Implementing an Obesity Prevention Program in School

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In this article Hollar et al. examined the effects of an obesity prevention program in school. This study was a quasi-experimental design that took place over a two year period. It included 5 schools totaling 4588 students. Out of those 5 schools, one was a control school. The intervention strategies that were used included dietary planning, school curriculum and physical activity. Dietary improvements included adding more fruits and vegetable to their diet and by lowering saturated fats and sugary foods. School curriculum improved by teaching students, parents and staff about becoming healthier. The physical activity component improved by increasing the amount of physical activity that the students received during school hours. The students that were involved in the study were students who qualified for a free or a reduced lunch program.

The study found that implementing an obesity prevention program in school can help students to become healthier and perform better academically. All of the schools that had an intervention program decreased their BMI compared to the control school. With a decrease in BMI also came higher reading and math scores in those schools as well.

The limitations in this research included the study population not being random, limited geographic variability and not enough schools acting as controls. I found this article to be very enlightening and would be a very good source for my research. I would like to take this study and duplicate it in some of the schools that I am surrounded by.

In this article Trotter et al. examined if being disadvantaged as a child and as an adult would have a negative effect on BMI (body mass index) levels as an adult. This research article studied the correlation between c...

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