S CHOOL NUTRITION ENVIRONMENT : H EALTHY OR UNHEALTHY ?? LaChaunta Washington

Audience Glynn County school board Parents Teachers Cafeteria employees Coastal Health District Purpose Improving primary and secondary schools’ nutrition environment Cafeteria Vending machines Classroom parties Concession stands

E XPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES Child and adolescent overweight/obesity statistics Nutrition standards and “healthy” foods Schools’ role in promoting healthy eating Tips for helping parents and teachers integrate nutrition into students’ everyday life Creative ideas for getting students to “like” healthy foods

O VERWEIGHT /O BESITY STATISTICS  Inadequate nutrition and lack of physical activity  : 13% increase in male and female children ages 6-19  Economic cost: $117 billion in 2000 (Wechsler, McKenna, Lee, & Dietz, 2004, p. 5)  Leads to other health issues: diabetes, high blood pressure/cholesterol, social problems  Overweight children = Overweight adults

FOOD PYRAMID

N UTRITION STANDARDS  Caloric expenditure should equal caloric intake  9 servings of fruits and vegetables  Focus on whole grains  Milk keeps bones strong  Meats & beans = proteins = energy

S CHOOLS ’ ROLE  All children will go to school at some point in their lives  “Schools provide opportunities to practice healthy eating.” (CDC, 1996, p. 9)  Coordinated School Health Program

S AMPLE LUNCH MENU Example 1Example 2

Set the example “Show” the child the way Set limits Stop blaming the child Choose health over convenience Cut down on eating out especially fast food Active learning Allow students to taste “healthy” foods Help students own up to eating behaviors Focus on positives ParentsTeachers

C REATIVE IDEAS  Smoothies  Blind testing  Healthy food building  Fast food vs. Healthy food

F URTHER READING Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (June 1996). Guidelines for school health programs to promote lifelong healthy eating. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 45(RR-9), pp Georgia Action for Healthy Kids - main main Making it Happen: School Nutrition Success Stories Stallings, V. A. & Yaktine, A. L. [Editors]. (2007). Nutrition Standards for Foods in School: Leading the Way Toward Healthier Youth. Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press.

REFERENCES 1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2008). Health, United States, 2008 with special feature on the health of young adults. Retrieved January 4, 2009, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (June 1996). Guidelines for school health programs to promote lifelong healthy eating. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 45(RR-9), pp Power, T. G., Bindler, R. C., Goetz, S., & Daratha, K. B. (Jan. 2010). Obesity prevention in early adolescence. Journal of School Health, 80(1), pp Retrieved January 4, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database. 4. United States Department of Agriculture. (2009). Inside the pyramid. Retrieved January 6, 2009, from United States Department of Health and Human Services & Department of Agriculture. (2005). Chapter 5: Food groups to encourage. Dietary Guidelines for Americans [online]. Retrieved January 10, 2009, from hapter5.htm 6. Wechsler, H., McKenna, M. L., Lee, S. M., & Dietz, W. H. (Dec. 2004). The role of schools in preventing childhood obesity. Retrieved January 10, 2009, from s_obesity.pdf