Discourage extended periods of inactivity (periods of two or more hours).
Provide at least 150 minutes each week of physical education classes for elementary school students and at least 225 minutes each week for middle and high school students for the entire school year.
Ensure that students are moderately to vigorously active in physical education classes for at least 50 percent of the time.
Encouraging Lifetime Physical Activity
Provide daily recess periods of at least 20 minutes for all elementary school students.
Provide physical activity breaks during classroom hours.
Encourage parents and community members to institute programs that support physical activity, such as a walk-to-school program.
The complete model policy is available at www.actionforhealthykids.org. Reprinted with permission.
The pilot study found no negative impacts on vending machine or cafeteria sales once healthier options were offered. In fact, sales in some schools increased with the more healthful selections. The Healthy Food Sales and Schools Act, which has been introduced in the Arizona legislature, proposes that all schools be required to implement nutrition standards on the basis of those recommended in the initial Healthy School Environment Model Policy created by Arizona Action for Healthy Kids. A bill addressing physical education standards has also been introduced.
Several states have worked to create and disseminate nutritional standards for schools. In Idaho, the Action for Healthy Kids team developed "Idaho Recommendations for Promoting a Healthy School Nutrition Environment." The guidelines recommend that all foods and beverages available on school campuses and at school events meet USDA dietary guidelines. The state superintendent of public instruction and the state board of education endorsed the team's recommendations and distributed them to school district leaders throughout the state. Sixteen of Delaware's 19 school districts agreed to adopt health standards, beginning with the 2004–2005 school year. In Massachusetts, statewide distribution of nutritional guidelines will affect 1 million students.
Students themselves are concerned about these issues. In a 2002 poll conducted by Action for Healthy Kids, 81 percent of the 1,308 student leaders surveyed believed that schools should make eating healthy a priority, and 72 percent believed that schools should make physical activity more of a priority. In Massachusetts, the Action for Healthy Kids team is working in collaboration with the Department of Education student advisory group to educate student governments on creating nutrition and physical activity policies.
The team approach can often open doors for especially committed individuals, providing support and resources that wouldn't otherwise be available. For example, a minigrant provided by the Minnesota Action for Healthy Kids team enabled a physical education teacher to enhance her school's physical education program by weaving more activity into students' daily lives. Jo Zimmel started using pedometers at Garlough Elementary School in West St. Paul, Minnesota, to obtain a baseline measure of kids' activity levels while at school. She developed strategies to increase activity during school hours and taught kids as well as teachers how to find time for extra movement each day. At the conclusion of the program, Zimmel will evaluate the students' progress, using the pedometers to measure their post-activity levels.
Schools need not act alone to tackle the issues of good nutrition and physical activity. They can encourage community partners to sponsor an extracurricular fitness program or draw on grandparents to help start a walking club. Schools will benefit as both achievement scores and attendance improve. Students will benefit as they perform and behave better in school and experience more energy and fewer illnesses. Schools not only need to teach good eating habits and healthy levels of physical activity, but they also need to model and reinforce these habits every day throughout the building.
Aims of Education
Education … is a process of living and not a preparation for future living.
—John Dewey
What Schools Can Do
Schools can take a number of steps to promote student health.
Form a school health advisory council. Principals, superintendents, and board members do not have to change schools on their own. Instead, they need to engage a group of volunteers—including parents, students, medical professionals, business professionals, school administrators, youth group leaders, and law enforcement officials—to help conceive and implement nutrition education and physical activity programs that make sense for the local school community.
Develop a comprehensive wellness policy. With the 2004 passage of the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act, all schools that participate in federal school meal programs will need to develop a local wellness policy. This road map needs to include guidelines for all foods and beverages sold in school as well as guidelines for teaching students how to make good decisions about what they eat. The policy must include goals for increasing students' physical activity and school strategies for promoting student wellness. Policies should include recommendations for staff training on developing nutrition education curriculums and for new approaches in physical education. In addition, policies should address program implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
Integrate physical activity and nutrition education into the regular school day. Teachers can start classes with fun calisthenics or dancing and can incorporate nutrition information and physical activity into reading, writing, math, science, and other subjects.
Incorporate nutrition education, healthy snacks, and physical activity into after-school programs. Students who stay after school can do more than finish homework, play board games, and watch television. Time should be set aside for physical activities that engage students in fun and innovative ways. In addition, after-school programs should provide access to healthful snacks and hands-on opportunities to learn about food and nutrition. Turnkey programs, including one sponsored by Action for Healthy Kids and the National Football League, can assist schools with implementation.
Encourage staff to model healthy lifestyles. A wellness program for faculty and staff can enhance school effectiveness by strengthening morale, reducing absenteeism, and cutting insurance costs. By exercising regularly and eating healthful foods, staff can also set a powerful example for students.
By taking these fundamental steps, schools can create healthy environments and, at the same time, promote student achievement.
Resources for Improving the School Health Environment
Model school-based approaches, a school wellness policy tool, statistics relating to childhood nutrition and physical activity, and information on joining a state team are available at www.actionforhealthykids.org.
For an overview of issues relating to foods and beverages in schools and for strategies to improve school health environments, read Making It Happen: School Nutrition Success Stories. To download a free copy, go to www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offer a tool that schools can use to identify the strengths and weaknesses of nutrition policies and programs and to develop an action plan for improvement. School Health Index: A Self-Assessment and Planning Guide is available at http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/shi.
References
Action for Healthy Kids. (2004). The learning connection: The value of improving nutrition and physical activity in our schools. Available: