School Wellness Could Do More To Fight Childhood Obesity

[1] Journalistic Source: Mainstream

Abbot, Charles. “Streamline access to school meals: USDA’s Vilsack.” Reuters 23 Sept. 2009.

Part 1: Source analysis

Reuters is an online global news agency that provides current, crucial information and

news services for multimedia stations around the world. Reuters’ publisher is Thomson Reuters,

located in New York City, and boasts the world’s largest international news agency. Ranked 40th

in the Top 100 Global Brands by BusinessWeek (www.businessweek.com), Thomson Reuters

provides businesses and professionals with intelligent information on financial services and legal

information. Charles Abbot has been a reporter for Reuters since February 2009 and mainly

focuses on political issues pertaining to the White House administration and Congress legislature

(blogs.reuters.com).

Part 2: Main assertions

In the article by Abbott, he discusses the Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s desired

change for the US school lunch program. Vilsack believes that to improve childhood nutrition in

schools, lower-income children should have easier access to free or reduced-priced meals. The

current system has too much paper work and needs to be changed, stated Vilsack, asserting the

government is not adequately helping student wellness. Other things that need to improve

according to Vilsack are the nutrition of the school meals, the removal of sugary drinks in

vending machine, emphasis on exercise, and increase in education on healthy living. Abbott also

wrote that current child nutrition programs cost $21 billion but are due for an increase. President

Obama proposed an increase of $1 billion in funding, but no source of funding has been

identified and it appears Congress will not approve the additional funding. Abbot asserts that the

government underfunds student health programs correlating with lack of change in wellness.

1

Part 3: Strength and weaknesses in logic

Abbot provides great resources to what Secretary Vilsack wants to do with the lunch

program. This strength underlines the importance of the article. Vilsack wants to see change so

children have easier access to lunches and he wants these lunches to be healthy. Facts like the

cost of current nutritional programs and the prospect of further funding gives great evidence and

is another strong point. Even though Abbot gives great information on Vilsack, he does not

address any issues that he brings up. Where is the background information on Vilsack’s claims?

Removal of sugary drinks and breaking barriers of paperwork need further investigation and

perhaps statistics that prove the removal or improvement would fix the problems. Weakness in

the article comes from there. Another downfall of Abbot is that he is primarily a political

reporter and he does not cover health and science. His main focus is primarily on administrations

and their laws instead of schools addressing nutrition and childhood obesity.

Part 4: Comparisons and contrasts

Abbot’s report of Vilsack’s desire for governmental change to help student health agrees

with the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization of 2004 [17], which underlines governmental

law for school wellness as the answer to childhood obesity. The assertion that government

intervention as the answer to school health contrasts Okie [13], who believes schools’ are the

individual power will solve the childhood obesity epidemic.

Part 5: Use in essay

I will use this source in my first subissue to describe how wellness policies cannot be

standardized because there is a lack of support and funding for program improvements from

Congress.

2

[2] Journalist Source: Mainstream

Perez-Brennan, Tanya. “Grants back effort to put obese kids on healthier path.” The Boston Globe 9 Oct. 2008: WEST Pg. Reg1.


The Boston Globe is a highly respected daily print newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts

mainly covering news business (www.ulrichsweb.com). The Globe is owned by The New York

Times Company that had revenues of $2.9 billion in 2008 from over 15 daily newspapers

(www.boston.com). Perez-Brennan was a Globe Correspondent from 1999 until May 2009; she

focuses on the region of Framingham and its Brazilian immigrant community. She has also

worked for other newspapers like the Florida Times-Union with focuses on health and the

Hispanic community (jacksonville.com).


Perez-Brennan writes about the $20,000 grants given by the MetroWest Community

Health Care Foundation to several Massachusetts communities and asserts this is the key to

encouraging healthy eating and increasing exercise in young students. The communities range in

uses of the money. Natick has a 12-week nutrition and trainer program for 12-16 students while

the program Shape Up in Somerville has created an initiative to fix city parks, create walking

paths, and increase money spent on locally grown food. Grants have also allowed Northborough

officials to conduct a study on the environment, school health, food, recreation, and after-school

activities of the town. A member of the American Academy of Pediatrics said that she is excited

that communities have begun to deal with the problem of childhood obesity. Grants help the

childhood obesity problem, but resources to educate parents need to be included, according to

one of the schools nutritionist instructors, so communities come together.

3

http://www.boston.com/


Perez-Brennan devotes a lot of space in her article about how communities used the

different grants, but something she left out was how these grants were even rewarded. This

weakness highlights the fact that it seems high-class Massachusetts’s neighborhoods reap all of

the profit when poor communities throughout the country need assistance also. Metro-West’s

distribution of grants is not explained, which makes it seem that these funds are not awarded, but

given to communities can produce the best results. Yet, even with her lack of accreditation of

resources, Perez writes a story of communities bettering themselves. Her crafted stories about

improved parks and the coming together of communities to stop obesity is the true strength of the

article.


The assertion by Perez-Brennan that grants will allow schools to improve their school

wellness policies and school health compares with Moag-Stahlberg [10], who believes only areas

that support improved school health will have good wellness policies and create healthier

students. Perez-Brennan asserts that success stories from the grants awarded to schools helped

improve the school wellness policies, but that is contrasted by Action for Health Kids [20] and

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation [22], who both conducted studies and found policies lacking

in improving student health and school wellness.


I will use this source in my third subissue as an example of a successful school wellness

policy program with the help of community support and funding.

4

[3] Journalistic: Mainstream

Gardner, Amanda. “’Soda Tax’ Winds Health Experts Support.” HealthDay 16 Sep. 2009 [www.healthyday.com accessed 19 Oct.2009]


According to its website, HealthDay is a news supplier to medical professionals, singular

clients, and a daily report covering the latest health news. ScoutNews is a private company in

Connecticut that owns the news supplier (www.businessweek.com). With a PhD in

Interdisciplinary Studies, Gardner has written for highly regarded publications as the New York

Times and MORE Magazine with focus on health issues (www.news.wisc.edu). Gardner is a

reporter for HealthDay and according to their listing is an award-winning medical correspondent.


To fund the growing health care deficit and the cost of obesity, there should be a 1-cent

tax placed on soft drinks reports Gardner. This tax would deter people from buying sugary

drinks, which lessen their caloric intake. Costing 9 percent of the US’s health care expenses,

obesity related problems could be reduce by the reduction of calorie consumption. Dr. Ludwig,

who conducted a study supporting the negative correlation between soda consumption and

obesity, is satisfied that soda can be linked as one definite factor in causing childhood obesity.

This identification makes it easier to stop weight gain in students. Yet other pediatricians, like

Dr. Cook, don’t think that just a ban on soda would work. Instead of increasing cost of unhealthy

food we should decrease the cost of healthy food that will support a healthier eating habit. The

American Beverage Association believes that sugary drinks are being targeted unfairly and soda

is the only unhealthy food being taxed. Gardner ends with a registered dietician stating that

childhood obesity must be attacked like cigarettes. By increasing taxes on unhealthy habits it

significantly decreases the amount of use by students says the dietitian.

5

http://www.businesswee.com/

Part 3: Strengths and weaknesses in logic

Perez-Brennan uses a small range of sources for this article, but doesn’t defines each side.

She barely skims the surface of the view of the American Beverage Association (ABA), which

reveals that she is supporting the tax that hurts that industry. Perez-Brennan devotes more

coverage of the negative impacts of soda, supporting the claims with doctors and nutritionists

studies. ABA gets to pipe in with their defense that they are being unfairly taxed, but she follows

their statement with information that states the company is the only “unhealthy” food being

taxed, naming them as unhealthy. Even though Perez-Brennan presents an uneven sided

argument, she does support the tax side with credible sources and statistics that point in support

of the tax. This strength gives the article power to justify its slant toward the tax because it has

justifiable facts that soda is a major cause of childhood obesity.


By asserting that soda needs to be banned to combat childhood obesity, Gardener

contrasts with the American Beverage Association [21], who believes that soda is unfairly

targeted “unhealthy food” and believes that soda cannot be directly linked as one main cause of

childhood obesity. Gardener also asserts that the taxation will decrease the consumption of soda

by children through discouraged parents compares with House Bill 2650 [15], which asserted the

banning of soda from school activities would also decrease the consumption of soda and help

improve student health.


I will use this source in the second subissue to describe how restrictions on unhealthy

food is realistic because the government can enforce taxes on soda, then use the funds to support

health programs and research the obesity of children.

6


“New System Reveals Whether School Wellness Policies ‘Make the Grade.’” Medical News Today 9 July 2009 [www.medicalnewstoday.com accessed 12 Nov. 2009].


Based out of the United Kingdom, MediLexicon International is the owner of Medical

News Today. MediLexicon is the leading provider of medical news on the Internet for free and

aims to provide professional journalist work (www.medilexicon.org). Medical News Today

produces 190 news stories a week about health topics in 117 different medical specialties. On

their website, it states that besides articles, the news source also produces health videos and has

forums for health discussion. With that much information production about medical news, the

site has attracted over 2 million visitors monthly (www.medicalnewstoday.com).


Medical News Today writes about the newest development in connection with schools

dealing with childhood obesity, an adequate measuring system. The news source asserted that

this new measuring coding system would be helpful for schools to judge how their programs for

combating obesity are working. The coding will measure the quality of school wellness policies,

which set guidelines for nutrition, health education, and physical activity. Since the requirement

of wellness policies in 2006, developers of the coding at Yale believes that the implementation of

policies are poor because there is no method to assess their effectiveness. Other advocates for

better school health agree with the measurement improvement and believe this new development

is progress for healthier school policies. Lucy Nolan of End Hunger Connecticut! asserts that

most school polices cannot succeed because their incorporation into curriculum is not measured.

Medical News Today asserts school wellness policies should improve because this measurement

will require strong, specific health regulations for students, improving their overall health.

7

http://www.medilexicon.org/


Medical News Today’s assumption that this measuring system will improve school

wellness policies is not supported as to why measuring 96 categories in the policy are justified as

important. They are jumping to conclusions that lack in those measurement areas are the cause of

childhood obesity instead of viewing the epidemic as a complex combination of factors. School

policies that show poor wellness scores are then assumed to have continually caused childhood

obesity, making schools the only factor causing childhood obesity. But Medical News Today

does explain the reasoning behind the measurement system; this supports the logic that the

system is meant to improve school health. Another strength is providing evidence from the

creators at Yale who developed the system and believes it works.


The implementation of such measurement strategies to improve school wellness polices

and overall student health proposed by Medical News Today compares with Cooper and London

[28], who supports food proportion measurement in school meals, and the Eugene School

District [17], who believes that the school wellness policy must be continually reviewed and

success measured to find what works. The assertion that this measurement system will produce

quality wellness polices and better schools contrasts with Iasevoli [6], who asserts that

restrictions on school wellness hurt school activities and student funding opportunities.


I will use this source in the History and Background section to explain how childhood

obesity has increased the mount of adult diseases among children. I will also use it in my first

subissue to support that standardization is possible with a measuring system for strong wellness

policies.

8


MacVean, Mary. “L.A. Unified schools violate junk food ban.” Los Angeles Times 9 May 2009 [articles.latimes.com accessed 3 Nov. 2009].


The Los Angeles Times is part of Tribune’s network of daily newspapers, televisions

stations, radio, and even a baseball team. As an employee-owned company, Tribune acts as a

multidimensional media source (www.tribuen.com), while the Los Angeles Times’ website

boasts that it has a circulation of 2 million daily readerships, which is the largest daily paper in

the country. Tribune is also ranked as the second largest publisher in the country

(www.caymanmama.com). MacVean has been a correspondent for the Times since 2003 writing

about food and nutrition, but she has also written for the Associated Press winning awards

covering topics like diets, food labeling laws, and editing cookbooks (latimesblogs.latimes.com).


MacVean writes that many schools in Los Angeles are lacking execution of and

education about the junk food ban. She asserts lack of enforcement and funding by government

is to blame for schools that broke the ban. During an audit by the Los Angeles Unified School

District of 70 schools, an alarming number of schools where in violation of the anti-junk food

law. What was even more troubling is that many schools didn’t even realize that they were

violating such laws. In some, vending machines were stocked of unhealthy foods, while a large

majority had street vendors peddling foods just outside school grounds. Fundraising activities by

adults and students incorporated blacklisted foods also, but lack of enforcement is to blame.

Administrators were not adequately trained on subjects, so how could they be expected to

enforce restrictions and a number of schools didn’t even have a wellness policy on file. MacVean

asserts that parents also need to be trained on food restrictions.

9

http://www.caymanmama.com/

http://www.tribuen.com/

Part 3: Strengths and weakness in logic

This article is missing why schools have not been forced by legislator to follow prior

food restrictions. This is MacVean’s weakness. She can report how audits show that schools are

not even aware of policies, but why is there no coverage of state or federal law demanding

schools putting programs into action. By the lack of change from one audit to the next shows that

after passing bills, congress does nothing to enforce them. Therefore neither the schools nor the

districts are the ones to blame. What MacVean does do right is provide compelling evidence of

where schools have gone wrong. Her strengths to give information on where schools have

violated food laws provides the reader with sufficient evidence that even with laws there is not

enough change in schools. She underlines the lack of teacher education on the subject and

enforce by the district, detailing schools lack of control over childhood obesity.


The assertion by MacVean that the lack of enforcement is the main factor for failing

wellness policies at schools compares with Action for Healthy Kids [20], whose study found that

schools with no change in student health lacked enforcement of wellness policies. MacVean’s

assertion that some schools even word their policies so they don’t have to take any action

contrasts Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 [16], which requires all schools

to incorporate changes to better school wellness in order to deal with childhood obesity.


I will use this source in my second and third subissue to support the argument that school

wellness policy programs are not realistic implementations because there is no enforcement and

therefore the enacted programs are not successful.

10

[6] Journalistic: Alternative

Iasevoli, Brenda. “Bake Sale Crackdown.” The Village Voice 27 Oct. 2009 [www.villagevoice.com accessed 13 Nov. 2009]


The Village Voice is a highly regarded weekly alternative magazine with reporting

focused on New York City. Its website brags it has retained the open, curious journalistic style it

was founded on over fifty years ago (www.villagevoice.com). The weekly is one of several

alternative weeklies published by Village Voice Media in major cities across the nation, all with

focus on interpreting and reporting the latest news (www.villagevoicemedia.com). This is

Brenda Iasevoli’s first article for The Village Voice, but she has background in teaching and

writing. Currently she is an editor for Time for Kids publishing and has written two children’s

books about science topics (www.timeforkids.com).


Iasevoli asserts that eliminating bake sales will not solve childhood obesity and actually

hurts after-school activity funding. The New York Department of Education (DOE) has

established a tighter rein on baking sales because they were selling unhealthy food reports

Iasevoli. But the DOE has not looked at the affect this ban will have on school activities, cutting

their funding because cupcakes are not classified as nutritious. Teachers agree that these bake

sales are efficient because they provide cheap ingredients and students can function on their own.

