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School-Based Prevention of Childhood Obesity

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School-based Prevention of Childhood Obesity
Issue
With half of all school-age children (age 2-19) identified as Obese or Overweight (Institute for Alternative Futures, 2008, p. 1) the issue of unhealthy weight has become a critical concern. The market has failed to foster among children the habits required to maintain healthy weight. Therefore, it is essential that the local schools implement programs designed to reduce this occurrence. Specifically, the school district should focus on: 1) healthy eating education, 2) physical activity among students, 3) an emphasis on nutrition in meals offered to students.
Background
Obesity is widely recognized as one of the USA's leading public health problems. “Body Mass Index (BMI), which is a calculated value based on calculations using weight and height, is used to differentiate between the overweight and the obese. Adults with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 are defined as overweight; adults with a BMI of 30 or above are considered obese.” (Buckle, 2011) Obese and overweight people experience chronic illness, poor health, and more than 100,000 preventable deaths each year. For the average affected individual, obesity has a much greater impact on health status and health care costs than either smoking or heavy drinking.
In general, it can be say that root causes of Childhood Obesity are: 1) Families are living in poverty: Low-income communities have the highest rates of overweight and obesity. Low-income communities are often underserved by grocery stores and frequently have fewer places that are safe for children to play. 2) Children do not have access to safe places to play and do not have enough opportunities for physical activities: Most children do not get the required amount of physical activity. A lack of safe places to play outside, community infrastructures that do not support walking and biking as a

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