Newark Charter students celebrate their brand new fitness park in 2012//News Journal file photo
School used to be about reading and writing, mathematics and science, and finding clever excuses for not having your homework.
But these days, when nearly 30 percent of kids in the U.S. and a third of Delaware's kids are overweight or obese, many schools are stepping up to promote healthy eating and physical activity.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
Schools play a particularly critical role by establishing a safe and supportive environment with policies and practices that support healthy behaviors. Schools also provide opportunities for students to learn about and practice healthy eating and physical activity behaviors.
This is why many Delaware schools are offering healthy lunch alternatives.
Tuesday, the undersecretary of food, nutrition and consumer services at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Kevin Concannon visited Pulaski Elementary in Wilmington to recognize the school for its healthy eating efforts.
“The students at this school aren’t just eating better than students at other schools. They’re eating better than most Americans are in general,” Concannon said.
Pulaski, like other schools in the state, now offers an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. Some come from local farms through partnerships intended to help get more local produce in schools.
Healthier school lunches are now mandatory due to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which requires public schools to follow new nutritional guidelines to receive extra federal lunch funding.
And in 2010, the USDA revised their school lunch guidelines.
About a quarter of Delaware schools, including Pulaski, already meet not just those standards, but stricter requirements as part of the Healthy U.S. Schools Challenge.
And some were ahead of the curve. For example, the Smyrna School District switched to whole grains six years ago.
It is now a requirement of all schools that participate in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs to ensure at least half of the grains offered are whole grains. By next year, all grains must be whole grains. And students must take at least one serving of fruits and vegetables with their school lunch.
But healthy eating isn't the only thing schools are doing to help their students live better. Many schools are working to get more kids moving during the school day. Kids do spend a full 47 or more days at school each year and nearly seven hours each day.
Newark Charter School offers recess to middle school students - the only school in the state to do so - and opened a fitness park on campus last year.
Pulaski implemented Jammin' Minutes, where kids get up and move for a minute following morning announcements, earning recognition for the effort.
Many schools throughout Delaware are doing more than just offer recess and gym class to promote physical activity and healthier lifestyles.
It pays off not only for their students but for the schools, too, as a statewide study of the Fitnessgram program showed in December 2011.
Kids perform the PACER test for Fitnessgram//By Ginger Wall
Over the course of two years, the academic performance and behavior of Delaware public school students who participated in Fitnessgram was assessed by the state Department of Education and Nemours Health and Prevention Services.
Students performed physical tasks each day, including a run called PACER, pushups and trunk lifts. The study showed fitter kids – those who could complete the exercises within a defined, age-appropriate fitness zone – tended to score higher on standardized tests and miss fewer days of school. They were also less likely to act out at school and cause disruptions.
The Brandywine School District is hoping to make physical activity a family thing, by hosting their first elementary fitness festival on Saturday, April 20. First State Orthopaedics is sponsoring the event, which will be held from 12 until 3 pm.
Planned and hosted by Mount Pleasant Elementary, the day devoted to getting families fitter is opened to all Delaware elementary school-age students and their families.
The event is free and will offer games, activities and information about health and fitness. There will be an obstacle course designed by district physical education teachers and present will be Phillies Phitness, the Philadelphia Union mobile bus, CrossFit Kids Riverfront, Zumba kids and more. The Brandywine YMCA will also host its annual Healthy Kids Day at the festival.
Mount Pleasant Elementary is located at 500 Duncan Road, Wilmington, DE 19809.
Some facts on childhood overweight and obesity from the CDC:
- Obese youth are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. In a population-based sample of 5- to 17-year-olds, 70% of obese youth had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
- Obese adolescents are more likely to have prediabetes, a condition in which blood glucose levels indicate a high risk for development of diabetes.
- Children and adolescents who are obese are at greater risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as stigmatization and poor self-esteem.
Long-term health effects:
- Children and adolescents who are obese are likely to be obese as adultsand are therefore more at risk for adult health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. One study showed that children who became obese as early as age 2 were more likely to be obese as adults.
- Overweight and obesity are associated with increased risk for many types of cancer, including cancer of the breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, pancreas, gall bladder, thyroid, ovary, cervix, and prostate, as well as multiple myeloma and Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