A mother who is also a nutritionist is also against the ban because she states it will create a lust

for such foods that is banned. Crucial funds for uniforms, yearbooks, and other afterschool

activities come from sales by students. Iasevoli asserts that this isn’t the correct route in

combating childhood obesity in schools. She describes students who believe that such tactics are

easy maneuvers that create publicity for DOE instead of making real healthy changes.

11

http://www.timeforkids.com/

http://www.villagevoice.com/

Part 3: Strength and weaknesses of logic

A weakness for Iasevoli is that she blatantly ignores the beneficial side of banning these

unhealthy food sales. She supports the sale of cupcakes for fundraising because they are cheap

and students will purchase them. This is not supporting nutrition education in schools. Cupcake

sales are encouraging children to buy unhealthy foods. Iasevoli is assertion that afterschool

activity funding is more important than student health, which does not support healthy students

and the benefits of good nutrition. Yet, she does make a great argument for afterschool funding.

Her strength comes from the overwhelming support of cupcake sales fundraising from students,

teachers, parents, and even nutritionists. Presenting the impact that such sales have on schools

show how important these sales can be, and perhaps turn the reader in support of the unhealthy

fundraising.


Iasevoli believes that the new ban on cupcakes sales are restricting and hurt students

instead of helping them compares with Grant [27], who views the ban as yet another hurdle for

parents and thinks that the ODE needs to focus on healthier meals for students before penalizing

school activity fundraisers. The idea of Iasevoli that cupcake sales benefit the student body

completely contrasts Zammit [24], who believes that by making junk food available any where in

school, even for fundraises, does not promote healthy lifestyles for children and there are always

healthy alternatives for fundraising

Part 5: Use in the essay

I will use this my source in second and third subissue supporting that the wellness policy

programs are not realistic because they take away funding from student groups and are not

successful because they hurt after school activities.

12


Barnett, Erica. “Schoolchildren Grow and Cook Their Own, Healthier Lunches.” Worldchanging 20 Sep.2007 [www.worldchanging.com accessed 19 Oct. 2009].


In only five years since its conception, Worldchanging has developed a great following of

independent journalists. It is a non-profit media organization that has set out to uncover and

report the world’s problems and provide readers with thought provoking topics that inspire

change (www.worldchanging.com). Based in Seattle, this company has been making a global

network comprised of tools and ideas for a green future (www.policyinnovations.org). Barnett

has been part of the Worldchanging team since July of 2007 until March of 2008 and covered

world and environmental issues according to their website.


Growing gardens at schools will encourage children to eat more vegetables and is better

than their mediocre school lunches wrote Barnett. Even though there has been bills passed for

nutrition requirements, many school are barely above the standards and parents disagree. These

active parents are fighting for the Better School Food Project, showing that food is a huge impact

on children’s lives. By taking an initiative to eat and buy local, schools are finding students are

more receptive toward healthy eating. One example of successful food projects is a Portland’s

school garden and kitchen where students cook from scratch. At this school, the garden and

kitchen are part of the curriculum requiring every year for students to work and cook for three

weeks. A benefit that a principal found was that the children were more open to eat the

vegetables that they have helped grow. Barnett also wrote that demanding better food for

children in schools is where the change starts, but the real benefit is teaching the children where

food that they eat comes from, helping them make educated eating decisions in the future.

13

http://www.policyinnovations.org/

http://www.worldchanging.com/


Barnett’s strength comes from the numerous success stories of this garden

implementation. She refers to schools all over the country, making the garden project seem

possible for all types of school districts. The success seems to come easy for the schools; create a

garden, require student participation, children will eat more vegetables. This all seems like a

win-win for districts because cost of purchased food will decrease, but the weakness of Barnett’s

article comes here. She does not explain how such schools can have the funding to create these

gardens or kitchens and is assuming that only schools with resources to create gardens have

children who want to eat their vegetables. Overlooking the funding of such programs leaves out

crucial program factors that actually make the healthy alternative seem unattainable for all

schools.


Barnett’s description of school gardens as the crucial factor in wellness education and

food nutrition development for students contrast Svoboda [8], who lists new and improved

physical education as the contributing factor in reducing childhood obesity and health education.

The assertion made by Barnett that food nutrition and education as a crucial part of health

curriculum compares with Zammit [24], who supports increases in nutrition and food education

and believes it is the most important factor in making students healthier.


I will use this source in my third subissue to support that there are school wellness

programs that have produced success, like vegetables gardens.

14


Svoboda, Sandra. “Looking for balance: Why phys ed isn’t what it used to be.” Detroit Metro Times 19 November 2008 [metrotimes.com accessed 30 Oct. 2009].


Deeming itself as an alternative weekly paper delivering news, tunes, dinning, and more,

the Detroit Metro Times (MT) is published by Times-Shamrock Communications, which also

publishes other alternative weeklies around the country (www.metrotimes.com). According to

the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, the MT has a weekly circulation of 82,022 and

sports a liberal slant (aan.org). As a staff writer, Svoboda has been with the MT for three years

covering a range of topics, but prior to coming there she had written about education and

adolescent issues for a Mexican paper called The Toledo Blade for six years (metrotimes.com).


Physical education is no longer just physical movement, wrote Svoboda. She explained

that Michigan schools are now incorporating other core curriculum factors into physical activity

lessons. This was done to deal with the increasing emphasis on test scores, but also the alarming

growth of children suffering form obesity. By combining fitness with statistics or game rules

with articulation, students can be well-rounded and have the benefit of healthy living while

reinforcing objectives leaned in other classes. Yet, Svoboda explains that policy makers don’t

think that this mixing of subjects is good, since it takes away from the actual time of physical

activity. Roger Jackson the executive director for Michigan Association for Health, Physical

Education, Recreation & Dance believes that physical education is important because it has

aspects of cognitive skills along with fitness and interaction. A senator from Michigan who is

pushing for mandated minimum physical education per week believes that without an education

that includes fitness and nutrition, students cannot be expected to be able to learn.

15

http://www.metrotimes.com/


Physical education is a component that schools need to use, but it needs to combine with

other efforts to stop childhood obesity and Svoboda doesn’t cover that. She asserts that

incorporating other lessons into physical education will make the students better rounded and

help tackle childhood obesity rates. Physical activity is great for getting children to move but the

nutrition education needs to be taught also. A child eating a junk food filled diet and

participating in gym class games does not make a healthy student. Ironically the title of this

article is “Looking for Balance,” yet there is no mention of nutrition education balance with

exercise. Even though Svoboda misses a crucial component of childhood obesity prevention and

treatment, she does bring to attention the importance of physical activity. Her strength comes

from proven influence physical education has on a student, not just fitness wise but in all aspects

of education learning and healthy living.


The assertion that physical activity as the main school focus to prevent childhood obesity

contrast Zammit [24], who values nutrition education to teach children healthy habits and living,

and Barnett [7], who asserts that food nutrition improvement and education will improve student

health. Svoboda’s assertion that children are no long physically active enough compares with

Anderson and Butcher [11] and Khan [14], whose studies have revealed that children have

adopted more sedentary lifestyles due to changes in schools, safety, and communities.


I will use this source in the History and Background section to describe the decrease of

physical education and in my first subissue describing why schools cannot be standardize

because they all have different priorities, some placing core classes ahead of physical education.

16

[9] Academic Source

Ludwig, David S. “The Shape of Things to Come.” The New England Journal of Medicine. 357 (2007): 2323-2327.


Internal medicine is the focus of the Massachusetts Medical Society’s The New England

Journal of Medicine, which is made up of 21,291 physicians and medical students

(www.massmed.org). The leading global journal is also very influential and is often cited by

other journals in the medical field (www.ovid.com). As the director of an obesity program at the

Children’s Hospital Boston and as an Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Dr. David S. Ludwig

focuses on endocrinology related to obesity in children. Ludwig is widely published in other

scholarly journals and is an advocate for research of childhood obesity causes

(www.childrenshospital.org).


Ludwig details the future of the childhood obesity epidemic and what it means for

children and the nation. He explains four phases, the first starting in 1970 and has gone on

continually where the increase of overweight children happened. No major issues where yet

apparent, even with medical concern, because the cost was not effect until phase two. In this

phase, which we currently are entering, children are greatly affected by their weigh-related

problems. The diseases hurt the entire body and cause great damage emotionally. Weight finally

is taking great affect. The future shows phase three where obesity causes disease that kills the

sufferer. Children are heavier than their parents, meaning they will live a shorter lifetime. In the

fourth phase obesity crosses generations with obese children continuing habits. The crisis needs

to be stopped with community involvement, government support, health care coverage, and

research. Ludwig asserts government intervention is the way to help childhood obesity.

17


What about schools in the phases of childhood obesity? Ludwig’s weakness is that he

describes prevention as a government issue dealing with health care and funding research. He

also places emphasis on parents and how their eating habits affect their own children. Yet

schools are where kids are five days a week at least eight hours a day. In this time they are fed

twice, they no longer have time for recess, and are bombarded with unhealthy food everywhere.

By neglecting school as a crucial intervention, Ludwig overlooks both the power and weakness

that our education system has. The predictions of the future are strengths that are supported with

deep medical studies and information, supporting his theories. Ludwig plays toward the

emotions of the reader and backs up predications with medical facts.


Ludwig derives his main assumption from the growing childhood obesity rate and the

lack of government involvement to stop it. This theory agrees with Morrisette [23], who is still

fighting nutrition funding for schools and Marcy [19], who supports only prevention of

childhood obesity where there is desired change or support by the government. His ideas of

government and community involvement contrast Okie [13], who describes schools as the

institution to stop childhood obesity.

Part 5: Uses in essay

I will use this source in the History and Background section to discuss the rise of

childhood obesity and its medical repercussions. I will also use it in my first subissue to support

the standardization of wellness policies because the standard will create stricter regulations that

enforce healthy habits in school and in the discussion section to support childcare facilities as

also a place that needs to be regulated for health of the future.

18

[10] Academic

Moag-Stahlberg, Alicia. “A National Snapshot of Local School Wellness Policies.” Journal of School Health. 78 (2008): 562-568 [www3.interscience.wiley.com accessed 14 Nov. 2009].


The Journal of School Health is a publication of the American School Health Association

(ASHA) who gathers groups of school, medical, and community members to improve school

health (www.ashaweb.org). With editions coming out ten times a year since 1930, and the

addition of electronic access since 2006, the scholarly journal has a circulation of 5000

(www.ulrichsweb.com). Alicia Moag-Stahlberg has degrees in science and dietetics and is the

creator and executive director of a coalition of many organizations aimed at improving children’s

health called Action for Healthy Kids (www.adaf.org).


There have been great bounds in childhood wellness at school since their requirement in

the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, but Moag-Stahlberg asserts that there

are still gaps in the program that need to be worked on. From this wide array of local wellness

policies that were studied, it was concluded by Moag-Stahlberg that a main factor in poor policy

impanation was lack of funding. Without proper funds, schools could not support the mandate

required by the government in areas of nutrition education and physical activity time. The lack of

teacher education in wellness policy contributes to the lack of children learning proper nutrition

in correlation with lack of revisions and evaluation process of the program. Moag-Stahlberg

asserts that this continual evaluation and revision process is important because the impact of

local wellness policies will not produce results for a while. She asserts this patience will result in

full knowledge of how improved and adequate wellness programs affect students.

19

http://www.adaf.org/

http://www.ulrichsweb.com/


This study is thoroughly explained and has supportive evidence for each claim that is

made. Moag-Stahlberg has strength in her presentation of facts because she compares them with

other studies and explains possible discrepancies. But her presentation is geared more toward an

expert crowd with knowledge of school systems and previous nutrition guidelines. This is her

weakness because the presented information is difficult to understand if the reader does not have

the proper background knowledge. Even though she is writing for a knowledgeable audience of

school employees and nutrition practitioners, the facts are detailed and supported by methods of

research. This leads the reader, knowledgeable or not, to believe in her study because of its

overwhelming statistical evidence and support.


Moag-Stahlberg asserted that the requirement of school wellness policies are an unfunded

mandate by the government compares Morrisette [23], who finds that government funding is

why wellness policies are lacking, and Marcy [19], who found that the expectations of wellness

policies directly correlated with the amount of funding schools received for them. The assertion

by Moag-Stahlberg that funding is the largest hurdle for schools to get over contrasts with

Svoboda [8], who asserts that physical education, including other lessons, is the most difficult for

schools to implement.


I will use this source in my first subissue to support the argument that the school wellness

standardization is not possible because lack of funding and enforcement are needed for it to

work. I will also use it in my second subissue to describe that the projected health programs are

not realistic without proper funding and cannot improve school wellness with out that funding.

20

[11] Academic Source

Anderson, Patricia M. & Kristin F. Butcher. “Childhood Obesity: Trends and Potential Causes.” The Future of Children. 16 (2006): 19-45.


The Future of Children is put on by the Brookings Institute and Princeton University and

they aim for the public to understand and to establish policies that help children, says their

website. Brookings gives the publication funding and support for their independent research

(www.brookings.edu) while Princeton University is ranked second in the nation among colleges

and is a leading research facility (www.forbes.com). Anderson is a professor in the Department

of Economics at Dartmouth College (www.dartmouth.edu) and Butcher works as a senior

economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, as well as a professor at Wellesley College

(www.wellesley.edu).


Anderson and Butcher analyze and discuss the multiple studies that have been conducted

on the causes of increase in childhood obesity since the 1970s to the 2000s. Between 1980 and

1988 childhood obesity began to increase and factors contributing to the increase are soda

consumption and other calorie dense foods, parental influence and increase in working, lack of

physical movement outside and during school, and engagement of sedentary behavior. After

researching the various studies covering those topics, the authors asserted that it could be

concluded that none could be the primary cause of childhood obesity, but all factors working

together has caused the increase over the last three decades. All affect the balance of child

energy intake from food, which has increased, and the child’s energy expenditure, which has

decreased. The focus should not be on the cause of the obesity, but how to change children’s

environment and caloric intake to stop the epidemic according to Anderson and Butcher.

21

http://www.wellesley.edu/

http://www.dartmouth.edu/

http://www.forbes.com/

http://www.brookings/


Weakness in logic from Anderson and Butcher comes from their lack of extend analysis

of families in different regions. They brushed over topics of demography and the possible

correlation to childhood obesity, but this topic has a great influence on their other factors of

contribution. In different neighborhoods, families differ in their food consumption, family work

ethic, physical activity, and genetics of certain areas. By only glancing at the actual connecting

factor of the epidemic shows a lack of investigation. Yet, their support and analysis of all sources

show that the authors are dedicated researchers. Strength comes from explaining every study and

using the information in a way that the reader, both public and academic, can understand. This

completely covers up the demography flaw because information about individual causes gives

the reader a specific example of the correlating causes.


