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Fighting Bad Influences With Diet, Exercise A Sarpy County Judge Will Send Some Juvenile Offenders to a Wellness Class to Learn to Live Healthy Lifestyles.

Posted on: Monday, 16 January 2006, 18:00 CST

By Joe Dejka

Six days a week, Larry Gendler exercises.

He lifts weights, jogs or works out on an elliptical trainer.

A fitness fanatic?

He says not.

But the Sarpy County judge felt he had to do something about the kids who walk into his juvenile courtroom in poor health.

So come March, Judge Gendler will begin sending some willing juvenile offenders to a fitness and nutrition class, where they'll learn to eat right and exercise. In the long run, he hopes they will live healthier lifestyles, their depression will fade and their self- esteem will rise.

"I don't want to be in a position where I court-order people to exercise," he said. "I don't think that's what we're about. But I want people to be exposed to wellness, in a way that's non- offending and interesting."

The class is an experiment for Sarpy County, a new tool for the county's juvenile court judges in the effort to reform young offenders.

There is no comparable program in the juvenile courts of Douglas or Lancaster Counties, although some existing programs encourage healthy lifestyles.

Gendler said he could not find a similar program around the country to use as a template for the class.

The two-session class will be taught by Peter Pellerito, a fitness specialist with the Center for Healthy Living at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

The costs will be paid by a $5,000 grant from the Sarpy/ Cass Department of Health and Wellness.

"It's no secret that a lot of our kids that are coming into the system are unhealthy, and all the data supports that," Gendler said.

The prevalence of overweight youths ages 12 to 19 has tripled over the past 20 years, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Children who are overweight are at greater risk for social and psychological problems such as stigmatization and poor self-esteem, according to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

Regular exercise reduces feelings of depression and anxiety, and promotes psychological health, the CDC says.

Gendler said studies seem to suggest that kids who participate in organized athletic activities are less likely to commit crime than the general population. But, more than that, exercise actually helps the mind, he said.

"There are separate studies that show, for example, that kids who exercise on a regular basis can improve their IQ, that they're more attentive in class, and we know that health and diet affects sleep patterns," Gendler said.

Children diagnosed with attention-deficit (hyperactivity) disorder have been shown to reduce or eliminate their illnesses by becoming active, he said.

The juveniles who take the class probably will be in court for less serious offenses such as misdemeanors or behavior problems at home, Gendler said. The children will be screened before and after the class to see whether their attitudes toward nutrition and fitness change.

Juveniles who participate could reduce their required community service hours, he said.

Source: Omaha World - Herald

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