Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Heidi Himler, BS and Deborah S. Ballard-Reisch, PhD. School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Reno, MS 274, Reno, NV 89557-0036, 775-771-0186, himler1@charter.net

Childhood obesity is a national epidemic leading to earlier onset and increased disease prevalence including dental carries and Type II Diabetes. Specifically, the number of young children who are overweight has doubled in the last 20 years while the number of overweight adolescents has tripled (Team Nutrition/USDA, 2005). According to the CDC (2005), approximately 15 percent of children and adolescents are now overweight. Concern with this epidemic has coupled with a national concern regarding competitive foods in school environments which countermand policies implemented to promote healthy nutrition in schools. Competitive foods may be defined as any item sold in opposition to the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs (USDA, 2003). These food items generally contain excess fat, sugar and calories. For example, in 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicated that 43% of elementary schools, 73.9% of middle schools and 98.2% of senior high schools have vending machines which dispense soda, pastries, potato chips, and candy accessible to students throughout the day. This presentation is a case study analysis of 20 selected state and local school food policies/practices designed to identify components and develop a model for exemplary school food policy/programs. Exemplary school food policies/programs are those that successfully limit access to competitive foods and/or increase access to healthier food choices. A working model was created to aid in the development and implementation of exemplary policies/programs that can be tailored to meet the needs of specific venues.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Evaluate best practices in exceptional food policies/programs at state and local levels
• Identify components of a working model for an exceptional school food policy/program
• Apply the components of the working model to local venues

Keywords: Food and Nutrition, School Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No