Anderson and Butcher assert that there are many different factors contributing to the

cause of childhood obesity, not one single factor, which compares with the American Beverage

Association [21], who claims that soda is unfairly blamed as the cause of childhood obesity. The

claims by the authors that soda alone is not the cause of childhood obesity contrasts Gardener

[3], who asserts that soda can be connected with increased weight-gain in children. The assertion

by Anderson and Butcher that the focus of childhood obesity should be on prevention contrasts

Downey [18], who believes treatment should be main concern of dealing with childhood obesity.


I will use this source in the History and Background section to describe the development

of some causes of childhood obesity. It will also be used in subissue one and two to describe how

calorie balance can be a standard and realistic for schools to enact.

22

[12] Book

Wishon, Phillip M. Student Obesity: What Can Schools Do? Indiana: Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation, 1990.


Phi Delta Kappa (PDK) Educational Foundation has served 35,000 members for over 100

years. According to their website, PDK strives to supply educators in all school levels and

districts with an association that supports ideals and democracy in education. As the single

supporter of the Future Educators Association, the PDK provides information to students

interested in becoming educators and encourages their pursuit of the profession; therefore,

educating young teachers of the future (www.futureeducators.org). Dr. Wishon is the Dean of the

College of Education at James Madison University, has earned is PhD in child development and

early childhood education and has been widely published in that field (www.jmu.edu).


Wishon writes about the problem of childhood obesity and what schools can do to help

reverse the increasing weight gain by students. He emphasizes the powerful role that schools

hold over students and how small changes can greatly improve the health of obese children.

Unhealthy foods, sedentary lifestyles, and lack of nutritional education all contribute to obesity.

It is life threatening, but the emotional abuse of being overweight can do great damage also.

Wishon believes that schools should follow a plan of counseling to help students first identify

that they have a weight problem, then continue with a screening to help develop a weight loss

plan, then students can be educated on how to live a healthier life. Parents need to work with

schools to reinforce healthy eating habits, even establishing bans on high calorie foods in

vending machines, and encouraging physical activity.

23

http://www.jmu.edu/


Wishon describes the answer to childhood obesity in schools as a combination of

counseling and individual student health programs. These programs do not support a whole

student effort for a healthier student body. Each student will have a different body type, different

metabolism, and can therefore eat and exercise differently. This weakness shows that Wishon

does not address how different size students can be treated as a whole. By supporting children in

and out of school, physical activity and healthy eating choices is a successful, strong component

of his argument. The data that he provides that supports the correlation between childhood

obesity and serious health problems, along with data correlating health issues with obesity, is

another strength.


Wishon’s assertion that enforcing school authority over children will enforce wellness

policies and combat obesity rates in children compares with Okie [13], who has conducted

studies and found a correlation between schools use of power and enforcement of school

wellness policies in the increase of healthy student habits. The assertion that it is important to

enforce health in schools made by Wishon contrasts with Gardener [3], who proposes a soda tax

will decrease consumption of unhealthy foods outside of school and will lead to a decrease in

childhood obesity.


I will use this source in the first subissue to support the argument that standardization is

possible when utilizing school authority, but in addition to community effort. I will also use this

source in the Discussion section to describe the importance of analyzing the psychological needs

of student as part of school wellness policies.

24

[13] Book

Okie, Susan. Fed Up!: Winning the War Against Childhood Obesity. Washington, D.C.: Joseph Henry Press, 2005.


As a branch of the science and health focused Nation Academies Press (NAP), Joseph

Henry Press also provides services to the public with books covering several topics, one being

early childhood development (www.nap.edu). The National Science Teachers Association calls

NAP a reliable source for books relating to a technological public policy. Okie writes for the

New England Journal of Medicine (content.nejm.org) and is also doing freelance work for the

New York Times (www.nytimes.com). Okie has been a medical writer for over 30 years and as a

family physician gives medical perspective on childhood obesity (www.scolastic.com).


Okie writes that schools have control over many aspects of children’s lives and have a

responsibility for them. These aspects can be positive, resulting in nutrition education, physical

activity, and healthful food from school gardens or can be negative with USDA food

commodities regulations, vending machine treats, and overriding core academics. These affects

can both be large on students, but what needs to be done to combat childhood obesity are schools

taking control. When children are exposed to healthier practices, like Edible Schoolyard, they

gather information about nutrition from growing and harvesting food. Okie further writes that

schools are the connecting factor between district authority and parents. She explains that by

teaching good health at school, children bring that information home. Physical education needs

to be remembered and needs to be incorporated throughout a child’s day. Schools cannot teach

healthy lifestyles if they don’t put them into action at school. The importance of authority and

control needs to be realized by schools asserts Okie.

25

http://www.nytimes.com/


Schools may have control over students, but if they exercise this role too strictly, they

will be viewed more as prisons and penitentiaries instead of learning and growing institutions.

This is the weakness in Okie’s argument. She believes that by enforcing more rules on students

about their diet, exercise, even outside aspects of school, will end the obesity epidemic. This will

actually just cause a revolt by students and parents alike against the oppressive school districts.

Even though she believes that this power will bring help schools end childhood obesity, Okie

does support her findings with credible sources that have success stories of nutrition education,

physical activity, and healthy food services. Those are the strengths of her article because they

make controlling schools the hero with lowering childhood obesity and improving student health.


Okie underlines school authority as a main factor of combating childhood obesity, which

agrees with Wishon’s [12], belief of powerful schools, and Khan’s [14], contributing factor of

implementation of strategies at schools. Schools’ authority completely contrasts Ludwig [9], who

believes that government funding and research along with community intervention are the most

important factors in stopping the obesity epidemic.


I will use this source in the History and Background section describing how budget cuts

of schools lead to obese children eating unhealthy food and don’t have time for physical activity.

I will also use it in the second and third subissue to support that wellness programs are realistic

when schools take authority and can produce successful health programs.

[14] Government

26

United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. By Laura Kettle Khan. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 24 July 2009. [http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr accessed 5 Oct. 2009].


Morbidity and Morality Weekly Report (MMWR) provides information to the science

and medical field as a weekly report presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

(CDC). On its website, MMWR explains how it strives to provide public health information that

will be useful to its readership and is compiled from state health department’s reports weekly.

Laura Kettle Khan works as an epidemiologist at the CDC and has won awards pertaining to her

research on obesity in United States Hispanics. Her main focus is on childhood obesity and the

patterns of it around the world (www.biomed.emory.edu).


To overcome the rising obesity epidemic, Khan wrote twenty-four suggestions for

community involvement and improvement in the United States. She asserted that communities

over all must come together to solve the childhood obesity epidemic. Besides the strategies, there

were also recommended implantations and measurement of results. Schools have an impact on

children and should instigate nutrition education, require and increase physical education time,

encourage walking to school, and decrease exposure to unhealthy foods. This contributes to

community efforts, but outside of school there needs to be changes too. Fixing parks and paths,

encouraging physical activity in after-school programs, decreasing screen time in public places,

and improving the safety in communal activity areas are community responsibilities. Implication

of the twenty-four will improve the access to healthier eating and allow active living which will

lead to lower obesity in children Khan concluded.


27

The weakness of Khan’s report is that she overlooks the poorer communities that don’t

have the power or money to change their food and exercise services. Changes like building and

fixing parks and walking paths require much more funds than poor communities have. Less

affluent communities also don’t have many healthy food stores since health foods cost more,

their community cannot afford them; therefore the incentive is not there for business owners.

Schools in lower-income areas already have a tough time affording teachers of core courses, but

adding extra fitness classes will stretch their budget further. Yet, Khan does underline that

communities must come together to fix childhood obesity. She supports this strong point with

going to lawmakers to demand that these community changes happen for better health.


The supportive community action proposed by Khan in these strategies for combating

childhood obesity compares with Adams [26], who believes a combined effort made by parents,

the government, schools, and the community will solve childhood obesity, not just one part

alone. But the assertions that it is a combined effort to stop childhood obesity contrasts with

Wishon [12], believing schools is the most important sector to fight obesity, and Abbot [1],

supporting further governmental involvement in order to solve childhood obesity, neither

combining whole communities.


I will use this source in the History and Background section to describe the declining

health of children. I will also use it in subissue one and two to describe standard and realistic

polices have community involvement. It will be also used in the Discussion section describing

the importance of childcare and after-school facilities need for health requirements also.

28

[15] Government

Oregon. Cong. House. 74th Oregon Legislative Assembly. HB 2650, A Bill for an Act to specify minimum standards for food and beverages sold in public schools [introduced in the Oregon Senate; 2003]. 74th Oregon Legislative Assembly. House Bills, GPO [www.leg.state.or.us/07reg/measpdf/hb2600.dir/hb2650 accessed 27 Oct. 2009].


Oregon Senator Bill Morrisette first introduced the concept behind House Bill 2650 in

2003. As a former schoolteacher, education and its funding is a main focus of Morrisette’s 10

years in Oregon legislature (www.leg.state.or.us/morrisette/). Morrisette was the chair for the

Senate Health and Human Services Committee where the bill was introduced (www.oregon.gov).

The Senate committee is focus on helping improve Oregon’s health and strives to provide a safe,

responsible, and healthy community (www.oregon.gov/DHS). The Senator is still working

toward bettering school health regulations and improving school funding representing

Springfield in the Oregon Congress.


House Bill 2650 asserts that the majority of food served in schools was unhealthy and

new restrictions needed to be place on al a carte items and vending machines. This document

specified different requirements for elementary, middle, and high schools aimed at reducing their

calorie, fat, and sugar intake. These guidelines are to be enforced over the next three years and

completely followed by the 2009-2010 school year. It applies to entrées, vending machines, and

afterschool related activities but not to the Federal School Lunch commodities and afterschool

activities that parents or adults are a majority of the audience. The government asserts that

parents, when they are a majority, have responsibility for their own children and their children’s

health. This bill declared a state of emergency and it is assumed that the makers of this bill

believe that this change will improve student health and decrease childhood obesity.

29

http://www.oregon.gov/DHS

http://www.leg.state.or.us/morrisette/


The weaknesses of HB 2650 are its loose regulations. It may seem strict and reductive of

bad caloric intake, but are actually only attacking one part of the problem. These guidelines don’t

apply to afterschool activities that have a majority of adults. Rejecting students’ choices during

school hours but then letting all of those guidelines go is telling them that healthy eating only

applies to school time. The regulations also don’t apply to the lunch program put on by the

government, but many of these foods are actually high in sodium and processed. Yet, with these

loopholes in the regulations, HB 2650 still manages to restrict one area and is its strength to

completely reorganize school vending machine and al a cart items. The restrictions placed on the

previously listed duo actually might reduce the consumption of unhealthy food by students

because they are no longer available. The re-categorization of school health has to start

somewhere and the easily accessed enemy can no longer pop out unhealthy foods.


The ban of unhealthy food from vending machines will lead to decrease childhood

obesity asserted by HB 2650 compares with Khan [14] and Cooper and London [28], who both

support the increase consumption of healthy foods and limiting competitive, calorie-dense foods

in schools. The assumption by the bill that foods in the vending machines are unhealthy and

causes of childhood obesity contrasts the American Beverage Association [21], who believes that

soda in regulation is healthy and not the direct cause of obesity.


I will use this source in the History and Background section as previous government

action against unhealthy foods by banning junk food in schools. It will also be used in subissue

one and two supporting standardization and the achievable removal of junk food.

30

[16] Government

“An Act to Amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to Provide Children Increased Access to Food and Nutrition Assistance, to Simplify Program Operations and Improve Program Management, to Reauthorize Child Nutrition Programs, and for Other Purposes (Brief title: Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004).” (PL 108-265, 30 June 2004). United States Statutes at Large 118 (2004): 729-790.


The Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee with Senator Thad Cochran as

chairman introduced this amendment. This committee usually focuses on America’s agricultural

section which umbrellas forests and crop growth. For nutrition, the committee is concerned about

a healthy diet of the public and to make sure that food is grown safely and edible for consumers

(agriculture.senate.gov). Senator Cochran has been involved in politics since 1967 and a member

of congress since 1974. He has values in education, being brought up by two teachers, and

nature, as a advocate for wildlife and agriculture (cochran.senate.gov).


These reauthorizations made by the committee are asserting that schools have a huge

impact on student wellness and can create a healthy environment to deal with childhood obesity.

The committee also states that childhood obesity has mounted to astronomical proportions and

these amendments are the answer for overweight and obese children in schools. Section 204 of

this amendment points toward school wellness programs as a main contributing factor to healthy

schools and asserts that there cannot be a healthy student body without it. This section states that

all schools that participate in programs of the Nation School Lunch Act or the Child Nutrition

Act of 1966 must develop a wellness policy that incorporates food nutrition standards, physical

activity, and health education. By stating this, it is asserted that these are the crucial factors in

creating healthy student bodies. Funding and other standards are also established for the act.

31


The strengths of the act are how it presents many improvements for children’s health, and

also places into motion the improvement of school health by making this a law. By making it a

law, it forces people to abide by it and is an effective way to ensure improvement in childhood

obesity. The US government has created a system that instills the value of following rules;

therefore, schools feel compelled to create healthy environments because they will be penalized

for not attempting to. Creating this law is great for rule-followers, but it has a weakness by

assuming schools health changes will completely stop childhood obesity. By creating this law for

schools does not ensure what kids will eat at home, in the community, or any time outside of

school. The committee wants to believe that schools have a great impact on students, but by

overlooking outside interference, childhood obesity might never be solved.


The reauthorization’s belief that government improvement on school wellness will create

healthier student communities compares with Abbot [1], who feels the government has a crucial

role in making school meals more nutritious and Rader [25], who believes the government must

assume a leadership role in forming rules dealing with childhood nutrition. The reauthorization

asserted just the requirement of wellness policies would create strong programs contrast Medical

News Today [4], who asserts that the new measurement system will ensure a good wellness

policy, not just require the formation of it.


I will use this source in the History and Background section to establish the government

requirement of a school wellness policy. I will also use this source in the second subissue to

support the argument that health programs are realistic when there is a healthy mandate.

32

[17] Government

Eugene (Oregon). Eugene School District 4J Local Wellness Program. [Eugene, OR.:] The City [2009].


The Eugene School District 4J (4J) is focused on providing good education and support

to children. 4J covers the K-12 grades in over 40 different schools, serving 17,000 students in the

Eugene area (www.4j.lane.edu). Under the branch of the US Department of Education, 4J falls

under the support of the government by providing funding, ensuring student wellness, and to

guarantee students the right to a quality education (www.ed.gov). Education.com states that 4J

spends $8,495 per student covering their education and wellness (www.education.com).


In response to the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, 4J has

developed a wellness policy that they view will improve student wellbeing and decrease

childhood obesity in their school. 4J believes that by setting strict guidelines for all school

wellness and favoring health in all cases of reasoning, they will create better, healthier students.

