Improving the School Nutrition Environment

The Staggering Statistics of Childhood Obesity

• 2 out of every 10 children in the United States are overweight (CDC, 2009)

• Local policies and physical environment influence daily choices that affect health and our weight (Bell & Rubin, 2007)

In Order to Improve the Future of our Children

• We must:– Acknowledge the Staggering Statistics Regarding

Obesity and our Children’s Health– Take Action to Address the Poor Nutritional

Choices that are in our Children’s Schools– Address the Racial Disparities in Nutrition

Obesity Defined

Body Mass Index (BMI) Charts

The Body Mass Index Scale plots height and weight against age. If the child is above 85% they are considered obese.

Click on the KidsHealth Hyperlink below to calculate your child’s BMI

Time for Change

• “To reverse the obesity epidemic, we must change our physical and food environments to provide more opportunities for people to eat healthy foods…” (CDC, 2009)

• Given the number of hours children spend at school, this environment affects them

Implications of Poor NutritionHeart Disease Diabetes

Osteoarthritis Psychological Issues

Cancer Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Baby Boomers May Outlive Their Kids

Click on the Hyperlink below to read an article about the impact of poor nutrition on children

Poor Nutrition’s Impact on Children

• Limited food and beverage choices (e.g. foods with low calorie, sugar, fat and sodium content) can be a barrier to healthy eating and drinking.

• Portion size is twice the size of what it was in the 1990’s. – Increased calorie, fat, sodium content

at each meal

Portions Compared

20 Years Ago500 calories Today

850 calories

Racial Disparities in Childhood Obesity

• Children living in urban areas have a higher incidence of obesity.– In the Bronx, New York 18% of the youth age 12 to

19 come from low income and minority youth, particularly Hispanics and African Americans

– Prevalence of being overweight was 21.7% and prevalence of obesity was 22.5%. Boys were at higher risk of being obese than girls and those of Hispanic origin were more obese (24%) than non-Hispanic and African Americans (19%). (Isasi, Whiffen, Campbell, Florez, Freeman & Wylie-Rosett, 2011)

Some of the Causes of Childhood Obesity

• Poor nutrition– Processed foods (hot dogs, chicken nuggets)– Low fiber, high sugar, high fat foods– High calorie & low nutrition snacks (chips, pop

tarts)

• Decreased physical activity• Increased sedentary activities

(video games, television, computer)

A Quick Look at a School Menu

Age Appropriate Healthy Diet

• Vista Unified School District of California implemented a vending machine policy– eliminated less healthy food options (chips and

candy) and replaced it with yogurt, fresh fruit and vegetables. (Coalition on Children and Weight San Diego, 2007)

• St. Paul, Minnesota implemented a “Five a Day Power Plus Program” (Perry et.al., 1998)

– Increased availability of fruit and vegetable variety to children increased consumption significantly.

Intervention for Childhood Obesity

• Seattle, 2004: The Seattle School Board approved nutrition-related policies designed to provide healthy and affordable food and beverage options. (Seattle Public Schools, 2004)

– Result: Soda, juice and sports drink sold in vending machines and school stores at higher price than bottled water.

Stakeholders and/or Organizations that Potentially Could Promote

Good Nutrition• Student Government• Parent - Teacher Organizations• Food Distributors • School Nurse

Action Plan

• Need to evaluate school lunch program at local level

• Need to enlist support from stakeholders• Need to offer ideas of “what a healthy lunch

and snack could look like”• Need to work along side of school

nutritionist to promote positive change

References• Bell, J. & Rubin, V. (2007). Why place matters : Building a Movement for Healthy Communities. Oakland,

CA: PolicyLink.• Center for Disease Control (2009). Recommended community strategies and measurements to prevent

obesity in the United States: Implementation and Measurement Guide. Retrieved from: www.cdc.gov

• Coalition on Children and Weight San Diego (2007). A call to action: Childhood obesity action plan for San Diego County. San Diego, CA: Our Community Our Kids.

• Colonial School District, 2011. April lunch menu. Retrieved from: www.colonia.k12.de.us/docs/k-5.pdf• Isasi, C., Whiffen, A., Campbell, E., Florez, Y., Freeman, K. & Wylie-Rosett, J., 2011. High prevalence of

obesity among inner-city adolescent boys in the Bronx, New York: Forgetting our boys. Preventing Chronic Disease 8 (1) Retrieved from: www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2011/jan/pdf/10_0009.pdf

• KidsHealth (2011). KidsHealth BMI Calculator. Retrieved from: http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/growth/bmi_charts.html

• Ogden, C., Carroll, M. & Flegal, K. (2008). High body mass index for age among U.S. children and adolescents, 2003 -2006. Journal of the American Medical Association 299(20) 2401 – 2405.

• Perry, C., Bishop, D., Taylor, G., Murray, D., Mays, R., Dusovitz, B. (1998). Changing fruit and vegetable consumption among children: The 5-a-Day Power Plus Program in St. Paul, MN. American Journal of Public Health 88(4) 603-609.

• Seattle Public Schools, (2004). Distribution and sales of competitive foods, board adopted procedure (No. E 13.01). Seattle, WA: Author.

• Warner, J. (2010). Baby boomers may outlive their children. Retrieved from: http://children.webmd.com/news/20100409/baby-boomers-may-outlive-their-kids