But let’s not lay all the blame for this festering problem at the feet of educators and administrators. Most meals are eaten at home, and that is where the most important nutrition education takes place. If parents — even single parents busting their butts to take care of their children and earn a living — don’t model smart behavior, their children simply won’t see the importance of good eating habits.

According to statistics compiled at area health departments, nearly 50 percent of all children in the mountains are overweight or at-risk of becoming overweight. The numbers in our immediate region break down like this: in Haywood County, 57 percent of children fall into the two categories; in Jackson, 47 percent; in Macon, 42 percent and in Swain, 47 percent. Overweight is defined as being 10 percent above ideal body weight, and obesity is defined as being 20 percent above ideal body weight.

It is certainly easy to understand how this problem of overweight kids has ballooned into a national epidemic. High-calorie, processed foods are cheap and are marketed to children. Children don’t exercise as much as they should, either by way of organized sports or by participating in an active lifestyle where they ride bikes or walk to school, play for hours outside after school, or even do chores around the house and yard. P.E. classes are no longer mandatory in middle and high schools, at least not every day for entire years.

So we sit around more and eat more unhealthy foods. And make no mistake about it, obesity is not simply a problem of appearances. Children who are overweight are more likely to be overweight as adults. They have a higher chance of developing serious health problems later in life, including type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, and are more likely to have heart attacks and strokes. Overweight children are also more likely to suffer from psychological issues that affect their self-confidence and self-esteem.

School systems in the mountains are taking steps to help educate children and make sure the foods they serve are healthier. Swain County initiated steps five years ago, while in Haywood County the issue is only just now being addressed system-wide. Nutrition directors are making efforts to switch to baked rather than fried foods while also trying to offer healthier choices.

One of the main culprits of unhealthy food intake by adolescents comes from vending machines. Whether it’s sodas or snack foods, having these choices at school often tempts students. Many who don’t have the option of these kinds of foods at home may tend to overindulge while at school and away from their parents.

The vending machines present a dilemma for administrators. A healthy portion of the profits from these are returned to the individual schools. At Smoky Mountain High School in Sylva, Principal Alex Bell says his school gets up to $12,000 a year from the machines that are in hallways and in faculty lounges. The vending companies also make donations to many school events and even offer scholarship money to students attending colleges.

“It’s a very big consideration,” said Haywood Schools Superintendent Anne Garrett of the financial elationship with the vending companies.

It is one, however, that schools need to be very conscious of and one they should try to, at the very least, wean themselves from. We realize school budgets are being squeezed from all sides, but knowingly offering students — children, really, even those in high school — unhealthy foods to keep up cash flow is not the ideal situation for schools to be in.