Coordinating their approach for school wellness, the school has placed emphasis on physical

activity, nutrition education, and food standards. Since these three categories are the subheads of

the entire school wellness policy, it can be assumed that the Eugene School District places

student health in these areas and healthier students will come from improvement in these areas.

Improvements like required daily activity supported both in the community and school

classrooms, health education that teaches students about nutrition and develops a desire for a

lifelong habits, and finally food standards that are strict on nutrient content and some school

activities. The development of this policy will be evaluated to allocate change when needed;

therefore, 4J asserts the formation of a community and school collaboration committee.

33

http://www.education.com/

http://www.ed.gov/

http://www.4j.lane.edu/


The construction of strict guidelines for schools is the best way for implementation of

healthy tactics and is the main strengths by 4J. Their wellness policy has a strong component of

detailed plans for healthy student bodies, revealing a desire for school betterment. Aiming these

guidelines at school administrators, students, and the community, the policy will have a coalition

supporting the change. But the weakness of this wellness policy is that there are only emphases

on the three subheads, but not on funding or an active policy revision process. The subheads

listed are viewed as important factors for schools to combat childhood obesity, but the policy

does not address how the funds for such betterment should come from. The revision committee is

addressed, but no actually process of how the revision should take place. Even with the

implementation of improved programs for the subheads, there cannot be improvement on student

wellness without information on funding or revising these programs.


The assertion by the Eugene School District that this wellness policy will improve school

wellness compares with Moag-Stahlberg [10], whose study found wellness polices as a factor for

improving student health, and the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 [16],

which states all school must incorporate a school wellness policies to better student wellbeing

and combat childhood obesity. Yet, 4J’s assumption that this wellness policy will be force

student to be healthy contrasts the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation [22], whose study revealed

lack of wellness policy implementation and reduction of childhood obesity.


I will use this source in the second and third subissue to support that wellness programs

are realistic with government bans and laws, while this policy is a successful example.

34

[18] Institutional

Downey, Morgan. “It’s Your Fault.” American Obesity Association 7 Feb. 2002. [obesity1.tempdomainname.com accessed 9 Oct. 2009].


The American Obesity Association (AOA) is a non-profit organization located in

Washington DC. It has gained respect from governmental agencies like the IRS who have filed

obesity as an official disease (obesity1.temp domainname.com). According to the US

Department of Health & Human Services, AOA’s goals are to improve the quality of life for

obese people through education, research, and community involvement to stop the growing

epidemic (www.healthfinder.gov). Downey was the Executive Director of AOA, but has now

moved on to become The Obesity Society’s Executive Vice President. As a former attorney, he

has fought for increased research and health care coverage for obesity (www.obesity.org).

Part 2: Main assertions:

The common conclusion that obesity is an own person’s fault is what Downey writes

against in his editorial. Obesity is caused by several factors and should be recognized and treated

like a disease. Genetics and a person’s environment, in addition to a person’s personal behavior,

are the contributing factors to obesity, not a person’s own fault. Other diseases like skin cancer,

sexually transmitted diseases, and HIV/AIDs are also caused by people’s own choice. Yet these

diseases are not berated or mocked and their patients shunned like sufferers of obesity. Sadly a

staggering 89 percent of people believe that obesity is a caused by the person. People suffering

from obesity should be respected and have their condition treated like a disease. People should

no longer judge weight as laziness or indulgence, but with compassion and acknowledgement of

the disease and its sufferers. Downy asserts that children , along with adults, need obesity

education and psychological help to deal with the mental issues of obesity.

35

http://www.obesity.org/


This editorial by Downey hits an emotional cord. His plea to Americans to treat obesity

like a disease, including his facts and correlations with other “personal choice diseases,” is the

strength of his argument. Calling obesity a disease is the first step in finding prevention. By

sympathizing with patients instead of mocking them, healthy care might begin to realize that

there are many disease caused by personal behavior, but that doesn’t mean you can discriminate

against them. With this emotional testimony, Downey does not cite his information. If only

other researchers, doctors, or politicians could support his strength then it wouldn’t turn into his

weakness. Granted it is an editorial and citation is not critical, but then the emotional could pair

with the informational and could support his claim. Emotion can be more convincing than facts

and his convincing strength supports this piece.


Downey’s assertion that by classifying obesity as a disease, there will be funding by

insurance companies compares with Ludwig [9], who presents a future of diseased generations

as a result of unfunded obesity treatments and believes that obesity disease awareness is the first

step in treatment of the disease. The importance of acceptance by Downey compares with

Wishon [13], who values the psychological health of students when dealing with obesity.

Downey’s priorities for obesity treatment contrasts Zammit [24], who views nutrition education

as the best form of obesity prevention instead of allowing consumption of unhealthy foods and

then treatment of obese children.


It will used in the second subissue stating that programs are not realistic because schools

aren’t the only effect on students and in Discussion to support mental health issues of obesity.

36

[19] Institutional

Marcy, Claire. “The School Wellness Policy Requirement: How is this Unfunded Mandate Implemented at a Local Level?” Healthy Schools Campaign 13 Nov. 2007 [www.healthyschoolscampaign.org accessed 6 Nov. 2009].


Children need the opportunity to grow in a healthy learning environment, that is the goal

of Healthy Schools Campaign (HSC). Their website describes them as a non-profit organization

that strives to better the environment, encourage healthy children, and improve education

(www.healthyschoolscampaign.org). The Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services sector of the

US Department of Agriculture supports HSC because it has helped teach them more about how

school meals and environments can be improved (www.fns.usda.gov). Marcy has been involved

with community improvement efforts for more than ten years and is the development director of

HSC (www.healthyschoolscampaign.org/who/staff).


Marcy writes that wellness policies need to be put into place only where advocacy groups

desire to change school policy because that is the only location where it will have support and

work. In areas where there were public advocacy groups and community involvement in the

creating of a school wellness policy, the policies were more greatly enforce states Marcy. In

these same areas, principals described student health as an important factor of schools and made

strong wellness policies a priority. The successful policies also stemmed from many different

plans and toolkits to cater to the school’s specific needs. Marcy further asserts that

neighborhoods with wealthier, Caucasian populations can fund wellness policies, but that this

implementation might not target the most problematic areas. The unfunded government mandate

for school wellness works for wealthy areas, but it overlooks poorer minority groups.

37

http://www.healthyschoolscampaign.org/who/staff

http://www.fns.usda.gov/

http://www.healthyschoolscampaign.org/


Marcy’s study provides information on Illinois schools with majority groups and

wealthier communities, but she jumps to the flawed assumption about minority school districts.

She believes since the study did not have adequate minority information, then those school must

have poor wellness policies. The lack of funding for schools are the cause of unenforced polices

and unhealthy students as a result. Marcy presents no support of such findings and just jumps to

this conclusion. She does provide abundant evidence that advocacy groups and community

involvement create a good wellness policy. Her strength of describing what her study has found

shows the reader the cause of improved student health: a strong, well-funded, supported school

wellness program.


The assertion made by Marcy that school wellness policies should only be implemented

in schools where there are advocacy groups to support this unfunded mandate compares with

Morrisette [23], who believes that the wellness policy is difficult to enact for some schools

because it is an unfunded mandate, and Perez-Brennan [2], who asserts the success of the

Massachusetts school wellness policy was the involvement of community based awarded grants.

Marcy also asserts that the school wellness mandate should not be required in areas that do not

have support for this improvement contrasts the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of

2004 [16], which requires all schools participation in federal meals programs to create and

enforce a school wellness policy, no matter the support the district might have.


I will use this source in the second and third subissue to support the argument that the

health programs implemented are not realistic or successful because of lack of advocacy.

38

[20] Institutional

“The State of School Wellness: Action for Healthy Kids Stakeholder Research.” Action for Healthy Kids Apr. 2008 [www.actionforhealthykids.org accessed 3 Nov. 2009].


Instilling the value of health and how it contributes to learning is Action For Healthy

Kids’ (AFHK) goal. As a network of 11,000 members, this non-profit organization collaborates

with schools and communities on how to stop childhood obesity and malnutrition

(www.actionforhealthykids.org). Created in 2002 by former US Surgeon General David Satcher,

it has grown to work with over 60 national organizations all to help promote nutritional choices

for the healthy lives of children (www.health.state.mn.us). This organization has been successful

because it supporters are diverse yet all able to work together to create programs for better health

of school children nationwide (promisingpractices.fightchronicdisease.org).


With the marginal progress that has been made by the requirement of school wellness

policies, there is still need for improvement writes AFHK. The research by AFHK shows that

stakeholders all have different perceptions of what, how, and when the wellness policy is

enforced at schools. The stakeholders all believed that this new policy has improved the health of

students slightly, but areas of improvement have stemmed from lack of enforcement, funding,

health education, and community involvement. It was asserted by AFHK that superintendents,

those responsible for overseeing and enforcing school wellness policies, had the highest

percentage of perceived improvement, opposed to other groups who viewed policy enactment as

very low. Even teachers viewed implementation of wellness polices in classrooms lower than

superintendents, which asserts that these school leaders might have false beliefs of what schools

are actually doing concerning wellness.

39

http://www.health.state.mn.us/

http://www.actionforhealthykids.org/


The stakeholders that were surveyed were connected with either schools or parents

and/or were part of the Action for Healthy Kids advocacy group. This sways the evidence

because the majority were already concerned about student health. Student health concern would

place a great standard on what should be expected in schools, assuming there can always be

greater improvements. Yet the survey information was presented in a way that a mass majority

can digest it. This strength works well for the AFHK because it provides its study to reach farther

than just experts on the issue. In turn, that creates a wider base of followers and supporters of the

issue. This study will create more advocates for student wellness and partners of the AFHK.


Assertions made by Action for Healthy Kids that the requirement of school wellness

policies since 2004 have only proved minor improvements to student health and wellness and

still needs to improvement compares with Moag-Stahlberg [10], who’s study supported this

claim. The assumption that these policies have not been a factor in decreasing childhood obesity

by AFHK contrast with Perez-Brennan [2], who presents grants as a factor of successful wellness

policies and improved student health, and the Eugene School District [17], who has a great

wellness policy that is enacted and has helped improve student diet and wellbeing.


I will use this source in my second subissue to support the argument that school wellness

programs are not achievable or realistic because not all stakeholders have agreeing views on

what is working and what isn’t for wellness policies.

40

[21] Institutional

“Beverage Industry Fighting Childhood Obesity by Helping Children Balance Calories.” American Beverage Association 12 May 2009 [www.ameribev.org accessed 4 Nov. 2009].


The American Beverage Association (ABA) represents the non-alcoholic beverage

companies of America. The companies website says that they employ over 220,00 people from

production and distribution of non-alcoholic beverages, grossing more than $110 billion this year

(www.americbev.org). Along with Alliance for a Healthier Generation, ABA has helped in

developing guidelines for beverages at schools (healthiergeneration.org). In addition to the

coalition, ABA has published ads in the New York Times to promote the company’s shift

towards healthier beverage choices for kids (www.prwatch.org).


The ABA doesn’t believe that a tax on soda will solve the childhood obesity problem.

Adding this tax on beverages is not adequately teaching children about healthy lifestyles. ABA

has come together with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation to create School Beverage

Guidelines, which the beverage companies enthusiastically agreed to stricter regulations on

beverages sold in schools and have cut calories in those beverages. Their organization also

supports other healthy student activity, like physical education and asserts that soda is not the

cause of childhood obesity, rather an unbalance lifestyle of energy in and energy out. Susan

Neely, the president and CEO of ABA, claims that childhood obesity cannot be the direct result

of consumption of carbonated beverages alone and there are healthy people who do drink soda.

The punishment and tax of the beverage companies does not educate children and is not the

answer to the childhood obesity problem asserted Neely.

41

http://www.prwatch.org/


ABA has made changes to it’s polices to incorporate school nutrition factors. This article

has shown the very positive part of the company and all of the great advocacy support that ABA

is giving. Strength of this article comes from how the image of ABA is perceived, as a company

that has turned its life around and is working hard to earn a good reputation. There is some fact

behind its claims of school improvement and the company has kept its promises about beverage

removal, but then the weakness comes in. The great weakness of this piece is that ABA expects

people to feel sorry for them, but that is asking people to feel sorry for Big Tobacco. This

argument goes for emotional but there is no sympathy from the reader. Removing unhealthy

foods from schools help children’s health.


ABA’s assertion that soda is not the main cause of childhood obesity completely

contrasts Gardner [3], whose article points to soda as the one contributor to obesity of children

and supports findings that a tax would decrease consumption of such beverages. The assertion

that obesity is a complex problem by ABA compares with Downey [18] and Anderson and

Bucher [11] who both define obesity as a combination of complex factors of environment, diet,

education, and genetics, not just soda.


I will use this source in my third subissue to support the argument that the stricter school

wellness policies have not produced success because they have only removed soda but have not

taught children how to properly balance calories.

42

[22] Institutional

“Local School Wellness Policies: How Are Schools Implementing the Congressional Mandate?” Robert Wood Johnson Foundation June 2009 [www.rwjf.org accessed 12 Nov. 2009].


Robert Wood Johnson founded the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) with the

aim to provide every American the right to good health and receive care services. Johnson was

also the creator of Johnson & Johnson, a large distributer of health care products

(www.rwjf.org). RWJF conducts research to provide the public with medical information

published through many medical journals, newspapers, and online. The foundation also provides

grants for doctorial health students to improve the ability of the medical field. RWJF works

toward improving the health of the nation through research, education, and creating policy

change (www.healthandsocietyscholars.org).

Part 2: Main assertion

Stricter guidelines and financial requirement by the government for the implantation of

school wellness polices will create stronger polices writes RWJF. It is asserted that if the

government required even more food restrictions and enforced tighter rules regarding wellness

policies, they would work better at combating childhood obesity. Some policies allowed districts

to have too much power over what the policy could say, allowing some to not take any action.

This tactic is assumed to lead to weak policies and hurt school wellness. RWJF asserts that the

creation of a standard for wellness policies that incorporate about the minimum requirements for

schools will enforce these health policies. Funding could be allocated, school would have to take

action, and there would only be good policies. Only having good policies asserts that schools

cannot be penalized or rewarded for policies, since all school will have strong components and

policies are enforced.

43

http://www.healthandsocietyscholars.org/


RWJF’s assumption that further government legislation and power over schools will

create improved school wellness jumps to the conclusion that the government posses the ultimate

power over schools. Legislation is difficult to pass, especially asking for more school funding

and further restrictions on school food. This weakness leads RWJF to appear to belief only

government intervention could provide improvement for childhood obesity, but it overlooks

legislation restrictions and other power organizations that could help. Even though they present

the government as the answer, RWJF does provide great information that supports their findings.

Their research is thorough, with statistics explained and methods detailed. The presentation of

such information provides the reader with adequate facts that could support the governmental

leadership proposed.


