDITION to extra junk on the side.

    Eating healthy has lots of incentives that aren't obvious. People have a hard time realizing some key benefits of eating right, such as better health, more energy, and a thinner body, which is why these incentives tend not to work.

    Substituting those for something like an iPod or XBox could give kids more drive, but only to earn the prize; the real benefits may only come as side effects, if at all.

    We can only hope that such a program will help kids to develop a taste for healthy foods. I know from personal experience that eating something you find unappealing enough times will not only build tolerance, but actually lead to preference if done enough.

    • Re:Interesting (Score:5, Interesting)

      by LiquidCoooled ( 634315 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @09:08PM (#12595798) Homepage Journal
      Rmemember,

      Eating healthy foods is not just for those who are obese.

      I was 6 foot tall and weighed under 8 stone for a long time (into my 20s). Thankfully now I am more stable and have gained a few stone, but I know I'm not the only one.

      I too hope it works, and that there aren't any side effects.

      Another slight side issue, there is a famous English chef called Jamie Oliver, he has pushed for better school meals (because currently they are utter shite), and it is having major effects up and down the country, and those kids who have changed their school diets also push for better food at home.

      I don't think in the majority of cases this will be a problem.
      • ok... wtf is 8 stone?

        metric is awsome, and i'll deal with imperial, but what in gods name system is "stone" from?
        • 1st is 14lbs. It's a measure that's only really used for informally talking about people's weight in Britain. Doctors in Britain will record your weight in kilograms. However, in informal conversation everyone uses stone.

          I weigh about 11 stone.
    • I can vouch for that, though my example isn't very healthy.

      I used to always drink regular Bawls... except that I was pulling week long all-nighters, and the calories were adding up.

      Now, I drink sugar-free Bawls. Let me tell you, the first bottle was mortifying, now, I can't drink the regular stuff, but love the diet!

    • Re:Interesting (Score:3, Interesting)

      by nb caffeine ( 448698 )
      my mom fed me brocolli when i was a baby. Its one of my favorite vegetables. Try to get friends of mine to eat it, however, hasnt been so successful.
      • my mom fed me brocolli when i was a baby. Its one of my favorite vegetables. Try to get friends of mine to eat it, however, hasnt been so successful.

        My Mom asked us once what vegetables we disliked the least so she could include them more often. I answered corn or something even though I actually liked brocolli. I figured if I actually liked it then it couldn't be a vegetable.

        true story...
      • My 5 year old daughter also loves brocolli. She can have all of mine as far as I'm concerned, and she often does.

    • Re:Interesting (Score:3, Insightful)

      by MHobbit ( 830388 )
      No kidding.

      People tend to forget that eating right isn't the only part of losing weight/staying healthy. Exercise is an integral part. Now, if the people who were conducting the study added on exercise to this little "experiment", they'd hopefully get better results.

  • XBoxes? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Mensa Babe ( 675349 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @08:52PM (#12595685) Homepage Journal
    "The BBC is reporting on the UK government's latest policy to tackle obesity - through offering iPods and XBoxes to pupils."

    XBoxes? To tackle obesity? What else? A new TV set? Why not offer bikes and musical instruments instead of XBoxes and iPods? This is the most stupid idea I have ever heard.

    • XBoxes can help (Score:3, Insightful)

      by 77Punker ( 673758 )
      Is there a DDR game for XBox? If so, that'll tackle the fat! They should make it a bundle!

    • Re:XBoxes? (Score:5, Funny)

      by EnsilZah ( 575600 ) <.moc.liamG. .ta. .haZlisnE.> on Friday May 20, 2005 @10:15PM (#12596215)
      Wait 'till they unvail the Fucking For Virginity campaign next week.

    • XBoxes? To tackle obesity? What else? A new TV set? Why not offer bikes and musical instruments instead of XBoxes and iPods? This is the most stupid idea I have ever heard.

      Well, iPods can certainly make jogging more enjoyable. Running can be incredibly boring without the diversion of listening to music on my iPod. In fact, I mostly use my music player in the gym rather than at work, which usually involves a computer that has a sound card. So I don't need a dedicated device except when exercising/d

    • The point of a bribe is to offer the bribee something they want. If they offer bikes or musical instruments, there's a better chance of the bribees thinking "Sod it, who wants a stupid bike anyway?" and giving up.
    • Because they have to offer rewards kids _want_.

  • Why XBox's??? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by QuietLagoon ( 813062 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @08:56PM (#12595715)
    I can see the point of offering an iPod. iPod is mobility -- walking, running, exercising, not sitting on your gluteus maximus.

    But what's an XBox about? Spending endless hours sitting in front of you TV.

    Reward the correct behaviour.

