Get Active Youth
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Schools are filled with ways for children to eat unhealthy foods, from vending machines, to snack bars, schools stores to fundraisers. In 2006, 32.7% of elementary schools, 71.2% of middle schools and 89.4% of high schools had unhealthy food available onsite in addition to the cafeteria, such as a store, vending machines or a snack bar. These foods, as well as foods high in fat and salt served in the cafeteria, are contributing to one in three children being overweight or obese.
The food and drinks found in vending machines, school stores and snack bars are generally low in nutrients and high in calories, fat, sugar and sodium. The average student who consumes junk food or sugary drinks at school on a daily basis will take in 31,860 calories in a school year – that amounts to 9 extra pounds.
Parents and other concerned citizens are working to fix this problem in their schools. They’re removing vending machines from schools, they’re restructuring the cafeteria to highlight the healthier foods and they’re removing sugar loaded drinks from students’ trays – these are just a few examples.
Too many schools today don’t offer daily, quality physical education classes or other opportunities for children to be physically active; in fact 25% of children don’t get physical education classes at all. At a time when 23 million children are overweight or obese, opportunities to be active are more important than ever.
Daily, quality physical education and physical activity are critical to the health of our children, reducing obesity and its negative health consequences; (link to health consequences) but the benefits don’t stop there. The benefits follow students right back into the classroom, where regular physical activity is associated with high levels of academic performance.
Communities have recognized how valuable physical education and physical activity are to children’s health, and they’re doing something about it. Parents are appealing to the school board to increase time spent in physical education classes, they’re organizing afterschool programs that get kids moving and they’re pushing for safe routes to schools for children to walk or bike.
Wood County is partnering with the 6 public school districts in the county to tackle the obesity epidemic. We are working to create nutritional guidelines for all foods and beverages sold at schools, promote healthy snack choices and enhance nutritional education, and purchase farm-fresh produce from local producers for school lunches.
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards for Physical Education
CDC information on childhood obesity