RWJF believes that for the improvement of school wellness, the government must

develop more legislation contrasts Okie [14], who views school local power over their own

student body, not the government who cannot cater unique needs of individual schools, as the

way to fight for student wellness. The assertion by RWJF that government enforcement and

legislation as an ally of schools for improvement of wellness programs compares with Rader

[25], who views legislation by the government as the answer to all wellness policy improvement

strategies and a key factor in fighting childhood obesity in schools.


I will use this source in my first subissue to support the argument that school wellness

standardization would force implementation, but has lacked thus far with former wellness

policies.

44

[23] Interview

Morrisette, Senator Bill. Phone Interview. 2 Nov. 2009.


Senator Bill Morrisette is an Oregon Senator representing Springfield. He introduced the

anti-junk food bill in 2003 and was instrumental in passing it into a law that banned all junk food

in schools in 2007 as House Bill 2650. As a former social studies teacher for Springfield High

School, Morrisette believes that education is important and he supports funding for schools in

legislature. This will be his tenth year in Oregon’s Congress and I would expect him to support

even stricter rules in current wellness policies for schools to underline nutritional education and

school wellbeing.


The anti-junk food bill that was passed was lacking in areas according to Morrisette. He

explained if there were too many restrictions in the bill it would have died in committee. He

believes that the bill was the best they could get at the time. House Bill 2650 went beyond just

the federal lunch and breakfast standards and Morrisette explained how local schools have more

power than federal guidelines. Morrisette asserted that schools couldn’t expect obesity change

without addressing other areas of food selling like student run snack bars and booster clubs.

These types of groups are more concentrated on selling unhealthy food to students than the

students’ health. Schools’ wellness policies should include stricter restrictions, but in a

persuading way not to cause a revolt from students. The next step that needs to be taken to stop

obesity is stricter wellness policies, states Morrisette. Funds need to be provided to physical

education and nutrition needs to value at schools. The Senator explained that there aren’t people

against solving the childhood obesity problem; there is just a lack of people actually funding it.

45


Being a school advocate in the legislature, Morrisette was very adamant about the

increase of nutritional education and having stricter wellness policies for schools. His strength

came from offering many solutions that schools could do in response to the childhood obesity

epidemic, but that is also where his weakness came from. He supported changes like

implementing more physical education, having specific food education time, and also to ban all

junk food from any school activities but he did not propose how to fund the school changes.

Most fundraisers in schools sell unhealthy food but raise money for students, sporting games

have popcorn and soda but raise money for schools, and core curriculum has a greater value than

physical or nutritional education because of state tests. All of these activities are trying to support

schools, but school wellness is not a priority among them. His lack of proposed program funding

for these changes leave schools with little help to actually follow through on healthier choices.


Morrisette describes school wellness policy improvements as an unfunded mandate

agreeing with Marcy [19], who believes that school health polices should only be enacted in

areas of desired improvement. Morrisette’s views on vending machine policy also agree with HB

2650 [15], that outlaws unhealthy foods from vending machines and al a carte items. MacVean

[5], disagrees with Morriestte’s main assumption because her findings on policy implementation

show a lack of effort by schools to enforce wellness choices even when a policy is in place.


I will use the responses for History and Background to provide information on previous

bans and in the first subissue supporting standardization schools with stricter rules. The response

will also be in the nonstakeholders section suggesting further government intervention.

46

INTERVIEW SUMMARY SHEETInterview #__1__ Conducted ____in person __X__by telephone ___via e-mail SECTION A:Name of interviewee: Senator Bill MorrisetteJob Title: Oregon Senator

Occupation: Oregon Senator representing Springfield District 6Telephone number: 541-746-1378 E-mail address: [email protected] of interview: 2 Nov. 2009

What do you want to get or expect to learn from this interview? (2-3 sentences)I hope to gather more information on the development and passing of HB 2650. I also

want to see where school restrictions are placed and how much power over funding and the entire school the government has.

SECTION B: How long did the interview take? Did you contact the interviewee again with follow-up questions?

30 minutes and I emailed him some follow up questions for clarification.How did the actual interview differ from your expectations? (2-3 sentences)

The Senator was less informed about nutritional specifics of the background of the bill but was surprisingly helpful when it came to opinions about what schools still need to do. His passionate school background came out and gave me insight to how much the government can actually implement easily.What other interview sources were recommended by this source?

Name(s) and contact information: Mary Lou Hennrich, head of Community Health Partnership in Portland,

503-416-1449 [email protected] Bournhouseque, Upstream Public Health

503-235-9396 ext. 118 [email protected]

SECTION C:Q: There have been complaints by teachers that their choices have also been restricted. Why include teachers’ lounges in a food regulation for children?A: Machines are in effect in schools are open to the public can be restricted, but not teachers and their lounges. We are not dealing with teachers we are dealing with children.

Q: Why not regulate the food served at afterschool programs?A: We were limited to what we could do with the bill. If it was too restricted it would have died in committee. That is something we have to tackle at another time. People are concerned with local control. There is a thin line between what you can and cannot do.

Q: Can you further explain why “food sold during school time” is restricted?A: Statewide legislation, dietitians, and other reasonable standards set food standards.

47

mailto:[email protected]

Q: The junk-food bill and federal lunch standards differ, why?A: This bill went beyond the federal standards. The federal standards are looser and not adequate. The on going regulations where not dealing with obesity, they needed to be aimed at kids. Other school groups, during and after school, need to stop selling the items we have already gotten rid of. Machines are one area of school that we can control; the rest needs to be dealt with depending on the passing of more regulations.

Q: What about schools’ power over food?A: School can develop more restrictions but it is up to the wellness policy. This has to do with enforcing things because we need to be strict but cannot be too strict because then kids do not follow rules and revolt. We need to persuade them and schools need to work with the fact that they don’t have complete power.

Q: What are further steps that need to be made to treat and stop the rise of childhood obesity?A: Physical education. We expect schools to do things like nutritional education and p.e. but it is an unfunded mandate. They cannot be expected to do things that they just don’t have funding for. With insufficient funding, p.e. has been cute and healthy foods have been only an afterthought. People are not taking it seriously. School wellness needs standards. Schools would have reports on how the plan is going, they would be evaluated, then there would be education and enforcement. Talk about changing things like afterschool activities. This has to be done in a way of encouragement, get people involved.

1) “Obesity is something people intellectualize. No one will disagree with you about fixing it put they aren’t really backing it.”

2) “School’s wellness of students need standards.”3) “What about booster clubs, selling all of this crap after school. They are more concerned

about selling stuff than students’ health.”4) “We were limited in what we could get in the bill and we already had so much

opposition.”

48

[24] Interview

Zammit, Nicole. Personal Interview. 4 Nov. 2009.


Nicole Zammit is the Food Services Dietitian for the 4J Eugene School District. She

oversees all of the food being served in the 4J and helps regulate the food aspect of the wellness

policy program for that district. She is also as a registered dietitian; therefore, I expect to gather

insight into the actual foods being served at schools, the changes that have come with anti-junk

food bills, and the overall health of the students. As a contributing enforcer and reviser of the

wellness policy, I expect to gather her insight into how the policy could be further improved.


Nutrition is an important part of healthy students’ lives and needs to recognize by those

in charge asserts Zammit. This education can be easily incorporated into core curriculum classes

because it is basic science. Sadly, Zammit admits to being rarely contacted by schools to teach

students about foods and energy input/output. What she is proud of is the change in the food

being served to students. She believes that this food greatly surpasses what was served just a few

years ago by having whole grain wheat, unlimited fresh produce, and lean meats. Granted, she

cannot force students to eat the unlimited salad bar, but they can no longer just eat calorie dense

foods at al e cart booths or in vending machines. For many students, Zammit explains that what

they eat at school might be the only place they get to eat all day; therefore, these meals are

healthy and follow strict nutrition guidelines. Where the wellness policy falters is when parents

come in. In such events when parents are the majority, the nutritional foods policy has no

control. Zammit asserts that this also happens in the schools when rewards come into play. She

says a stricter policy on such activities is part of the solution to the childhood obesity epidemic.

49


The weakness of Zammit’s claim that even with healthy foods being implemented into

schools, she could not provide me with direct evidence that these foods lowered the obesity rate

in children. The fact as a dietitian, she believes that lower fat content, cutting off access to sugary

foods, and eliminating sweet treats should result in a change in children. Yet her dedication to

children and improving their wellbeing trumps her lack of evidence with emotion. She wants for

students to learn about nutrition facts and physical fitness. Strength of passion and desire for

change of the district makes Zammit have a cause that might work with proper support.


Zammit’s main assumption that nutrition needs to be recognized as an important factor in

students’ wellness compares with the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 [16],

which enforces the creation of school wellness policy that incorporates nutrition education, and

Barnett [7], who correlates school gardens with the growth of children’s nutrition lessons.

Although Zammit views nutrition education as a vital part of students’ wellness, this idea

contrasts with Svoboda [8], who claims that physical education is the way to increased health

education.


I will use the response I got for the first and second subissue to support the argument that

standardize school wellness programs are realistic and achievable, while also producing

successful healthy food implementations. I am also going to use the responses in the Discussion

section to support the early education of children about nutrition and instilling healthy choices.

The responses are also going to include in the stakeholders section that urges the government to

value nutrition and to place emphasis on school wellness.

50

INTERVIEW SUMMARY SHEETInterview #__2__ Conducted __X__in person ____by telephone ___via e-mail SECTION A:Name of interviewee: Nicole ZammitJob Title: Food Services Dietitian

Occupation: Registered Dietitian for 4J School DistrictTelephone number: 541-790-7562 E-mail address: [email protected] of interview: 4 Nov. 2009Location, time of interview (in-person interviews only):Education Center, Eugene School District 4J

What do you want to get or expect to learn from this interview? (2-3 sentences)I hope to get further understanding of 4J’s wellness policy and how the implication has

effect childhood obesity. I would also like to get clarification on what schools are actually doing with policies set in place and if childhood obesity is going down.

SECTION B:How long did the interview take? Did you contact the interviewee again with follow-up questions?

30 minutes, I did not contact her with any follow-up questions.How did the actual interview differ from your expectations? (2-3 sentences)

She was informed on the nutrition aspect of the wellness policy, but she could only give some information on other aspects like physical education because that was not her area of expertise. Zammit also was more informed about the parent aspect of wellness policies, which gave a different view into how the school relationship with parents regarding nutrition worked.What other interview sources were recommended by this source?

Name(s) and contact information: Laurie Trieger, Executive Director of Lane Coalition for Healthy Active Youth (LCHAY)

541-682-4306

SECTION C:Q: What are the impacts schools have on a child’s nutrition education and consumption?A: We have a pretty big impact on kid’s food consumption. They are eating here twice a day, five days a week. If they aren’t eating with us, there is a good chance that they are not eating healthy foods at home.

Q: Do you view the food they consume at school not only nutritional, but good for their education?A: Absolutely. The food we serve here has whole grains, lean meats, and an offering bar set up every day. They are kids, so they might more go towards cheeseburgers, but at least a portion of that is good for them.

51

Q: How does this incorporate into the school’s wellness policy? How is it enacted?A: I wasn’t here when the policy was developed but it really targets the al e cart items. Any school activity where parents are not a majority the policy is in effect. You used to be able to get high fat pizzas in the al a cart, but now all you can get are low fat items. We took the HB 2650 and targeted all areas, then a little further. Kids are offered fruit and veggies everyday. We can’t make them eat them, but at least they have them available. I think the wellness policy did a good job of setting up the opportunity for healthier eating for kids.

Q: Have you seen any changes in the obesity rate in schools since HB 2650 or the wellness policy have been enacted?A: No, I haven’t been with the school and I would have to look at research data numbers. I do know that the temptation is no longer there in vending machines; there just isn’t that option.

Q: How does funding factor in?A: Funding has been cut back which doesn’t allow an increase in physical education, but we try to cut areas to provide for the more expensive healthy foods. We just have to decide what is more important.

Q: What do you wish the government would do?A: Make the people in charge realize that nutrition is important. Nutrition education should be integrated into schools and so all kids are learning at the same rate and level not just high risk population. Because we are all humans, were all high risk when it comes to eating.

Q: Do you wish there were stricter rules or a standardized wellness policy?A: You can’t tell parents what to do. When they are in majority, the rules don’t apply to them, but when they are at school it really should apply to everyone. Teachers can’t give food as rewards or parties for doing well. You wouldn’t allow those sorts of things in the cafeteria. As long as they are at school, they will not have those unhealthy choices.

Q: Do you think that anti-junk food laws and wellness policies are the answer to childhood obesity? Do you think that schools are the answer?A: They are part of the solution. We are just one part of the kid’s day. School nutrition is part of the solution, but I don’t know if it is the answer because there is a circle. Kids need to know more about both subjects and they need to be physically able to go out and do things. Children need to be taught early as possible about correct nutrition education. Nutrition is just science, simple science.

1) “Make the people in charge of making decisions realize that hey nutrition is important!”2) “With adults being there they feel that you can’t tell an adult that they can’t have pop.

The adults there are the ones in charge. If the mom says fine you can have a pop because I’m here with you then it becomes the parents’ responsibility and then it is no longer the schools’ responsibility for making it available. Do I agree with it? Not really.”

52

[25] Interview

Rader, Mel. Phone Interview. 11 Nov. 2009.


Rader is the Project Director for Farm to School and Transportation Policies at Upstream

Public Health. Upstream Public Health is a health advocacy organization based in Portland,

Oregon. With a nutrition policy master’s degree, in addition to experience in non-profit

advocacy, Rader works at developing policies that provide local food in school lunches and

active transportation. I would expect him to support more governmental involvement and

funding for schools to improve their healthy programs. He would also be in favor of school

garden projects and walking/biking to school programs as a combatant of childhood obesity.


The government is the one factor that can help improve the future for childhood obesity,

states Rader. He believes if the legislators in charge understood the importance of student health

they would be more likely to fund school nutrition improvement programs. Congress must have

more child nutrition advocates to stop this epidemic. Rader asserts that health is a major benefit

to society; therefore, it needs to be recognized and not placed behind classroom curriculum.

Funding controls school programs, but student health cannot be ignored. Yet Rader believes that

school wellness polices are not the answer because it is too difficult to get them into place.

Instead, programs like school gardens, biking to school, and further improvement on food

regulation are easier to incorporate into curriculum.

Rader is also a major supporter of learning through doing. Just teaching children about

vegetables does not provide the learning knowledge of growing your own. Schools and the

government are in a partnership where both need to improve to help the child obesity epidemic.

