18 Blogs Featuring Creative Things Schools Are Doing to Combat Childhood Obesity

Kenney Myers

12 years ago

obesitychildhood It’s no secret that a growing number of school aged children are overweight or obese. Unfortunately, school budget cuts are slowly making physical education a thing of the past, so schools have had to find creative ways to combat obesity by getting kids moving more and eating better. If you’re wondering how schools are battling the bulge these days, check out these featured blog posts.

PE Classes

With more time being spent teaching to different testing standards, schools have had to take time away from PE classes and allocate that time for more classwork. That doesn’t mean that physical education is becoming extinct, though. Read these six blog entries to see how schools are keeping kids active.

Survey : Americans Expect Schools to Lead in Preventing Childhood Obesity In an effort to combat childhood obesity, schools are increasing opportunities for kids to be active during the school day.
The Role of Schools in Preventing Childhood Obesity An increase in physical activity during the day is believed to improve how well students learn, making it a vital part of the school day.
New Research Results Show Shape Up Somerville’s Success in Combating Child Obesity Adding things like a walking school bus to the kids’ daily routine is helping improve the health of kids.
Michelle Obama Seeks Corporate Support for Fight Against Childhood Obesity The first lady is enlisting help from General Mills to implement new youth fitness programs to battle the bulge.
New Program Helps Schools Combat Childhood Obesity Schools are adding family fitness nights to encourage the whole family to become active and exercise more.
Return of PE in Schools to Combat Obesity Schools that have PE every day have a positive influence in how much activity kids get in a day, which helps combat obesity.

Nutrition Classes

Many children and adults aren’t aware of all the health risks that come with being overweight. To shed light on these problems, schools are starting to play an active role in educating children and their parents on the value of good nutrition. Take a look at these six blog posts to learn how some schools are getting the word out about healthy eating.

ENC- Teacher Exchange Offers Resources to Combat Obesity Teaching children about food nutrition using the three colors on a stop light helps kids understand which foods are go foods, slow foods or whoa foods.
UM Health Program Combats Childhood Obesity in State Thanks to a grant from the Kellogg Foundation, kids are learning about the benefits of gardening and consuming nutritional foods.
Food Education to Fight Childhood Obesity Teaching children about nutrition helps them to understand how their food choices affect their lives and encourages them to eat better on their own.
School’s Wellness Effort Includes Nutrition Program This post highlights a wellness program being put in place during a parent night program where nutritious eating is taught.
Targeting Obesity in a NYC Public School: My Practicum Experience This blogger taught 1^st grade students about nutritious food and cooking.
Childhood Obesity & Testing: What Teachers Can Do By talking to parents early and educating them about the risks of childhood obesity it can help positively affect what they do at home.

Lunch Menus

School lunches have always gotten a bad rap, but the truth is that many schools can’t afford to serve quality, healthy food at a price that parents are willing to pay. Some schools have sought grants to help offset the expense of serving better foods and others have even begun growing their own gardens as a way to cut costs. Check out these six blog posts featuring creative ways schools are changing the look of the standard school lunch.

10 Truly Effective Ways to prevent Childhood Obesity in Schools Simple changes, like serving fruits instead of desserts to help satisfy a sweet tooth, can help increase the amount of produce a child eats.
How Can Concord Schools Fight Childhood Obesity? There are many different ways schools can affect healthy change, and this school has chosen to hire a chef to bring in healthy foods that appeal to the kids.
Oak Creek School Fights Childhood Obesity By serving foods that kids like and that are healthy for them, schools can introduce kids to foods they wouldn’t normally eat.
Combat Childhood Obesity Through School Food: A Policy Approach The Department of Agriculture has presented new guidelines about food served in schools, which are explored in this post.
New “Smart Snacks in Schools” Nutrition Standards are Announced from USDA New guidelines have been set about what snacks can be offered to kids during school, giving them healthier options instead of fattier fare.
School Cafeteria Joins the Fight Against Obesity Portion sizes, which have long been an issue when it comes to obesity, have been reduced for main dishes as well as for snack and dessert items.