2. Why develop a food policy related
to healthy nutrition?
Health Promotion, Disease Prevention
Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding ChildhoodObesity:
• Affects 1 in 6 children and adolescents in the United States
• Increases risk for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, bone and joint problems,
sleep apnea
• Social and psychological risk factors, such as poor self-esteem and stigmatization
• More likely to be obese as adults, which increases the risks for developing medical conditions
(https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/obesity/facts.htm)
3. Prevention can reverse the trends
Schools are in a great position to make a significant impact on health and wellness of their students
The National Center for Education Statistics estimated that about 50.1 million students would be attending
public elementary and secondary schools in the Fall of 2015 (http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372)
Students attend school 180 days a year for at least 6 ½ hours a day. We have a captive audience
Healthy Habits started early and often have greater likelihood to be carried on throughout adulthood
4. PROMOTING HEATHY FOOD CHOICES
Schools can be instrumental in
making healthy food choices an
easy choice for students and
their families.
Healthy food choices lead to
healthy students
6. If you are interested in being on the committee to develop a healthy nutrition food policy to
present to school committee, please contact the school’s health and wellness committee
chairperson at the contact information provided.
