Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions with 4.7 million youths, ages 6 to 17, now overweight or obese. Recent research in the Journal of The American Dietetic Association showed the health status of U.S. children has generally improved over the past three decades, however, the number of children who are overweight more than doubled. Reversing that trend is critical.
Nutrition profoundly affects children s ability to learn, develop and stay healthy.
There is no better time than the early years to make an impact on the lifelong eating and exercise habits that contribute to health maintenance and disease prevention. Currently most school children do not meet the USDA s recommendations, especially for the fruit, vegetable, grain and dairy groups. The partnership has developed ten keys to assist each school community in writing its own prescription for change. Ten Keys to Promote Healthy Eating in Schools Student, parents, educators and community leaders will be involved in assessing the school's eating environment, developing a shared vision and an action plan to achieve it. Adequate funds will be provided by local, state and federal sources to ensure that the total school environment supports the development of healthy eating patterns.