Parents, Schools Develop Innovative Programs to Encourage Healthful
Eating
Parents and teachers nationwide are coming up with creative solutions
to combat childhood obesity. Following are innovative programs that
some communities have implemented:
Fitness
for Life
Faced with statistics that say 27 percent of students in the Mountain
View-Los Altos Union High School District are overweight, school officials
have implemented a “Fitness for Life” program geared toward
freshmen and sophomores. The program customizes a year-long fitness program
for each individual student. It incorporates cardiovascular health, muscular
strength, endurance and flexibility training. School district officials
say they hope the program will encourage students to integrate a fitness
routine into their lives for the long term.
Running for a Goal (not available online)
Physical education teachers at Kennedy Middle School in Redwood City started
a running program for female students in which they ran for 3 minutes
non-stop during gym class. Each week, instructors increased the running
time by 1 minute. Students also ran a timed mile once a week. By the end
of the year, most students in the program ran a targeted 12-minute mile
-- and some students even were able to run 10-minute miles. While students
initially complained about the program, some ultimately noted that they
enjoyed watching their times go down and feeling healthier.
A
Report Card for Health
Four elementary schools in Cambridge, Mass., disseminated "report
cards" to parents with weight and fitness information for children
and tips for improved health. Parents who received the health report cards
were more likely to acknowledge their child was overweight and more inclined
to plan activities to help their child better control his/her weight.
Parent
Advocacy
Mother-of-four Maria Santa Maria formed a group in Los Angeles, "On
the Go with Nutrition and Physical Activity," to research and compile
data revealing the prevalence of diabetes and childhood obesity in her
community. The group presented information to local politicians, and
suggested solutions, such as improving local park safety, establishing
"healthy food zones," repairing water
fountains, and establishing bike trails. The group's efforts eventually persuaded
California State Senator Martha Escutia to sponsor legislation in 2001 to limit
junk food in elementary and middle schools. That legislation now is law.
Exercise
TV
Seventh graders at middle schools in Milwaukee have lowered their
fat intake and increased their physical activity by watching an interactive
Internet program and short videos that teach them how to eat well and stay
fit. The program, designed by researchers at the Marquette University's
Nursing School, encourage exercise, such as doing jumping jacks or push-ups
while watching television, and healthy eating by reading nutritional labels
and choosing fruits and vegetables for snack time.
Prizes
for Healthful Eating
Rather than restricting what's sold for lunch, some schools are opting
to give students incentives to choose healthy food. As a reward for selecting
a fruit or vegetable side dish with their entrees, students at schools
in Caerphilly, Wales, receive scratch cards that enable them to win exercise-related
prizes. And fifth graders in Lynnfield, Mass., can collect prize-winning
points for choosing nutritious "imove" foods in the lunch line.
Students earn two points for every "imove" entree and one point
for every "imove" side dish they pick. Points may be redeemed
for T-shirts (20 points), backpacks (60 points), fleece pullovers (100
points), and skateboards (160 points). The goal of the program is not
only to educate students about what they're eating, but also to make it
"hip" to pick more nutritious food options.
Healthy
Alternatives
Tired of being blamed for kids' bad eating habits, school cafeterias are
fighting back by adding nutritional information to menus and offering
samples of healthful foods in classrooms. This fall, the Mason City School
District in suburban Cincinnati will add nutritional information to weekly
menus to help both parents and students make better choices and to show
parents the job the school is doing to combat obesity. The district now
offers a side salad every day. Macaroni and cheese and pizza are made
with lower-fat cheese, and soda fountains are being replaced with juice
bars.
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