Filmmakers, who include producers Bryan Young and Elias Pate, say the U.S. Department of Education told them No Child Left Behind "in no way contributes to obesity and anyone who would claim to the contrary has been misinformed." But the way schools have responded to the law plays into it, others say.

"What we're finding more and more is this is an issue of environment. And if you create unhealthy environments, or you don't provide opportunities for there to be a healthy environment, then you're going to contribute to increased overweight and obesity," Dr. Richard Bullough, director of the Utah Department of Health's Diabetes Prevention and Control Program, told the Deseret Morning News.

The new state core curriculum recommends elementary school students get 150 minutes a week of physical activity. But some schools may put in just a fifth of that, said Wojtech.

"We've done surveys, and most teachers consider it to be important; they just either don't have the time or don't feel confident enough to accomplish a physical education task during the day," he said.

Elementary school teachers receive little or no P.E. training in college, Wojtech said.

A Murray High coach in the documentary says he sees students lacking basic motor skills for running. Others criticize what they call lax federal school lunch nutritional standards and vending machine junk food in schools that lead to unhealthy eating habits, filmmakers said.

The Utah State Board of Education has pondered vending machine sales for months and even moved toward banning junk food in them. But after Coke and Pepsi executives relayed industry efforts to phase out sugar-laden drinks for diet sodas and waters, the board backed off. The current proposal, up for a vote Friday, only requires school districts to create policies, which may or may not ban junk food.

Schools, communities and government agencies are working to address the problem, experts told the Deseret Morning News.

The State Office of Education is planning a three-day health and physical education workshop for elementary school teachers. The health department's Gold Medal Schools program has several elementary participants incorporating physical activity into the school day. Some elementaries have their own P.E. specialists, or community members trained to lead physical activity in the school day, Wojtech said.

The health department's blueprint for change aims to cut the number of overweight children by 10 percent by 2010. Efforts target the family, community, health care system, media, government and schools and include boosting pedestrian and bike routes, encouraging grocers to donate fresh produce to local food banks, developing physical activity requirements in all grades, and monitoring school foods.

But the filmmakers believe schools would get the biggest boost from legislation.

"Nothing but a law is going to get sugar out of our schools, ever," Pate said.

"We're not saying ban this stuff; we're saying, let's shuffle our priorities," Greenstreet said. "Let's show people something better. Let's educate people on what is good food."

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E-mail: jtcook@desnews.com