Schools Can Aid Students’ Health

Children who eat school lunches, take nutritional education classes and have limited access to soft drink and candy machines are less likely to be unhealthy, according to a study released Tuesday.

Published by the California Endowment, it suggests that the most effective way to curb childhood obesity and poor nutrition is through school-based measures, said Carmen Rita Nevarez, lead study researcher and medical director for the Public Health Institute, an independent nonprofit group based in Berkeley.

“Children spend a very large part of their day at school,” she said. “If there are a lot of junk food items available in the cafeteria, if they’re not taught basic nutrition and if they’re not getting physical education--all of these things add up to poor health.”

The study also found that children are not meeting dietary or physical activity guidelines, due to lifestyle habits: watching television, playing video games, not eating fruits and vegetables.

The data was compiled from surveys of 814 California households with children 9 to 11. Parents were asked about their children’s weight, eating habits, exercise habits and school nutrition and physical education programs.

The findings included:

* More than half of the children surveyed failed to meet recommended physical activity of moderate and vigorous exercise totaling 60 minutes each day.

* Seventeen percent of the children reported that they do not receive any physical education or gym classes at school.

* Nutrition education was linked to better eating and exercise behaviors, but only 60% reported having nutrition lessons.

* Nearly one-third of the 9- to 11-year-olds were already overweight by clinical measures or at risk for being overweight.

* Nearly 1 in 6 had access to vending machines containing soda on school campuses. Eight percent had access to vending machines with candy, chips or cookies.

* Access to snack and soda vending machines on campus was more common among children from low-income households, while access to nutritional education was more common among children from high-income households.

* Children who ate school meals were more likely to get the recommended number of servings of fruits, vegetables, milk and beans.

Robert K. Ross, president of the California Endowment, said the study is a wake-up call.

“There’s an enormous amount of work to do in this area,” said Ross, whose Woodland Hills-based organization sponsored the research. “We need to work with the schools and see how we can support their effort to provide the kids with better nutritional education and opportunities for enhancing fitness.”

Nevarez said the findings are crucial because of high rates of childhood obesity.

“If you are an overweight child, your chances of being an overweight adult are far greater,” she said. “You learn the habits as a child. And we know very clearly that being overweight and inactive leads to chronic disease.”