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(HealthNewsDigest.com) August 25, 2011 – September is synonymous with back to school and it’s also National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. School is the place where young people spend the most time, aside from home. Students consume up to 50 percent of their daily calories while on campus and are often in attendance for before and after school programs, in addition to their required classes. Therefore, schools are an essential setting for establishing healthy habits in young people that help combat childhood obesity, like nutritious eating and regular physical activity.
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a national non-profit founded by the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation to combat childhood obesity, offers parents discussion topics and questions for administrators and teachers to help ensure that health is a priority at their child’s school.
Are there options for daily physical activity? Ask about formal physical education (PE), minutes of recess, and physical activity breaks throughout the day. The Alliance for a Healthier Generation recommends at least 20 minutes of recess every day and 60 minutes of PE per week for elementary school students and at least 90 minutes of PE each week for middle school. More is even better.
Are healthy meals, snacks and beverages available? Check out the school vending machine and confirm that healthy options such as water and prepackaged fruit are available and whether fruits and vegetables are served as part of meals and snacks. Find out if school fundraisers rely on sales of unhealthy snacks and suggest healthy alternatives like walk-a-thons.
How can I help? Is there a school wellness council or committee that consults with faculty, administrators, parents and students? Find out if you can help support that group or serve on the council yourself.
Asking questions like these can spark dialogue between parents, teachers and administrators that inspires positive change in the health of students. Follow up these questions with individual visits to faculty members and volunteer to encourage a healthier environment for children at school.
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation offers free resources and expert advice for anyone interested in building a healthy school campus. Join the Alliance’s Healthy Schools Program at www.HealthierGeneration.org.
About the Alliance for a Healthier Generation
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation works to address one of the nation’s leading public health threats – childhood obesity. The goal of the Alliance is to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity by 2015, and to empower kids nationwide to make healthy lifestyle choices. Founded in 2005 by the American Heart Association and William J. Clinton Foundation, the Alliance works to positively affect the places that can make a difference to a child’s health: homes, schools, doctor’s offices and communities. For more information please visit: HealthierGeneration.org.
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