53


The weakness of Rader is that he believes children’s health advocacy deserves the most

funding and there should not be any shortage of funding when it comes to saving children from

obesity. This is a common trend when advocates ask for policy funding. Advocates overlook

when they receive funding that the same money was taken away from another group. Asking the

government for more funding and not acknowledging that this money could be taken out of

another school fund shows that Rader desires change for children’s health, but does not care

what other children’s group must have lack of funding to do so. Overlooking funds by Rader can

be surpassed by his confidence and support of smaller programs as the answer to childhood

obesity. His strength is that he provides success stories from these programs and shows that their

implication can be easier than school wellness as a whole.


The introduction of further legislation to create a healthier school community purposed

by Rader compares with Abbot [1], who reports that changes made by the government are the

only way to improve school lunch programs and agrees with these changes to improve school

wellness stated by the Secretary of Agriculture. Rader’s belief that adequate funding and stronger

legislation creates a better school wellness contrasts with MacVean [5], who asserts that even

with additional government legislation, wellness policies must be enforced at the local school

level in order to work in decreasing childhood obesity.


I will use these responses in the first subissue to argue that schools cannot be

standardized because they have different priorities. I will also use this in the nonstakeholders

section asking for more government rule and legislative action.

54

INTERVIEW SUMMARY SHEETInterview #__3__ Conducted ____in person __X__by telephone ___via e-mail SECTION A:Name of interviewee: Mel Rader, MS, MSJob Title: Project Director, Farm to School and Transportation Policies

Occupation: Advocate for children’s health at Upstream Public HealthTelephone number: 503-284-6390 E-mail address: [email protected] of interview: 11 Nov. 2009

What do you want to get or expect to learn from this interview? (2-3 sentences)I expect to gather more information on the regulations there were developed for

restricting school foods. I would also like to discuss how these regulations are connected with school wellness policies and if this advocacy group sees them as an answer to the childhood obesity problem.

SECTION B: How long did the interview take? Did you contact the interviewee again with follow-up questions?

22 minutes and I emailed Rader with come clarification questions. How did the actual interview differ from your expectations? (2-3 sentences)

I was expecting more elaborations on certain answers, but I got stuck with short answers and he didn’t budge with follow-up questions. He did give me insight to farm-to-school and bike/walking paths that I didn’t realize and it was also explained how crucial funding is and the legislature can be in implementing a school wellness program.What other interview sources were recommended by this source?

Name(s) and contact information: Nancy Becker, Program Director of Oregon Nutrition Policy Alliance503-227-5502 ext. 221 [email protected]

SECTION C:Q: The standards that were put in place by the passing of anti-junk food bill are very restrictive. What were the standards’ aim and how where these regulations developed?A: There were a number of different groups around the country involved and standards were developed off of what experts believed where healthy guidelines for students. The finalized form of the bill in 2007 was very close to what was recommended by Institute of Medicine healthy guidelines. These standards are just one piece of solving childhood obesity. There needs to be a more comprehensive approach to childhood obesity to stop it, the food guidelines were only a dent dealing with the epidemic. Oregon’s standards are actually 2nd strongest in the country for food regulations so I would view them are very good for student health.

55

Q: Besides food, what other programs need to be implemented in for better student health?A: Physical activity and physical education need to be increased. Physical movement along with education about activity is an important part of student health. In order to improve school food it should be aimed at all school meal programs. School gardens, where students grow and harvest their own vegetables, are a great opportunities for them to learn. Walking and biking to school also needs to be advertised. Schools need to be closer for students to walk/bike, the school routes need to be safe, and transportation groups need to help with the pavement and traffic coordination.

Q: Could these programs be factored into a school wellness policy? Could they be improved?A: School wellness policies are one route to put other student health policies in place. Although these programs could help in a school aspect, what needs to be done is look through a larger scoop. The problem with these school policies is actually getting them in place. Funding is the biggest problem and the legislative bodies and school need to form a partnership since both need to be improved to help with the epidemic. Improving all depends on the school district. Portland Public Schools could have the funding and support to start school garden projects and other programs to be implemented. But small school districts would struggle to support such things, which puts them at a disadvantage.

Q: Are such changes like the ones you have proposed realistic, achievable, and successful?A: It comes down to a matter of funding. There are messy politics around the Department of Education when it comes to the discussion of what takes priority, classroom curriculum or student health? Money in classrooms is a good investment, both in producing good health and good education curriculum. There are different case studies that show the benefits of such programs but it is often hard to get to the level of investigation that would show a decrease in weight. Many factors influence weight in school, yet there were studies that found that eating habits were healthier and there was an increases in physical activity time when the school nutrition standards were enforced. School gardens are education for children. We have found that nutrition education works best when it’s one piece of many different educations. School changes like healthier food options and opening a school garden are all connected. A combination of a number of programs has shown to work, but without the broader context, the nutrition education fails.

Q: Is this the answer to solving the epidemic?A: It is one part of the answer. School kids are really important age group; they receive 1/3 of their calories consumed per day at school. School is an important component and it can’t solve by itself. There must be community base interventions. What happens at home must be incorporated. Kids can have influence on what others eat and do around them. There are lots of things that I wish the government would do. Ideas addressing obesity come from communities and all of these different ideas will lead to lots of possible policies. But the question remains, how do we transform these ideas into policies enforced at schools?

1) “More legislators need to understand the importance of a school health initiative. We need more champions in the house and senate for childhood health. “

2) “Health should be looked at as a benefit to society and a benefit to reduce healthcare cost.”

56

[26] Blog

Adams, Michael. “Who is to Blame for Childhood Obesity?” [Weblog entry.] Childhood Obesity Blog. 17 Feb. 2007 [childhood--obesity.blogspot.com/ accessed 15 Oct. 2009].


The Childhood Obesity blog was designed to provide a space for people to read news

about childhood obesity and as an information site for parents to help their children who suffer

from obesity (childhood--obesity.blogspot.com/). In his blog posts, Adams includes either his

own thoughts on research or posts articles in relation to childhood obesity. He has been on

Blogger.com since September 2006 and has created this blog, which has received 7,800 visitors

from its conception. Besides this blog, Adams writes two other blogs covering statistics and the

causes of childhood obesity along with several karate devoted blogs (www.blogger.com).


Adams asserts that teaching parents how to teach their children healthy eating habits is

the solution to childhood obesity. He writes that the government receives the blunt of blame from

society as the cause of childhood obesity. The government doesn’t require stricter regulations on

school food or on television ads, but then this isn’t just the answer. Adams believes that the

government, parents, and schools are all connect through their ability to work together to stop the

childhood obesity epidemic. If the government gave parents incentives to go to such classes,

parents might go and pay for the small fee. At these classes, parents could be taught about

nutrition education, what the school is doing, and how the parents can help instill in their

children the importance of healthy lifestyles. When the school directly teaches the parents about

nutrition and school wellness, schools can devout more time to core curriculum academics.

Adams asserts instead of blaming people, whole communities should come together, and then

this program would be the best answer for childhood obesity.

57

http://childhood--obesity.blogspot.com/


Adams gives a great possible strategy for the government, parents, and schools to try and

emulate, but he jumps to conclusions based on stereotypical parental assumptions. The weakness

of his post is that he believes that by teaching parents directly the importance of a healthy diet,

kids will be more likely to follow one. These are characteristics of a “typical” family that has

time for these classes, money for classes, time to teacher their children nutritional skills, and who

are not overweight themselves. American families are not typical and most overweight/obese

children have at least one parent who is overweight or obese. Granted that Adams forms his

programs around the perfect family, he does give great evidence that this program, with some

modification, could work. This strength come from his great examples of how this program

could be interlinking and beneficial to all groups involved.

Part 4: Comparisons and contrast

Adams assertion that a whole community effort working together to solve childhood

obesity is the answer to the epidemic compares to Khan [14] and the Robert Wood Johnson

Foundation [22], who both conducted studies that revealed a combined community effort for

change would enforce healthier habits for children. Community action and togetherness purposed

by Adams contrasts to Downey [18], who believes that communities treat overweight people

differently and education on the obesity as a disease must first be understood before any

community change can happen.


I will use this source in the second subissue supporting the argument that there needs to

be a community effort for school wellness to work against and treat childhood obesity.

58

[27] Blog

Grant, Linda. “Bake Sales are not the Enemy.” [Weblog entry.] New York City Moms Blog. 14 Oct. 2009 [www.nycmomsblog.com accessed 7 Nov. 2009].


The New York City Moms Blog is a place for bustling mothers of the city to read advice

an opinions from fellow busy women in the Big Apple. As part of the Silicon Valley Moms

Group, NYC Moms blog was launched in December of 2007 and has a contributing base of 20

mothers (www.svmomblog.typepad.com). Grant is a regular contributor to NYC Moms, has

formerly worked in the financial service industry, and is a single mother of an adopted child

according to NYC Moms’ website. In 2008 she also launched her own blog titled New York

Single Moms, where she discusses issues that single mothers must face in NYC along with pop

culture and politics (www.newyorkcitysinglemom.com).


Grant asserts that the food regulations set by the Department of Education (DOE) are

aiming at the wrong enemy. By banning school bake sales, which Grant states happen not often,

they are eliminating a precious money source for the PTA. This shortage of money then must

come out of parents’ pockets because bake sales supply children with an excess of sugar and fat.

Grant also writes that these bans are ineffective because they are targeting parents instead of the

lunches being severed at school. Regulations are not enforced at school, asserts Grant, because

her daughter was not eating healthy, balanced meals. An odd aspect of this ban is that it didn’t

ban the amount of parties or celebrations in classrooms. Having 5 celebrations a month with

cupcakes and other treats should be regulated just like the bake sales. It is asserted by Grant that

the DOE needs to straighten out its main focus for combating consumption of sugar and fats,

instead of targeting parenting organizations trying to help fund student activities.

59

http://www.newyorkcitysinglemom.com/

http://www.svmomblog.typepad.com/


Grant’s assumption that the ban on cupcakes isn’t combating childhood obesity reveals

her lack of knowledge of studies correlating sugar treats and childhood weight gain. Since Grant

is just a parent, not a nutritionist or an educator, she cannot look at the other side of the wellness

of schools. By not presenting the benefit of reducing the availability of unhealthy foods, Grant’s

argument against the ban isn’t supported by anything but her parenting style. Yet, Grant does

support her argument that the ban unfairly opposes bake sales but do not regulate classroom

celebrations. Her strength in presenting the correlation between cupcake sales and celebrations

lack of nutrients shows that the DOE is only tackling one aspect of unhealthy foods at schools.

This presentation better informs the reader about her claim of unfair prejudice by DOE.


Grant’s assertion that the cupcake ban greatly affects funding for afterschool activities

and hurts students compares with Iasevoli [6], who found that without cupcakes, student activity

funding was greatly decreased and had a huge negative student reaction. The assertion by Grant

that this ban is actually hurting the student body contrasts to Morrisette [23] and House Bill 2650

[15], who both believe removing the availability of sweets to students will combat childhood

obesity and create healthy students developing healthy lifelong habits.


I will use this source in my third subissue to support the argument that there has not been

success from the implementation of school wellness health programs and that bans have hurt

student funding while not even improving the lunch menu for students.

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[28] Other

Cooper, Ann and Hailey London. “Meal Wheel.” 2008. [www.chefann.com accessed 1 Nov. 2009].


Ann Cooper is a former lunch lady who is dedicated to the improvement of child

nutrition. She has been a chef for more than 30 years creating dishes that appeal to children taste

and are packed with nutrition. Her main goal is to use her talents to help bring a change to the

unhealthy diets of children. Cooper has written four books, all focused children food nutrition

and parents’ role of feeding them (www.chefann.com) In collaboration with Whole Foods

Market, Cooper has developed an online program that helps schools change the food that is

served (wholefoodsmarket.com). Registered dietitian Hailey London and Cooper met at the

private 4th-12th grade Ross School in NY, where London is in charge of teaching all grades

nutrition programs as head of wellness and as the school’s nutritionist (food-management.com).


Cooper and London assert these servings should be the type children eat every day.

Vegetables, fruits, and whole grains make up half of a child’s diet, while calcium, lean protein,

healthy fats, read meat, and added fats and sugars should be eating in much smaller portions. The

colorful “Meal Wheel” also asserts that water should be the choice of drink for kids and children

should exercise, sleep, and drink water daily. By presenting this type of information in a child

friendly way, Cooper and London can better inform children of what they should be eating, and

actually get some incorporation into a child’s diet. Children can look at the chart, see what their

plate should look like, and know that they are eating a healthy, balanced meal. It’s also asserted

this can be applied outside of school in homes and community areas. It is made available online

and downloadable, making healthy food choices fun and accessible.

61

http://www.chefann.com/


Cooper and London have developed this wheel on the assumption that children will

follow the chart when presented with meal choices. Children cannot be expected to make healthy

food choices, especially if that model type of eating is only based on a picture. The wheel should

be one aspect of a multidimensional fight for better child nutrition. Children also need to be

educated that these food choices are not only health, but also the right ones for them to make.

Kids could be influenced to follow the wheel if the chart is fully incorporated in schools and at

home. Although, children might not be able to understand nutrition based solely on the wheel,

but it does present the nutrition information that adults could follow also. They assume that this

can teach children, but it can also help educators and a parent understand what children need to

be eating and incorporate such knowledge into curriculum and is a strength.


The balanced diet for children presented in the “Meal Wheel,” underlining a plate full of

whole grains, veggies, fruit compares with Zammit [24], who discussed the improvement of

children’s diet when incorporating whole grains and endless fruits and vegetables correlates with

their improved health and wellbeing. Cooper and London believed that the implantation of

healthy foods would be easy to incorporate into school programs contrasts with Marcy [19] and

Moag-Stahlberg [10], who studies disagree and have found that programs for the improvement of

school wellness have not shown results in the incorporation of healthy food programs.


I will use this source in my all three of my subissue supporting that standardization is

possible with tools like this, realistic because it can be understood by adults and children, and has

produced success for schools getting children to eat healthier food portions.

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I. Introduction

A. Should the Oregon Department of Education standardize school wellness programs to combat childhood obesity?

B. The standardization of school wellness programs will ensure that all Oregon schools will have strong policies on addressing childhood obesity in schools. These programs will entail improving physical activity, nutrition education, and food services. [1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 13, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24]

C. Communities wonder what is the standard for such programs and if the changes are realistic or achievable for schools. It is also questionable if stricter programs even produce success. [4, 15, 24, 27]

D. I believe by developing a standard for school wellness programs will improve the implementation of health programs at schools, teach children about healthy lifestyles, and help schools combat childhood obesity.

