Preventing Childhood Obesity

A little over a generation ago, the meals served in school cafeterias mirrored the four basic food groups and soft drink and candy vending machines were nowhere to be found. Beginning in the 1970s, funding got tighter and schools began to relax their standards on the types of foods routinely sold on campus. Fundraisers featuring snack foods became a way of life for schools.

Fast forward to the early 2000s: the US healthcare system and related government agencies found themselves dealing with an escalating obesity epidemic affecting Americans of all ages. The fact that childhood obesity had tripled in just 20 years was particularly concerning. In response, the government decided to refine the regulations regarding the USDA-supported school breakfast and lunch programs to improve nutrition in schools and, ideally, reduce children’s risks of diet- and weight-related diseases across the nation. This legislation’s secondary goal was to help students become accustomed to eating healthy balanced meals and leading an active lifestyle while at school. The aim was for them to carry these skills to their home life, perhaps prompting their parents to lead healthier lifestyles. This legislation was developed to help students develop into healthier adults.

The new legislation required all school districts that received federal funds to support school breakfast and/or lunch programs for children from low-income families to develop a school health policy by July 2006 and establish a SHAC (School Health Advisory Council) by the fall of 2006. These SHACs were to be made up of teachers, parents, administrators, health care experts, student advisors, and other community members.  These SHACs were responsible for learning about current food and activity programs in their local schools, understanding the goal of the new USDA school wellness legislation, and learning about their district’s School Health Policy.

Using all this information, each SHAC was responsible for developing recommendations for improving local school food and activity practices and programs for students, faculty, and staff. These recommendations are passed on to the local school superintendent and/or school board for approval.

SHAC recommendations should help put school wellness policies into action.

Some states like Michigan, New York, and Mississippi have enacted statewide legislation governing what types of foods can be sold or served in schools. Other states have charged their districts with establishing their own SHACs and developing their own intervention plans. Some communities have made significant strides toward a more healthful school environment, but many are still struggling to develop basic guidelines. Depending on where you live and if your child attends a school that receives federal school meal program subsidies, your school may or may not have an active wellness policy and active SHAC.

Key features found in schools that have made significant wellness program progress include breakfast and lunch menus that mirror the 2005 Dietary Recommendations for Americans; these new meals offer more whole grains, fruits and vegetables and less fat and sugar. Soft drinks and candy, formerly sold in vending machines and at school snack outlets, have been replaced with foods that get no more than 30% of their calories from fat, with the exception of nuts, and are low in sugar.

Many school districts have been pleasantly surprised to find students are eating vegetable boats (sliced veggies with low-fat dip), yogurt fruit parfaits, vegetable-laden stir-fry dishes, and gourmet pizzas made with whole grain crusts as fast as the food service workers can make them. These districts also put more emphasis on working physical activity into the daily school schedule. While it is too early to tell if these changes are making a dent in the obesity epidemic, they represent a promising start toward a healthier lifestyle for students and school staff.

If you are concerned about your child’s weight and/or health, contact your local school district office and learn about its Wellness Policy and ask for information on any new nutrition and activity programs it has in place. Offer to join the committee working on these efforts.