Education Law

Addressing childhood obesity

BoardBuzz would like to commend the 179 schools that were awarded for their role in shaping the future of school health by addressing childhood obesity at the Fifth Annual Healthy Schools Programs Forum, an annual event held June 14-15 and sponsored by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Through their sustained leadership and innovation, these schools were able to encourage healthy behaviors and create a positive learning environment. In turn, they are leading the way toward eliminating childhood obesity.

Obesity is associated with adverse health problems, decreased student performance, and unhealthy behaviors among young people. To position students for success against a leading health threat, comprehensive and coordinated effort among school officials, policymakers, parents, businesses, and other community members is required. BoardBuzz hopes that recognizing and incorporating schools within collective health policy and practice initiatives will create a sustainable approach toward combating childhood obesity, as schools have the ability to both directly and effectively address its root causes.

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a joint initiative between the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation, is a leading catalyst for creating meaningful change within school health, hoping to eliminate obesity by encouraging schools across the nation to participate in the Healthy Schools Program. The Alliance supports more than 9,000 schools nationwide in promoting healthy living primarily through healthy eating and physical activity.  

The 2010 awarded schools also demonstrate that healthy changes occur across diverse school settings; for instance, over two-thirds of schools are located in lower-income communities.  Yet, these recognized schools were announced at around the same time as the release of a new comprehensive report* from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) entitled ?School Policies and Practices to Improve Health and Prevent Obesity: National Elementary School Survey Results.? This study revealed that elementary schools across the nation continue to commonly offer unhealthy nutritional choices and limited physical activity, revealing significant gaps in wellness policies and best practices to address childhood obesity.

While results from this RWJF report suggest that there is still a great need for schools to address childhood obesity and within the context of coordinated school health, BoardBuzz hopes that recognizing schools for their leadership will inspire other education leaders to foster healthy learning environments for their students and school communities.

To access further details about childhood obesity and related policy and practice development in schools, check out NSBA?s ?Childhood Obesity 101? Packet.

*Full report will be released in late summer 2010

Full post as published by BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog on July 07, 2010 (boomark / email).