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Healthy Schools
Promoting Healthy Eating Behaviors: The ChallengeFive leading medical associations and the U.S. Department of Agriculture challenge schools and communities to promote healthy eating among the Nation’s students.
Many of today’s children and youth have unhealthy eating patterns that can have negative consequences for their health and education. We have a responsibility to promote knowledge, attitudes and behaviors among our school children that will develop eating patterns that improve health, intellectual development, and overall quality of life, today and into the future. To achieve this change, students, their parents and teachers, school officials, community and business leaders, and local, state, and federal program administrators must be actively involved in ensuring that school environments promote healthy eating patterns.
The American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Dietetic Association, National Hispanic Medical Association, National Medical Association, and the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) call on schools and communities to recognize the health and educational benefits of healthy eating and the importance of making it a priority in every school. At the same time, the associations are encouraging their members to provide leadership in helping schools promote healthy eating for our Nation’s children.
The recent report of Healthy People 2010 (1) and the report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2000 (2) outline significant areas for improvement in the eating behaviors of children and adolescents in the United States. These science-based reports are useful resources in advocating for school environments that will help students develop healthy eating patterns.
Health Implications
Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions with 4.7 million youths, ages 6 to 17, now overweight or obese.(3) Overweight and obesity substantially raise the risk of illness from high blood pressure; high cholesterol; Type 2 diabetes; heart disease and stroke; breast, prostate and colon cancers; and a number of other illnesses.(1) Healthy People 2010 selected overweight and obesity as one of the ten leading health indicators, citing the fact that they are major contributors to many preventable causes of death. The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee included "Aim for a healthy weight" and "Be physically active each day" among its recommendations for the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2000.(2)
The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee recommends that food choices be guided by the Food Guide Pyramid, emphasizing a variety of grains, especially whole grains, and a variety of fruits and vegetables to form the base for healthy eating. Further recommendations include food choices low in saturated fat and cholesterol and moderate in total fat; beverages and foods that limit intake of sugars; and foods with less salt.(2)