II. History and background information

A. What events, if any sparked the need for this legislation, policy, or regulation?

1. Since the late 1970s, there has been a major increase in sedentary lifestyles of children and their caloric intake. [9, 11]

2. Schools have had an influx of unhealthy foods in vending machines and as a la carte items. In response to emphasis on state scores, schools have cut back on physical activity and health education to focus on core curriculum. [2, 8, 13, 19, 23]

3. The increasing rate of childhood obesity, children developing adult disease, and the first generation to have shorter life expectancy than their parents. [9, 14]

B. How has government addressed the issue, or comparable issues, in the past?

1. The Richard B. Russell National School Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 established lunches for children in school and provided for some children a free or reduced lunch. [16]

2. An amendment to the act in 2004 established and required school wellness programs for all schools participating in the federal lunch commodities program. [4, 16, 19, 22]

3. Oregon passed a house bill, HB 2650, that bans all junk food from schools during school hours and school student activities. [15, 23]

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C. Research and studies have been conducted to reveal that wellness policy implementation needs more restrictions and funding by the government. [1, 10, 20, 22]

III. Issues

A. Can you standardize a wellness program for all schools?

1. Standardization for all wellness policy programs is possible.

a. Schools have power over students to control what type of food they consume. Removing junk food and replacing it with healthy food as the only choice will force student to be healthier. [11, 12, 15, 28]

b. Stricter policies will create regulations that cannot be broken, ensure that only healthy food would be served, physical activity would be mandatory, and health education would be an integral part of the curriculum. [9, 22, 23]

c. Creating a measuring system to ensure that each policy would have important health components guarantees wellness policies to have all crucial health guidelines for schools. [4]

2. Standardization for all wellness policy programs is not possible.

a. Lack of funding and support in other areas would not allow even incorporation of wellness programs throughout all school districts. [1, 10, 19, 22]

b. Schools have different priorities; placing core curriculum ahead of school wellness when it comes to how much time is spent in different classes. [8, 25]

c. Standardization of school wellness policies would require some type of community involvement, but all communities are different. The communities view weight-issues differently along with funding or supporting schools. [11, 12, 14]

3. The standardization of school wellness policies would create a much stronger minimum for school health, improving student body health. This is only possible if there is adequate support from the government with funding and enforcement.

a. Progress has been made in school wellness policies, but their enforcement and funding cause irregularities in student health improvements and still need to improve for the sake of school health. [10, 22]

b. Standardization will create a healthier student body with measurement systems and tools to incorporate and instill healthy lifestyles in all children. [4, 23, 28]

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B. Are the expectations of the health program realistic and achievable?

1. Wellness program expectations are realistic and achievable for schools.

a. Improving school food is an easy and realistic approach to improving school health. Children’s eating habits can be changed by making fruits and vegetables more available, along with following mandated nutrition guidelines. [11, 13, 15, 16, 24, 28]

b. Physical activity can help deal with childhood obesity by incorporating other core class’ lessons while expending energy. It is also important to decrease food intake of children and increase their physical expenditure. [8, 11, 13]

c. Government intervention and legislation can also force taxes, bans, or laws that allow programs’ lessons to become achievable. [3, 16, 17]

2. Oppositions believe that the expectations of schools for implementing wellness policies are not realistic or achievable.

a. Schools are not the only causes of childhood obesity; therefore, to solve childhood obesity it must be a community effort. The programs are not realistic because they cannot control what students do outside of school. [14, 18, 26]

b. Budgets of schools vary, and enforcing a school wellness policy that schools cannot support because of funding is unrealistic. Without proper support from advocacy groups and government funding, wellness policies cannot be enacted. [5, 6, 10, 19, 23]

c. Wellness policy programs have different views of improvement by administrations. There are also variants when it comes to within an administration. Teachers, superintendents, and physical education teachers all disagree if a policy program is working. [20]

3. Changing school services and physical activity plans are easy improvements that greatly help student health. But it is also helpful to incorporate community efforts in teaching healthy habits and fighting childhood obesity.

a. Removal of unhealthy foods, incorporating nutritious foods, and increasing physical activity into the school day of children are easy. This switch is proven to improve the health of children. [8, 13, 16, 24, 28]

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b. Community involvement and support has led to healthier communities as a whole and educated children about health improvements outside of schools, while enforcing lessons learned in school. [2, 14, 19]

C. Has there been success from implementation of such programs?

1. Support that suggests many wellness program implementations has created success in improving school health and helping fight childhood obesity.

a. Grants have allocated funding to schools that has giving them resources for improving their wellness programs. The programs have decreased the weight of children and helped establish healthy lifestyles in the student body. [2, 19]

b. Edible Schoolyards and other food education programs have informed children how food is grown and exposed them to vegetables. Policies have created great improvement in implementing whole grains and more fruits and vegetables into the school food system. [7, 24]

c. When schools take power and create a strong, detailed school wellness plan with emphasis on nutrition and its connection with student learning, children have no other choice then to be healthy at school. [13, 17, 24]

2. Opponents believe placing further restrictions on school food and other health programs has not shown success in improving student health.

a. Removal of sugary drinks in compliance with school wellness policies has not taught children why those types of food are “unhealthy.” Schools must educate children about calorie balance and moderation of all foods. [21]

b. Outlawing cupcake sales to limit student sugar and fat intake is taking away precious funding for afterschool activities. These sales provide students, some who disagree with the ban, with learning opportunities and funds. [6, 27]

c. These restrictions are also targeting parents as the enemy. When bake sales are banned, parents make up for lost funds. But there are other “unhealthy activities” that are allowed to still take place like classroom celebrations. Schools need to focus on providing healthy meals everyday in the cafeteria, and then edit cupcake sale fundraisers. [27]

d. Even after the required implementation of school wellness polices, some schools are not enforcing changes in junk food availability or physical activity and others have worded policies so no change has to be taken. Past policies have not forced school improvement. [5]

3. There have been many successful programs that have helped improve student health and combat childhood obesity after the implementation of school wellness policies.

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The success of policies greatly outweighs those programs that are claimed to not have worked to improve student health.

a. Changes in school curriculum, education classes, and food ingredients have proven to better student health and help encourage healthy lifestyles in children and have been helped by grants and advocacy for healthier children. [2, 17, 24]

b. Banning cupcakes will reduce children’s intake of sugar and reduce their availability of unhealthy foods at schools. There can be fundraisers that incorporate healthy foods or non-food items, while children can be educated on correct food nutrition on foods they eat. [7, 6, 17, 24, 28]

IV. Discussion

A. Childcare facilities and preschools should also be required to have a wellness policy that teaches and enforces healthy choices for children. [9, 14]

1. Childcare facilities and preschools are not part of the K-12 system and might not be considered under the control that school districts are. People also might view these areas as not adequate places for nutrition education or healthy food enforcement. [14, 24, 27]

2. This point needs to be considered because the early development and after-school care are areas where children can be taught the benefits of healthy eating early, and then carry over to K-12 schooling. [24, 28]

B. The school wellness policy should also incorporate psychological help for students, improving their self-esteem and creating a welcoming student body. [6, 9, 12]

1. The health of a student might only be measured by their body stature, instead of also considering their emotions and how they view themselves. This might not be considered a part of school wellness and therefore overlooked as a possible branch of student health.

2. Students should be counseled to find what issues they have regarding their health, which can then be addressed and be an integral part of improving school wellness. Children could also be educated on acceptance and how teasing could hurt the wellbeing of others. [2, 12, 18]

V. Stakeholders’ suggestions for how best to resolve the issue

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A. The stakeholder, Eugene School District Food Services Nutritionist and registered dietitian Nicole Zammit, proposed the nutrition of children to be viewed as important by the government and to put emphasis on nutrition in schools. She believes in a stricter wellness policy or a standardization that would enforce food restriction, portions, and activities with parents. [24]

1. The strength of this solution is that placing a power in schools to create a strong wellness policy that will restrict unhealthy foods and increase education is large step that will improve student health. By making only healthy choices available and educating students on healthy choices will lead to a better school wellness. [1, 7, 8, 9, 28]

2. The weakness of this solution is that she overlooks that schools cannot just eliminate anything that is deemed “unhealthy” and that parents will not agree with complete health control over their children.

B. The nonstakeholders, Oregon Senator Bill Morrisette and child advocate Mel Rader, proposed to implement more programs that incorporated healthy choices for students and that further legislation needs to be passed in dealing with childhood obesity. [23, 25]

1. The strength of this solution is that the government does have a huge power over schools, especially on their programs and budgets; therefore possess the largest influence in health programs in schools. [9, 22]

2. The weakness of this solution is that the government can only fund health programs if it either increases taxes or takes money away from another program. The tax increase will be hard to pass and the program with a funding decrease will fight to get the support back.

VI. Recommendations

I believe that the Oregon Department of Education should standardize school wellness programs. The standardization would create a minimum that all wellness policies must have, guaranteeing nutritious food, health education, and daily physical activity for school children. The government should support the programs put in place with adequate funding to implement and maintain the programs. By instilling health education in schools and supporting children’s healthy choices, school wellness will improve and childhood obesity will decrease. [4, 10, 14, 17, 22, 23, 24, 25]

A. The strength of this solution is that it covers how improved wellness policies will be implemented and funded. It also addresses what specific programs need the most attention to combat childhood obesity and incorporate strong wellness policies. Since funding is a main factor in implementing school policies, this solution addresses how important student nutrition is and how the government should view it relating to educated, healthy children.

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B. The weakness of this recommendation is the lack of community involvement in the school changes. Different communities will produce different ideas of wellness and might criticize some schools for wellness policies; therefore, the help of community support will not help the implementation of the policies.

C. Even though community involvement could help with the strengthening of the wellness policies, schools need to be able to improve and incorporate student wellness improvement on their own. Just because there is a lack of community involvement doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be a standard for how schools view wellness.

VII. Conclusion

A. School wellness policies are lacking enforcement and funding to create a strong enough policy that will improve student health and combat childhood obesity. Schools require standards for programs, but they lack a measurement system or minimum to judge the effectiveness of the policies.

B. I examined how schools have dealt with the increase of childhood obesity in the past and what they believe is the answer for schools to prevent obesity of children in the future. I focused on sources that examined how schools have implemented school wellness policies and if these programs have shown success in improving school health.

C. I believe the standardization of wellness policies create stronger programs that are easily implementable for schools. Support of advocacy groups and government funding will force schools to follow strict health guidelines and greatly improve student health. With healthier foods, nutrition education, and increased physical activity incorporated in school wellness policies, there will be an increase in healthy student lifestyles and a decrease in childhood obesity.

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I. Introduction

America is fat. Adults have developed an unhealthy habit of overeating and not

exercising. This habit has been passed on to their children. Kids’ waistlines are growing, along

with their danger of weight-related diseases. As a result of the dramatic increase of weight gain

in children between 1999 and 2004, one fifth of children in the United States are either obese or

overweight as of July 2009 [14]. Teens and children who are overweight have actually doubled

as a percentage over the last thirty years (National Heart Lung and Blood Institute). This

epidemic needs to be stopped and an influential factor in a child life is their K-12 education.

There has been emphasis placed on schools to improve the wellness of their student body

through food restrictions and health policies. Claims that these policies could improve have

prompted the question if there needs to be stricter standards for these policies, regulated by the

government. Should the Oregon Department of Education standardize school wellness programs

to combat childhood obesity?

This standardization of school wellness programs will ensure that all Oregon schools will

have strong policies on addressing childhood obesity in schools. Secretary of Agriculture Tom

Vilsack believes that there needs further improvement on supplying children with healthy foods

[1], while Oregon Senator Bill Morrisette believes that the standardization of schools will hold

wellness to a higher, healthier standard [23]. Programs that are to be implemented as part of a

school wellness policy [17] are school gardens [7], increasing physical activity [8], emphasizing

health education [24], and improving the food services programs [5]. Studies have been

conducted to establish the strengths and weaknesses [10, 22] of the requirement of school

wellness policies [16, 19] and have shown a need for a measurement factor [4] to measure

quality of such programs at eliminating childhood obesity [20].

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Underneath the possible standardization of school wellness policies, there are certain

questions that arise about improving the health of students and wellbeing of schools.

Communities wonder what is the standard for such programs and what the policies would be

measured to [4]. It is also a concern if requirements in the standard program are realistic or

achievable for school do to [15, 27]. Parents are especially concerned if the past regulations have

been successful and if it is correct to build off of a standard policy to improve future school

wellness policies [24, 27].

I believe by developing a standard for schools, wellness programs will improve the health

of the student body greatly. With the implementation of health programs and teaching children

about healthy lifestyles, schools can positively impact students with lifelong habits. These

stricter policies will also help schools decrease the health risks of students, stopping one cause of

weight issues, educating children for prevention of weight problems, and combating childhood

obesity.

II. History and background information

Gradually over the last three decades, childhood obesity has become an alarming problem

among youth in the United States. Only 5% of children, categorized between the ages of two to

nineteen, were classified as obese in the early 1970s [11]. The gradual weight gain has crossed

over all race barriers, social levels, and every region of the country to amount to one in three

children today being overweight or obese [9]. Obesity in children was caused when children

decreased their amount of physical activity and increased their amount of calorie intake. The

improper balance of energy intake and energy outtake has developed unhealthy lifestyles of

children with sedentary tendency and high caloric food consumption [11]. With this trend

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continuing, the economic costs of obesity increases along with the decrease of public health

(FCC).

Children’s energy balance is greatly affected at school. Competitive foods, food that

competes directly with the federally funded school lunch program, in vending machines and al a

carte booths have been infiltrating schools and selling unhealthy foods to children providing

them with calorie dense foods [13]. The availability of unhealthy foods to students in schools

were primarily provided by al a carte items where students could purchase unhealthy foods high

in fat and sugar instead of getting a whole lunch meal that would provide adequate, balanced

nutrition [23]. Besides food problems, schools have been trying to deal with the balance between

preparing students for numerous standardize testing and physical education. It is difficult to find

time in a busy students day to fit physical activity when other core classes take priority [8].

Finding funding for health programs has also led to a significant decrease in physical activity [2],

healthy foods [23], and nutritional education in schools [19].

As a result of increasing weight, lack of movement, inadequate health programs at

schools, and ignored education of healthy lifestyles, children have to deal with adult problems.

Childhood obesity has caused children to develop adult diseases, like type 2 diabetes, which has

caused the current overweight generation to be the first to have a shorter prospected lifetime

expectancies than there parents [9]. In the last twenty years, the number of children with diabetes

has quadrupled in the US (Uncdiss). Children with weight problems who don’t have a health

intervention develop chronic diseases like heart disease and some cancers [14]. These health

problems along with heaviness usually continue into adulthood (CDC) because children are not

learning healthy habits from parents, schools, and their communities [9, 14].

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Prior to the dramatic increase of childhood obesity, the government passed the Richard B.

Russell National School Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966. The National School Act was

signed in 1936 and established a supply of farm commodities through the government to schools,

giving needy children free or reduced lunches (Gunderson). In the Child Nutrition Act of 1966,

the government wished to further improve the National School Act and the health of children

with this act that established milk programs, breakfasts, and allocated funds for other non-food

school needs (Gunderson).

In 2004, an amendment to both of the previously listed acts established further

restrictions and improvements to student health. The shortened title of the amendments was the

Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 [4] and stated that all schools participating

in the federal commodities food program must create a local school wellness policy [16]. With

the reauthorization, the beginning of the 2006 school year was when every school was required

to have a local school wellness policy [19] and the policies were to include a school’s nutritional

guidelines for all food services, physical activity objectives, and health education aims [22].

