Transcript How Schools Can Help Prevent Childhood Obesity

“It is quite likely that children
will continue to become fatter
unless we make
a concerted effort
to create an environment
that promotes
a healthy lifestyle.”
California Obesity Prevention Plan
• How can schools help?
– Address the 8 components of
coordinated school health:
• Health education
• Physical education
• Parent/community/church involvement
• Nutrition services
• Health services
• Psychological/counseling services
• Safe and healthy school environment
• Health promotion for staff
What else can schools do?
• Provide access to healthy foods and
beverages
• Provide free access to fresh drinking water
in eating areas
• Limit access to unhealthy foods and
beverages on school grounds
• Provide quality nutrition and health
education in schools and before-and-afterschool program.
• Use alternatives to foods and beverages in
fundraisers, celebrations, and incentives
Additionally . . .
•
Provide opportunities for
physical activity before, during, and
after school for preschool- and
school- aged youth. Require that
students spend at least 50% of P.E.
class time in moderate to vigorous
physical activity
– Encourage students to be active 30-60
minutes a day outside of school hours at
least 3 days a week.
California Childhood Obesity
Prevention Act
• Signed into law on
2003; updated
2010
• Sets nutrition
standards for all
beverages sold on
elementary, middle
and junior high
campuses
Elementary Schools
• Limits the sale of beverages to:
 water
 milk – either fat free or low fat
 100% fruit juices or fruit based drinks
with no less than 50% fruit juice and no
added sweeteners
• Sale of soda-type beverages is permitted
for fundraising activities if pupils sell the
products off school grounds or on school
grounds at least 30 minutes after the end
of the school day.
Middle and Junior High
Permitted Beverages
• Water
• Milk –fat free or low fat
• 100% Fruit Juice or fruit based
drinks with no less than 50% fruit
juice and no added sweeteners
• Electrolyte replacement beverages
with no more than 42 grams of
added sweetener per 20-oz serving
Middle and Junior High
Schools
• Sale of soda-type beverages is prohibited
from 30 minutes before school to 30
minutes after school
• Permitted beverages may be sold
(including from vending machines) from
30 minutes before school to 30 minutes
after school
• Soda-type beverages may be sold for
fundraising during and at the location of
an event after the end of the school day at
least 30 minutes after the end of the
school day.
Snacks standards:
• Not more than 35% of its total calories from fat (except
legumes, seeds, nuts, eggs, vegetables, and cheese)
• Not more than 10 percent of its total calories from saturated
fat.
• Not more than 35 percent of its total weight should be
composed of sugars (excluding sugars occurring naturally
in fruits, vegetables, and dairy ingredients)
•Not more than 175 calories per item (Elementary)
•Not more than 250 calories per item (Jr. and High Schools)
Fruits and vegetables should be offered.
Fact Sheets and Background
Obesity and Other Diet-Related
Diseases in Children
• Heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes are responsible
for two-thirds of deaths in the United States.
• One quarter of children ages 5 to 10 years show early
warning signs for heart disease
• Early signs of atherosclerosis
• Incidence of type 2 diabetes in adolescents increased tenfold between 1982 and 1994.
• Diabetic complications like limb amputations, blindness,
kidney failure, and heart disease will develop at younger
ages.
Unhealthy eating habits
often begin in childhood
• Children’s calorie intake increased by
approximately 80 to 230 extra
calories per day.
• Only 2% of children meet the
recommendations for a healthy diet
from the Food Guide Pyramid.
Childhood Obesity
• Obesity rates have doubled in
children and tripled in
adolescents over the last two
decades.
• Only 2% of California’s
adolescents have eating
habits that meet national
dietary recommendations.
• Only 23% of pupils in grades
5, 7, and 9 are physically fit.
• Obesity increases the risk of
high blood cholesterol, high
blood pressure, and diabetes
while still in childhood.
• Overweight and obesity can
result in negative social
consequences
Additional facts
• Poor nutrition and physical
inactivity account for more
preventable deaths (28%) than
anything other than tobacco—
• 300,000 deaths in the U.S. per
year are currently associated
with obesity and overweight.
• Annual hospital costs for treating
obesity-related diseases in
children rising
• The total direct and indirect
costs attributed to overweight
and obesity amounted to 117
billion dollars in the year 2000.
• Each additional daily serving of
sugar-sweetened soda increases
a child’s risk for obesity by 60%.
• Three out of four American high school students do not eat the
recommended 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
• Soft drink consumption doubled over the last 30 years.
• Consumption of soft drinks can displace low-fat milk and 100% juice
from children’s diets.
• Teenage boys consume twice the recommended amount of sugar each
day. Teenage girls consume almost three times the recommended
amount of sugar.
Vs.
• Girls who drink colas are 5x’s more likely to
develop bone fractures; girls who drink other
carbonated beverages are 3x’s more likely to
suffer bone fractures than nonconsumers of
carbonated beverages.
• Decreased milk consumption means that
children are no longer getting required
amounts of calcium in their diets.
• Milk is an important source of calcium to help
children build strong bones.
• Sugared soda also increases the risk of dental
caries and the low pH of soda can cause tooth
erosion.
•The most common items for sale in vending
machines, school stores, and snack bars.
• Children’s calorie intake increased by
approximately 80 to 230 extra calories per day.
• Teens snacking more than they used to.
• Soft-drink consumption by children increased 40% between 1989
and 1996.
• For each additional can or glass of soda or juice drink a child
consumes per day, the child's chance of becoming overweight
increases by 60%.
• Soft drinks displace needed consumption of low-fat milk and 100%
juice in children’s diets.
• Children and adolescents who are obese miss about 4 school
days a month.
• Today children consume twice as much soft drinks as milk.
The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent
and Decrease Overweight and Obesity 2001
recommends that
"individuals and groups
across all settings …
[adopt] policies specifying that
all foods and beverages
available at school
contribute toward eating patterns
that are consistent with
the Dietary Guidelines for Americans."
Goals for Improving School
Foods and Beverages
• Set nutrition standards for all foods and beverages sold at school
− Limit the sale and availability of soft drinks, fruit “drinks” and “ades”
(Fruitopia, Snapple, etc.), sports drinks, and other sugary drinks.
• Improve the nutritional quality and "kid-appeal" of school meals.
− Help schools to meet the USDA’s nutrition standards for school
meals.
− Promote and serve more whole grains and fruits and vegetables.
• Reduce children’s intake of saturated fat.
• Strengthen nutrition education in schools.
• Replace fundraisers that sell candy or other junk food with
healthy alternatives.
• Give children enough time to eat.
• Oppose your school entering into an exclusive soft drink
contract.
• Encourage parents and kids to pack healthy lunches.
• Keep campuses closed during lunch.
• Reduce junk-food marketing on school campus.
• Keep brand-name fast food out of school cafeterias.
• Offer healthy foods and beverages at
school functions, school parties, and staff events.
Summary of Recommended
Nutrition Standards for Foods and
Beverages Sold at School
Nutrition standards for all foods and beverages sold or served at school might
include:
Beverages that may be sold or served at school:
• Fruit-based drinks that contain at least 50 percent fruit juice and that do not
contain added sweeteners.
• Water.
• Low-fat or fat-free milk
Beverages that may not be sold or served at school:
• Soda pop, sports drinks, punches, and iced teas.
• Fruit-based drinks that contain less than 50 percent real fruit juice or that
contain added sweeteners.
• Drinks containing caffeine
 Selling low-nutrition foods in schools
contradicts nutrition education and sends
children the message that good nutrition
is not important.
 The school environment should reinforce
nutrition education in the classroom and
model healthy behaviors.