  • So these days one has to bribe or buy someone's good behaviour / habits that benefit the *self*? They just will, if they actually have some selfcontrol, put out to get their Xbox or Ipod or whatever they're offering to forget about it all together afterwards.

    Hate to point to the guardians again, but kids / teens get their habits from somewhere. If your guardians haven't got the selfcontrol to leave that other twinky or don't take proper time for preparing proper food, how could you expect a teen to fight t

  • After this weeks E3, everyone would be clammering for an Xbox 360! Xbox or Xbox 360? You decide.

  • Government and Obesity (Score:5, Interesting)

    by linguae ( 763922 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @09:03PM (#12595765)

    Even though an iPod or XBox would be a very nice incentive if I were a kid participating in this program to eat healthy, where does the prizes come from? That kid's parents' taxpayer dollars. As a Libertarian, why should the government have to use the possibility of an iPod in order for them to eat healthy, or, better yet, why should the government even be involved in health issues such as obesity? The rise of obesity is a societal issue and it is best dealt with by society, not government.

    In this particular case, if I had a choice, my taxpayer dollars should go toward the replacement of the school's unhealthy food items with healthy food. No bribes necessary; the kids would eat better. Besides, there are plenty of healthy foods; one can snack on fruits instead of chocolate candy bars, for example.

    • Obesity is recognized as a disability in the USA. Thank god, or else how would the majority of us USians afford our triple patty heart attack swiss special from Wendy's? Or our Deep Fried Artery Clogger Burger With Extra Mayo and Cheese from Burger King?

      McD's introduced Salads to their menu and removed the Super Size.. and at the same time Wendy's added a few patties to a normal burger and covered it with Mayo.

      I wonder why we're all so huge?
    • "why should the government have to use the possibility of an iPod in order for them to eat healthy, or, better yet, why should the government even be involved in health issues such as obesity"

      Because they have the power to do something.

      That's what separates liberals and liberatarians. Liberals believe that the government has a responsibility to serve the public, and that it should do so by funding programs that are effective.

      Things like standardized healthcare, public roads, public schools, police servic

      • You might be shocked when I say this, but I actually have no problem with basic health care, public roads (other than they can use some repair, widening, and better planning), public schools (even though it is long overdue for a dramatic reform), police and fire protection, and some other government services. That's when "state's rights" and the idea of state/county/city government steps in. When we Libertarians speak of "big government," we speak of the federal government providing every service under th

    • Something to keep in mind is that *if* this program works, the cost of the iPod/XBox will easily be offset by the health benefits. And I'm not talking about the "Yay, people are healthier!" type of health benefits. I'm talking about the "Yay, people are healthier and thus my insurance costs are lower and the government has to spend less of my tax money on keeping our overweight population alive" type of health benefits. I agree that schools should provide healthier foods, but that won't always be enough.
    • In this particular case, if I had a choice, my taxpayer dollars should go toward the replacement of the school's unhealthy food items with healthy food. No bribes necessary; the kids would eat better. Besides, there are plenty of healthy foods; one can snack on fruits instead of chocolate candy bars, for example.

      This is already happening - in no small part due to a campaign by a celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver who basically started revamping some school's menus as an experiment.
      The biggest problem he encount
  • ...and then throw that shit out unless it tastes like a chocolate candy bar.

  • iPod-onomics (Score:5, Funny)

    by clem ( 5683 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @09:09PM (#12595809) Homepage
    And so the world takes another step towards an iPod-based economy.

    • Re:iPod-onomics (Score:3, Interesting)

      by YouHaveSnail ( 202852 )
      Having recently returned from a trip to London, I can tell you that they're pretty close to an iPod-based economy already. Seemed like every third person I passed on the street had a MP3 player, and I only noticed one MP3 player in an entire week that wasn't an iPod.

  • A better way? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Jane_Dozey ( 759010 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @09:14PM (#12595834)
    How about eliminating unhealthy foods from schools? Sure, the kids can get it elsewhere but why spend a load of money (taxpayers money) on a scheme that has so many obvious holes it's unlikely to DO anything?

  • Every action... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Crash Culligan ( 227354 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @09:20PM (#12595880) Journal

    ...has an equal and opposite government program. Or at least that's what it feels like.

    Any day now, I look forward to hearing how the music and software industries are trying to discourage P2P piracy by giving away candy.

  • Eat right in whose definition? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by iamacat ( 583406 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @09:25PM (#12595907)
    I hope they don't give out iPod photo for eating only grains and vegetables, because then many children will eat diet unhealthy for them just to get a shiny toy. Low carb diet is over-hyped, but it sure worked for some people. And if you are an athlete or have an iron deficiency, you don't want to skip red meat. I would never be in reasonable shape or have a good energy level if I followed the stupid food pyramid. Better to reward exercise and knowledge of health issues rather than specific food.

