East Northport lawmaker in weight challenge

By Michael R. Ebert
michael.ebert@newsday.com

If you ask Assemblyman Andrew Raia (R-East Northport), he’ll tell you he could stand to lose at least 30 pounds. He’d also like to considerably lower his cholesterol level, which puts him at risk for coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

“It’s at 262,” Raia admitted. “Basically, I come home heavy after staying in Albany until June. I lose the weight in the summer, but I gain it right back when I return upstate.”

So when Raia learned of the New York State Assembly’s “Summer Healthy Points Challenge” earlier this year, he instantly adopted the program for his 9th Assembly District. His first step was distributing some 5,000 brochures to local schools, challenging students to beat his score and become eligible for prizes when the program ends on August 31.

The waist-trimming challenge is based on a points system that rewards physical activities and healthy choices, such as in-line skating, bike riding and even car washing.

“It doesn’t have to be push-ups or sit-ups to be exercise,” explained Mike Sims, a health teacher at Oldfield Middle School in Greenlawn concerned with childhood obesity. “Right now, we’re losing a battle in terms of health in our society and it needs to change.”

Specifically, 15% of U.S. children are considered obese and another 15% are at risk of becoming obese, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. Moreover, after an obese child reaches six years of age, the probability that obesity will persist exceeds 50%, while about 70–80% of obese adolescents will remain so as adults.

“Sometimes, it’s easier to sit on the couch, eat potato chips and play video games, but healthy habits are formed at an early age,” said Raia, who’s lost five pounds so far. “There’s nothing wrong with just hanging out sometimes, but kids need to stay active.”

The shrinking assemblyman was unable to estimate how many students accepted his challenge, saying he’ll need to see how many slips are returned to his office next month. According to Sims, since the program was launched in the final weeks of the school year, teachers were unable to distribute brochures to as many students as they would’ve liked.

“Under the circumstances, we really did our best to promote the challenge,” he said. “As incentive, we decided to offer bonus points to students on a written test in the fall.

Officials at Oldfield and other schools said they might employ Raia’s challenge during the school year to include students that missed out due to the program’s ill timing.