Childhood Obesity

Schuna has done research as to why the lunches are a major health concern and she discusses ways to resolve and/ or prevent these health issues. Health issues involving the students include obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. This can happen to anyone who does not eat healthy or exercise. Students are more vulnerable to these issues due to the lack of nutrition the schools are providing. Schools are not the only thing that needs to change the lunch foods.

Some people are also arguing that it is impossible to implement these new rules. Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic in America. It is the responsibility of the schools, and the people involved with providing the school lunch and breakfast to deal with this problem and provide healthful lunch and breakfast. The Hunger-Free Kids Act of 1995 was introduced by the Department of Agriculture to take on the problem of malnutrition in kids. Those dietary guidelines have been followed since by the schools.

8 Feb. 2012. Schanzenbach, Diane Whitmore. “Do School Lunches Contribute to Childhood Obesity?.” Journal of Human Resources 44.3 (2009): 684-709. ERIC. Web.

(2010). Parents' food choices: obesity among minority parents and children. Journal of Community Health Nursing, 27(1), 1-11. Retrieved from Health Source: Academic Edition Young, L.R., & Nestle, M. (2002). The contribution of expanding portion sizes to the U.S. obesity epidemic.

Nationally, about 17% of people under the age of 20, about 12.5 million are considered obese. School districts that serve students food that are high in calories and fat are to blame for the growing numbers of obese children. Although school lunches provide students food at minimal costs, the poor quality of food served delivers inadequate nutrition and is responsible for the rising numbers of obese minors in the United States. In order to combat this growing problem, school districts must limit student choices in the lunchroom and provide healthier food nationally. Although some school districts may argue this, it is necessary to do so as school districts in Pennsylvania and Mississippi and university studies support this claim.

Because of this the CPAG found that “in 2005 food banks reported the greatest increase in the number of people seeking help coming from working families”. For those who genuinely can’t afford to provide their children with nutritional breakfasts, Breakfast in Schools is the perfect solution to their children going to school hungry having a negative impact on their grades. “There is now a substantial body of research showing breakfast consumption contributes to a students academic and school attendance” (Rampersaud 2005). However there could be some families that would abuse this concept. They could not feed their children breakfast with the knowledge that there is a nutrition... ... middle of paper ... ... by the CPAG, shows that “the reasoning is simple: hungry children do not learn- feeding them improves their attendance, nutritional status and academic performance and behaviour”.

Introduction Will The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act recently signed into law on December 13, 2010 by President Barack Obama be able to deliver healthier meals in the schools nutrition programs or will the bill overwhelm struggling school districts with additional unfunded mandates? Schools confront difficult issues on a daily basis that affect the learning ability of their students: struggling economic conditions, students from poor families, increased food insecurity across the country, and constant pressures to increase student performance. Providing healthy meals for children, who otherwise would eat poorly or not at all, is a necessity that our country has recognized and planned for many decades. Two measures authorized permanently by Congress to address these issues are the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP). These programs provide a dietary safety net for children by ensuring that they have access to nutritionally sound meals during the school day, which result in better learning environment.

Over 4,500 students have been followed in recent research studies and these “thousands of sixth graders who participated in a school-based health program were less obese by eighth grade than a group of similar children who did not, according to a new study done for the National Institutes of Health” (Rabin). Schools need to create health programs focused on assisting all children suffering from being overweight or obese. Policies such as fitness programs, nutrition classes, and healthful meals can even impact every student by creating a strong foundation and awareness of the negative, long term effects associated with practicing unhealthy habits. Although the financial expenses would be necessary, the adaption of scho... ... middle of paper ... ...gendorf. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006.

The educational system plays a major role in children development, departments in schools worldwide are in charge of what students learn and eat while in school. The school system should prove students with healthy meals, to promote a healthy lifestyle. Obesity is the condition of being overweight, childhood obesity is now consider a major factor that leads to long and short term health effects. This disease is linked to many problems such as bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as poor self-esteem according to the Center of Disease Control Prevention. Obesity is more likely to happen because of a poor diet and little to no physical activity.

American Teacher. 90 (6), 17. Retrieved November 10, 2006, from Proquest Direct database Kubik, M. (2006, March) Study: schools contribute to childhood obesity. Hmong Times, 9 (5), 17. Retrieved November 10, 2006, from Proquest Direct database Soft drink companies pull products from schools (2006, May).