State and Federal Approaches to Improving the School Food Environment

Childhood obesity is a serious national public health problem. As scientists, advocates, and policy makers begin to tackle the problem, there remain fundamental unaddressed issues that impact the efficacy of any solution. These issues can be collectively described as federalism problems. Federalism, or the division of responsibilities between the state and federal governments, has been a recurring issue in public health from emergency response to infectious disease to the coordination of chronic disease prevention programs. Just as federalism has affected previous public health efforts, it affects current efforts to improve the school food environment. This presentation will outline current attempts to improve the school food environment from federal plans to reform the National School Lunch Program to state plans to change school policies. It will explain how federalism restricts these plans and complicates their interaction. The presentation will then outline steps to properly contextualize childhood obesity as a public health problem rather than as a consumer problem. This public health approach provides the basis for a legal framework that supports practical and effective solutions to childhood obesity driven by science rather than legal doctrines unrelated to public health.