Health and Wellness
by Judy Magner
April 05, 2006
The District Wellness Policy will provide a healthy nutritional school environment for all students grades K to 12.
There are six components of a healthy school nutrition environment:
1. A commitment to nutrition and physical activity
2. Quality school meals
3. Other healthful food options
4. Pleasant eating experiences
5. Nutrition education
6. Marketing healthful food and beverages.
A healthy school environment gives students consistent, reliable health information and ample opportunity to use it.
Why should schools get involved?
Good nutrition during the school years is vitally important for helping children grow strong, succeed in school, and establish healthy habits for a lifetime. Sadly, the current eating habits of some American children are falling short of the mark.
More than 60 percent of children and adolescents in the United States eat too much fat and saturated fat and not enough fruits and vegetables. Only 39 percent of children eat enough fiber (found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains). Eighty-five percent of adolescent females do not consume enough calcium. Over the past 25 years, consumption of milk, the largest source of calcium, decreased 36 percent among adolescent females. At the same time, average daily soft drink consumption almost doubled among adolescent girls, increasing from 6 to 11 ounces, and almost tripled among adolescent boys, 7 to 10 ounces. Between18 and 20 percent of calories consumed by children and adolescents come from added sugar. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans express concern that consuming excess calories from foods high in added sugars may contribute to weight gain or lower consumption of more nutritious foods.
What are the effects of poor eating habits?
Poor eating habits may prevent American children from reaching their full potential. For example, research suggests, that skipping breakfast can affect children's intellectual performance. Studies also have shown that students who participated in a school breakfast program were more likely to improve their grades, classroom behavior, and psychological well -being than their peers who did not participate in the program.
Poor eating habits, along with physical inactivity, contribute to obesity and other serious health problems. The prevalence of overweight among children aged 6 to 11 years has more than doubled in the past 20 years, increasing from 7 percent in 1980 to 16 percent in 2002 and rising. Overweight among adolescents aged 12 to 19 has tripled in the same time period, rising from 5 percent to 16 percent.
These are just some of the reasons schools are establishing Wellness Policies. The district policy will address, Nutrition, Nutrition Education and Physical Activity. It is our goal to create a healthy educational environment, committed to life long learning and healthy living by teaching students to
Be physically active every day;
Eat a nutritious diet;
Make healthy choices.
(Some information for this article came from USDA Team Nutrition and the CDC booklet Making It Happen.)
