Growing girth: Childhood obesity is becoming a serious problem in Utah

"We're not inclined in this state to mandate or regulate behavior," said Sundwall, the head of the state health department.

The bill died a slow death.

The best Jones has been able to do is get a resolution passed in 2005 encouraging schools, health-care professionals and community groups to develop wellness policies to reduce obesity in children and adolescents.

So lawmakers won't touch the issue, and neither will state education leaders.

"It's a huge issue, and one that the state board has talked about," Theurer said. "The state board is not totally ignoring it, but as far as taking huge steps, we aren't really doing that."

Like lawmakers, Theurer said board members believe it is up to individual schools and districts to decide whether to offer junk food in their corridors or not.

One school district is filling vending machines with healthy fare. Wasatch School District's nutrition policy includes vending machines filled with Winder Dairy products.

Some schools are doing more than others. The Gold Medal School Initiative is a partnership between the Utah Department of Health, the State Office of Education, and the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC). It is designed to help schools make policies and programs that give students and staff more physical activity and a focus on nutrition.

Between 2005 and 2006, the program reached 65,669 students. About 3,000 teachers and 138 schools participated.

Some schools, like Greenville Elementary School in Logan, lead the charge with softball games, fitness contests, expanded physical education programming and lots of health talk and encouragement. "We have something active going on here every single day," said Principal Joel Allred.

Purdy started the Youth Personal Training Camp for kids 11 to 17 at the Gene Fullmer Fitness and Recreation Center in West Jordan. Every Tuesday and Thursday, kids like 13-year-old Austin Kimberlin, who will be an eighth-grader at Bennion Junior High, work through a grueling series of miles, exercises and sports drills with Purdy and Kameron Shepherd. "I was kind of out of shape and I didn't want to get too big," Kimberlin said.

He's 150 pounds and about 5 feet 3 inches tall. About a year ago, he started gaining weight. "I felt bad. I felt big."

"My friend called me fat a-- so much, I thought it was my name."

Now he can run a mile and a half without stopping. He's lost 10 pounds. "And I think I'm in pretty good shape," he smiles.

Shelby Abeyta, 12, is in the class, too. "I wasn't really, really heavy, but I couldn't do certain things at school," she said.

"And kids are mean," she says simply.

So what else is Utah doing about the problem?