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Child Health and Nutrition - Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Time: 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM ET
"Making sure children understand the importance of eating right and being active is critical to helping them lead healthy lives…we must continue to provide students with the information they need to make good choices when it comes to food and exercise."
-Margaret Spellings, U.S. Secretary of Education
Research confirms what parents and teachers have long known: students who are well nourished and physically fit are more productive in the classroom and happier at home. Healthful eating and exercise habits promote cognitive development and academic achievement in children, in addition to enabling a wide range of health benefits—like lowering the risk of disease and obesity—that can enhance students’ lives now and in the future. Conversely, unhealthy choices can burden children with short- and long-term health problems and make it difficult for them to succeed in school. Today, bad health habits plague our children like never before. According to recent reports:
- The percentage of young children who are overweight has more than doubled since 1980;
- Obese children have shown an alarming increase in the incidence of Type 2 diabetes;
- Overweight adolescents have a 70 percent chance of having weight problems as adults; and
- Unhealthy eating and inactivity are linked to chronic disease and obesity, resulting in 300,000 deaths per year.
The good news is that America is responding to this emerging crisis: the Department of Agriculture, through the reauthorized Child Nutrition Act and on the basis of its updated “Food Pyramid” nutritional guidelines, is building awareness about healthy eating, providing wholesome foods to America’s schools, and encouraging local wellness policies in districts across the country; the U.S. Department of Education is keeping students active and fit through its Carol White Physical Education program; and recently, the soda industry agreed to remove all of its sugary sodas from the nation’s public schools.
The June edition of Education News Parents Can Use will look closely at the ways in which state and federal agencies are working with schools and families to promote healthy, active lifestyles in students. The discussion will answer such questions as:
- How healthy are the nation’s youth? What is the federal government doing to support schools and families in promoting healthy habits in children?
- What does the research say about the link between nutrition, fitness and learning?
- What are the current federal nutritional guidelines and policies—including the new food pyramid—and how do these help schools and parents to keep children healthy, fit and successful?
- How can parents encourage a lifelong commitment to health and fitness in their children?
- How can they ensure that their children eat right and stay active during the summer?
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Permission: Programs produced by the U.S. Department of Education are in the public domain. Use, duplication, and distribution are free and unrestricted. Thank You!
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