  • WARNING (Score:3, Funny)

    by Espectr0 ( 577637 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @09:28PM (#12595931) Journal
    Do NOT eat IPod Shuffle!
  • So now the school system is steeping in where parents have failed? This screams fucking ridiculous to me! What schools should be done is providing more physical activity and probably putting the fatter kids into more physical activity. That is if they are so concerned about children's health.

    This latest method sounds like we're treating our kids like dogs. Sounds like their spoiling the kids. Need i ask, just what type of students attend this school? That is, students with rich or poor parents????

    Woof fuc
  • XBOX IS HUGE. Therefore it will be a weight lifting exercise getting it home, assuming their arms don't fall off. Also, having an iPod will also have to improve their cardiovascular capacity, having to run for their life when being mugged for being recognised with the white earphones.

    I don't know what you guys are thinking, this DOES help the kids.

  • Point is being missed (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Turn-X Alphonse ( 789240 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @09:56PM (#12596086) Journal
    Okay this is misleading. The idea is NOT to make them lose weight, it's to get them to EAT BETTER. The idea is this way kids will at least try fruit and other healthy options and hopefully stick with it. Most news channels covering it today had kids saying they liked fruit and would stick with it.

    So this isn't "go on a diet you fat fucks" it's "try this, it's nice".
  • Then I can sell my iPod for LOTS of pizzas! :D

  • Its Simple. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by nighty5 ( 615965 ) on Friday May 20, 2005 @10:21PM (#12596233)
    1) Just get rid of all junk food in school canteens.
    2) Only deal with food distributors that embrace healthy eating.
    3) Get rid of soft drink vending machines - period. (replace with water & fruit juice)

  • to smacking the shit out of your kids when they pick up a candy bar?

    Hey Tommy, you fat little shit, put that fucking Snickers down before I whack your ass blue!

    Worked for me and my 6 foot, 187lbs of glory today, at 24 years of age.
  • The problem, in my perception, is a lot of food distributors deal primarily in unhealthy food. It's easier to produce, package, and store mass quantities of the stuff. All-natural, preservative-free food is harder to keep, harder to make, and, above all, expensive.
  • ...Without a central-planned nannie state to control and legislate every single aspect of people's lives?

    If working 10 months out of 12 to pay off taxes, and putting up with an overbearing totalitarian government, and destroying diversity by enforcing a monolithic one-size-fits-all concept of health on people regardless of body type and culture is the price we have to pay in order to keep kids from eating twinkies, then so be it.

    Fortunatly, western governments are doing their best to regulate our economy,
  • "UK government's latest policy to tackle obesity - through ... pioneering scheme, which utilises the newly introduced wipe-card latrines to create a system of the 'better you eat, the bigger the treat'."
  • soo.... if do what i'm suppose to do anyway, i get free stuff?? What's next, if i stay out of jail i get a free car? What if I dont do drugs, do i get a free house??

    this is the stupidest thing i've ever heard....
  • Whatever happened to supplying people the facts - obesity is one of the leading indicators of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and your basic miserable life filled with various afflictions, and eating well and exercising regularly prevent it. I hate it when people give up on doing the right thing, or things the right way, or both in this case, b/c they weren't working. Frikkin figure out a way to make them work. Hack the problem and solve it. Don't go running off willy-nilly on some hairbrained scheme l
  • And then the next big boss comes in and shuts down the program. Kids quickly regain their lost weight and then some, while enjoying their ipods and xboxes (and twinkies, too)
  • I'd have to say that any attempt to get Glaswegians to eat healthily is doomed to failure. /me wanders off to eat a deep-fried Mars bar.
  • Don't eat ipod

  • In France... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by ElGanzoLoco ( 642888 ) on Saturday May 21, 2005 @07:55AM (#12598145) Homepage


    In France you can't get anything but a 3-course meal (salad - main dish - cheese OR dessert) + a slice of bread at the school restaurant. Most school meals taste like crap, depending on which private company is responsible for the restaurant (my school was lucky ;) but they are healthy at least.
    During meal, you can only have water, no Coke, diet Coke, Dr. Peppers, or any of all that crap.

    Snacks & sodas are available in the school through vending machines, but they are rather expensive, which limits the consumption. Also, the legislators are thinking about forbidding the vending machines, and they probably will succeed. We saw some fruit vending machines appear, which I think is rather nice.

    There is no such thing as a "cafeteria" in schools.

    Also, no school is sponsored by Coke, Pepsi, or anyone at all for that matter (forbidden).

    The obesity rate is extremely low, albeit rapidly growing among the youngest (due to unhealthy meals at home & junk food everywhere, which is much more difficult to control).

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