Improving the School Nutrition Environment

1
Improving the School Nutrition Environment

• By
• Janet Jones

2
Overview

• Childhood obesity
• Dietary guidelines for children
• Link between diet and lifelong health
• Healthy People 2010
• Selection of foods in schools
• Recommendations

3
Expected Learning Outcomes

• The importance of childhood obesity and its long
  term effects into adulthood
• The recommended dietary intake for children and
  adolescents
• Current initiatives that have been put in place
  to better the school nutrition environment
• Recommendations for better selection of foods in
  school cafeterias

4
Childhood Obesity

• A medical condition that is affecting children
  and adolescents at an exponential rate.
• Will lead to diseases such as
• Hypertension
• Diabetes
• Cardiovascular disease
• According to the CDC (2010) over the past 30
  years, obesity has increased
• From 6.5 to 19.6 among 6-11 year olds
• From 5 to 18.1 among 12-19 year olds

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(2010) Childhood overweight and obesity.
Retrieved on April 23, 2010 from
http//www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/index.html M
ayo Clinic. (2010) Childhood obesity. Retrieved
on April 23, 2010 from http//www.mayoclinic.com/h
ealth/childhood-obesity/DS00698 Obesity Society.
(2010) Childhood Overweight. Retrieved on April
22, 2010 from http//www.obesity.org/information/c
hildhood_overweight.asp
5
Childhood Obesity (cont)

• Risk Factors
• Diet
• Lack of exercise
• Family history
• Family factors
• Socioeconomic factors
• Of these risk factors, we can influence diet
• Mayo Clinic. (2010) Childhood obesity. Retrieved
  on April 23, 2010 from http//www.mayoclinic.com/h
  ealth/childhood-obesity/DS00698

6
Dietary Guidelines for Children
7
Link Between Diet and Lifelong Health

• Children develop lifelong eating habits before
  the age of twelve (Haas, 1994).
• Poor diet choices can be detrimental to mental
  and physical aspects of health
• Mental
• Depression
• Low Self-esteem
• Risk for Eating Disorders
• Physical
• Type 2 Diabetes
• Hypertension
• High cholesterol
• Stroke
• Cancer
• Early puberty
• How do we stop the cycle?
• Haas, E. (1994) Revising school lunches. Nea
  Today, 13(2), 13-14.

8
Healthy People 2010

• Goals
• 1. Increase the overall quality and years of life
• 2. Eliminate health disparities
• (US Department of Health and Human Services,
  2010)
• Developed objectives to focus specifically on the
  school nutrition environment (USDA, 2009)
• United States Department of Agriculture. (2009)
  National School Lunch Program. Retrieved on
  April 21, 2010 from http//www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Lu
  nch/.
• U.S Department of Health and Human Services.
  (2010) Healthy People 2010. Retrieved on April
  22, 2010 from http//www.healthypeople.gov/default
  .htm.

9
Selection of Foods in Schools

• School lunch program
• Progress has been made toward meeting new
  nutrition standards, but still some concerns that
  need attention (USDA, 2009)
• Large majority of children not meeting dietary
  recommendations (USDA, 2009)
• United States Department of Agriculture. (2009)
  National School Lunch Program. Retrieved on
  April 21, 2010 from http//www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Lu
  nch/.

10
Selection of Foods in Schools (cont)

• Access to snacks and beverages in school
  cafeterias
• Teenagers drink more soda and fruit drinks than
  milk (USDA, 2009)
• Males are especially heavy consumers of soda and
  fruit juices --3 servings of soda and fruit
  drinks a day (USDA, 2009)
• United States Department of Agriculture. (2009)
  National School Lunch Program. Retrieved on
  April 21, 2010 from http//www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Lu
  nch/.

11
Recommendations

• Removing junk food selections from school
  cafeterias
• Replace junk food with healthy choices
• Limit number of servings students are allowed to
  purchase
• Nutritious Food Awareness

12
References

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  (2010) Childhood overweight and obesity.
  Retrieved on April 23, 2010 from
  http//www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/index.html
• Dudiak, Z. (2007) Focus on healthy eating changes
  food selection. Your Norwin. Retrieved on April
  22, 2010 from http//www.yournorwin.com/norwinstar
  /article/focus-healthy-eating-changes-food-selecti
  on. Photo by Lillian DeDomenic
• Haas, E. (1994) Revising school lunches. Nea
  Today, 13(2), 13-14.
• Mayo Clinic. (2010) Childhood obesity. Retrieved
  on April 23, 2010 from http//www.mayoclinic.com/h
  ealth/childhood-obesity/DS00698
• Obesity Society. (2010) Childhood Overweight.
  Retrieved on April 22, 2010 from
  http//www.obesity.org/information/childhood_overw
  eight.asp
• Oregon Health and Science University. (2010) Food
  Pyramid. Retrieved on April 23, 2010 from
  http//www.ohsu.edu/healthyaging/caregiving/images
  /food_pyramid.gif
• United States Department of Agriculture. (2009)
  National School Lunch Program. Retrieved on April
  21, 2010 from http//www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Lunch/.
• U.S Department of Health and Human Services.
  (2010) Healthy People 2010. Retrieved on April
  22, 2010 from http//www.healthypeople.gov/default
  .htm.

13
Additional Sources

• My Pyramid Plan http//www.mypyramid.gov/mypyramid
  /index.aspx
• The Advocate http//www.advocateweekly.com/ci_1492
  8757
• The USDA-National School Lunch Program
  http//www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Lunch/