Following this reauthorization of the National School Lunch Program and the Child

Nutrition Act of 1966, there were still complaints about the nutritional value of foods served in

schools. In Oregon, Senator Bill Morrisette was pushing for the banning of all junk foods sold in

schools during the 2003 and 2005 legislatives sessions along with other child advocacy groups

(Upstream Public Health). Finally in 2007, House Bill (HB) 2650 was passed and enforced much

stricter guidelines for food served in school cafeterias in al a carte items, school vending

machines, and student majority afterschool activities (Oregon Laws). HB 2650 limited snacks to

having only 35% of total calories from fat, except for nuts, cheese, vegetables, and legumes

along with other strict calorie and sugar contents [16]. Entrées were also limited in calories, fat,

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and sugar, ranging in the least amount for younger students and gradually giving larger amounts

for older students [16].

The guidelines set by this house bill were aimed at limiting student calorie intake and

removing unhealthy foods (Upstream Public Health) from schools supporting more of a healthy

student body stated Senator Morrisette [23]. The Senator explained that this ban has exceeded

the federal standards for the lunch program in improving student health and providing healthy

foods in all aspects of student activities [23].

Senator Morrisette still agrees that there needs to be further improvements to the bill to

combat childhood obesity [23]. Studies have been conducted to reveal that enforcement and

funding [22] are some of the main causes that local wellness policies have not worked to

improve student health. Lack of funding and support from the government [1] has shown to

greatly deter the success of all school programs. Wellness policies need further restrictions by

the government [10] and supportive funding [20] to produce the results that schools need to see

to improve the quickly declining health of American children.

III. Issues

It is questioned if a thing like school wellness could work for all schools. Can you

standardize a wellness programs for all schools? Would such standardization work for all types

of schools? Some believe that this standardization would work for all schools and that it is the

answer for childhood obesity. These people find that school authority [11], legality [9], and a

measuring system of school wellness policies [9] will work with standardization to combat

childhood obesity.

Schools have influence and authority over their students. This can be used as a

commanding factor or as a persuasive factor to lead children down a healthier path. During

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school hours, students must follow what schools serve them [28] or are forced to bring in food

from home. HB 2650 enforced all Oregon schools to follow certain guidelines for food services

in schools [15], giving schools the opportunity to utilize the power over decision-making and

food supply, along with health services. Schools can supply children with only healthy food and

balance their food intake/outtake [11] and create a healthier student body. Educator Phillip

Wishon found student health would improve when schools emphasized a plan that utilized the

influences schools have over students [12]. The plan of action incorporates student counseling,

development of school weight loss plan, then finally educating students about healthy choices in

life outside of school [12]. Schools’ power can be helped by governmental power and

incorporation of laws that back up stricter student wellness policies.

To back up school wellness policies, the implementation of stricter policies will create

regulations that cannot be broken [23] according to new programs. The incorporation of tighter

rules for food policies, ensuring healthier foods are the only items sold, would improve the

consumption of healthy foods of children [22]. By increasing the consumption of healthy foods

like fruits and vegetables, students will become healthier and decrease their risk of childhood

obesity (Healthy Americans). Dr. David S. Ludwig, an epidemiologist and founder of weight

loss center for children, has proposed a future of children dying at middle age and becoming a

heavy burden on society if they do not receive nutritional education and encouraged to be

physically active daily [9]. Standardization would implement an increase in minimal hours for

physical activity [22] and incorporate only healthy foods into lunches and other school food

services [23].

The standardization is possible for all schools if there is an adequate measuring system to

evaluate the quality and effectiveness of each school wellness policy [4]. Yale University has

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developed a measuring system that judges wellness policies on 96 categories and ensures that

each policy covers programs like nutritional education, food service nutrition, and physical

activity [4]. By having a measure to formulate each policy to, schools can prepare a better school

wellness policy that has each criterion and can improve the student body through health

programs [4].

Coding systems do point toward reliably measuring the quality of school wellness

policies, but some disagree that health programs and wellness policies could be standardize for

all schools. Opponents view school wellness policies as individual school priorities [25] or as

unsupported with uneven funding [10, 19] and therefore cannot be standardize or improve the

health for each school. Barriers like funding, government support, test scores, and community

goals hinder the school wellness policies from standardization.

Fundamental health programs at schools need to be support by the government [22].

Studies were conducted and found that just the requirement to have a school wellness policy did

not force schools to make and provide healthier choices for students [10, 22]. The governmental

support needed is not only for enforcement of such programs, but is also crucial for funding.

Studies have been conducted and show that lack of funding has caused poor implementation of

school wellness problems [22] and this poor implementation has not helped improve the current

standing of childhood obesity [20].

Advocacy groups can work alongside the government and support wellness improvement

programs, but these groups are not located everywhere and have not supported all schools in

their effort to improve student health [19]. The unfunded mandate of required student wellness

[23] cannot produce success because it requires too much from schools that do not have enough

resources available and these areas are not viewed as important to support [19].

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Even though support for school health is a crucial factor in implementing school wellness

policies, this standardization faces schools differing in priorities. Some schools have shifted their

curriculum with drops in funding toward a core classes focus [25]. With the importance of

schools resting on student test scores, physical education classes have been bombarded with the

incorporation of other classes like geometry, physics, and English [8]. Schools do have the right

to place the importance of certain classes as they wish and that is where health classes and

physical activity suffer, being placed last when it comes to funding and student lesson exposure

time [25]. Government officials agree that stretching the focus of physical activity time might

improve test scores, but there is not enough emphasis placed on the physical movement and

energy expenditure of children [8]. Schools have different priorities [25], which make

standardization unable to apply for all wellness policies.

Priority restrictions also apply at the community level, affecting school wellness polices.

The standardization of school wellness policies requires a community element of support [11].

Different communities have different priorities and expectations of school health and the health

of the community [14]. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Laura Kettle Khan

created a 24-step community strategy developed to fight childhood obesity [14]. The strategies

underlined the importance of how communities affect schools [14]; therefore, schools cannot

follow the standardization if communities do not agree with the policy restrictions [11]. Without

community support in improving the health of children in accordance with the changes in

schools [12] the lessons that are taught in school will not be supported and re-enforced in the

community, failing to help improve the health of students. Standardization does not apply to

every community or the different needs of community health improvements to support schools

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[11]. Opponents view improvement of childhood health and school wellness impossible through

standardization.

Standardization is the way to improve school wellness policies because it would create a

much stronger minimum requirement of school health, improving the health of the student body.

This standardization is only possible if the government provides schools with adequate support

for the wellness programs with funding and enforcement. There has been great progress in

improving student health with the implementation of school wellness policies [22], but their

uneven enforcement and funding cause irregularities in student health improvements [10]. To

truly instill healthy habits in children to combat childhood obesity, these two factors need

improvement to help with the battle [20].

In accordance with the needed improvements, the standardization will create a healthier

student body with new measurements and tools to incorporate and instill healthy lifestyles in

children. The 98 point wellness policy measurement developed by Yale will measure the

standard policy to ensure success in health and help schools create a quality policy [4]. Senator

Morrisette believes that the standardization will hold schools to a stricter health standard and

truly improve the wellness of schools [23]. Tools that will help with the food standard are kid-

friendly “Meal Wheels” developed by a chef and former lunch lady Ann Cooper and nutritionist

Hailey London by making food portions and nutrients healthy requirements [28]. Standardization

will improve student health and wellness policies, helping improve schools and turn around the

childhood obesity epidemic.

When the standardization is projected, it is questioned if the expectations of the health

programs are realistic and achievable. Programs that have been attempted in some areas yield

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results, meaning the health programs are realistic and achievable when it comes to food

improvement [13], physical activity incorporation [8], and enactment of legislation [16, 17].

Improving school food is an easy [13] and realistic approach to improving school health.

Changing lunchroom commodities to incorporate whole grains and offering unlimited vegetable

and fruit bars allow children access to nutritious and healthy foods [24]. Improving the access

children have to nutritious foods will help them understand the importance of healthy decisions

[28] and improve their health [11]. Children’s eating habits can be improved by following

mandated federal nutrition improvement guidelines like Oregon’s junk food ban [15] and the

Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004. This reauthorization act requires in

addition of developing local school wellness policies, a mandate for the improvement of the

federal lunch commodities program and supports bans on high calories and fat packed foods in

schools [16].

Researchers Patricia Anderson and Kristen Butcher have found that the balance between

energy intake and energy outtake is the key to improving children’s health [11] and is easily

achievable for every school to participate in. The “energy balance” of children needs to be

maintained and the crucial factor of restoring this balance is getting children to move [11].

Physical activity is realistic for schools and physical education classes can even have other core

classes incorporated into the fitness routine [8]. Physical movement and proper food balance [11]

contribute to the health of students and help students feel and learn better [8].

Children’s learning is important for their future, but the cost of childhood obesity on the

future effects the whole nation. Governments are then concerned about the childhood obesity

epidemic and its effect on the nation and intervene. Legislation that enforces taxes on sugary

soda [3], bans on junk food in Oregon schools [16], and laws that require schools wellness

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policies [17] are required to be followed by people and administrations and make schools follow

government rules. Soda taxes, which could fund childhood obesity research while also

decreasing unhealthy consumption [3], and vending machine requirements [16] are achievable

for other schools nationwide because they incorporate a higher enforcement from the

government opposed to just a school policy. With childhood consumption of soda increasing

500% from the 1950s, these requirements can help stop unhealthy eating and drinking at school

(Children’s Hospital Boston).

The opposition finds that the expectation of schools for implementing wellness policies

will not work due mainly to outside influences of children [26], budgetary constraints of schools

[6, 19], and differing administrative views on wellness improvement [20]. Introducing the

standardization of school wellness policies will not produce student health improvements for

schools because the implementations of such programs are not achievable or realistic.

Schools are not the only cause of the obesity of children [11]; therefore, to solve

childhood obesity it must be a community effort [14]. Community efforts, displayed in Khan’s

24 strategies, lists schools as only one factor in combating childhood obesity [14] and listed other

community organizations because working together as a whole is how the epidemic will be

stopped [18]. The programs that will be implemented with the standardization are not realistic

because they cannot control what students do outside of school [14]. Programs need to

incorporate parents [26] and community members in improving children’s health. Parents are not

the blame for childhood obesity, but are an integral part of teaching children about health [26].

Another unrealistic hurdle that stands between standard wellness programs and schools

are their budgets. School budgets vary, and enforcing a school wellness policy that some schools

cannot support because of funding is unrealistic [10]. In Los Angeles, schools violated junk food

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bans because the school did not have adequate funding for teachers to be trained on what the ban

should cover or what the consequences should be for breaking the policy [5].

Other conflicts between funding and perceived wellness of schools are the banning of

bake sales [6] and lack of advocacy groups [19]. Cupcake sales produce money for student

groups that were not funded by the government, but food restriction policies in some states have

banned the sales, cutting back funding even further [6]. Advocacy groups are large supporters of

children’s health, but are not located everywhere to support the schools and children that need

the most help and health needs [19]. Without proper support from advocacy groups and

government funding, wellness policies cannot be enacted [23].

One study conducted by child nutrition advocacy group, Action for Healthy Kids, showed

that stakeholders of school wellness policies each view enactment, improvement, and even

implementation of wellness programs differently [20]. Superintendents, teachers, physical

education teachers, and students were revealed to have different perceptions of success (or lack

there of) in the programs. This represents that each administration can view the improvement of

their school district differently than others, making this a problem for the standard wellness

policy [20]. Within the administration, superintendents had the highest approval rate and belief

of school wellness from the implementation of the school’s policy, this might show that leaders

of schools might be swayed to believe improvement but are not actually seeing the school health

in action or that there needs to be huge improvements [20].

When standardizing school wellness policies changing school services and physical

activity plans are easy improvements that greatly help student health. Yet there can still be

additions to help all schools have achievable health programs. It is helpful to incorporate

community efforts in teaching healthy habits and fighting childhood obesity. Removing

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unhealthy foods [16], incorporating nutritional foods [24], and increasing physical activity into

the school day of children [8] are easy changes. These switches have been proven to work in

research done by Susan Okie, who describes schools like Codman Academy who have classes

spread apart to incorporate walking into the students day [13] along with Ann Cooper who has

used her “Meal Wheel” to teach children healthy food decisions [28].

These school changes need community reinforcement for students to grasp the

importance of their health [14]. Community involvement and support has led to healthier

communities as a whole, like the Massachusetts communities that received grants from a large

community company and could then fund important health programs in schools [2]. With the

assistance of advocacy groups, children’s school health has improved [19], while also reinforcing

those school lessons out in the community [2, 14].

Since school wellness policies have been enacted and required for the 2006-2007 school

year [16], it can be judged to see if the school wellness policies have improved anything. Has

there been success from the implementation of such programs from the school wellness policy

mandate? There has been support that suggests many wellness program implementations have

created success in improving school health and helping fight childhood obesity. The success is

from all around the country and from differed health programs [2, 7, 17].

To help schools fund their wellness policies, MetroWest Community Health Care

Foundation awarded several Massachusetts communities with funds for schools giving them

resources for improving their wellness programs ranging from park improvements to individual

weight lose groups in schools [2]. These programs have decreased weight in children and helped

establish healthy lifestyles in the student body [2]. The community support agrees with Claire

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Marcy’s claim that communities need advocacy support to properly address children’s health and

incorporate quality school wellness policies [19].

Another great success in teaching children about nutrition is the development of school

gardens. Programs like Edible Schoolyards in which students grown, some even cook, their own

food and teaching children about where their food comes from and opens their eyes to vegetables

[7]. The incorporation of any health foods into a schools food service programs are bounds in

student wellness [24]. Zammit explained that the Eugene School District (4J) has incorporated

whole grains into their lunch program in hamburger buns and chicken nuggets [24].

The changes made in schools structure forcing student health forward happens when

schools take power and create a strong, detailed school wellness plan. The plans have emphasis

on nutrition and realize the nutrition connection to student learning [24], which Zammit

highlights and hopes that those in power will realize nutrition importance soon. The 4J District

has a strong wellness policy listing further food requirements, physical activity implementation,

and nutritional education plans [17]. By creating an environment where only healthy options are

available [13] and provide a policy to refer to about wellness [17] children have no other choice

than to be healthy at school [24].

Meanwhile, there are opponents that believe placing further restrictions on school food

and other health programs has not shown success in improving student health and wellness. Bans

only discriminate against “unhealthy foods” and does not educate children on calorie balance

[21], cupcake sale bans hurt students instead of helping them [6], restrictions are actually

targeting parents instead of focusing on school food improvements [27], and schools have failed

to implement health programs even with required wellness policies [5].

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The removal of sugary drinks in compliance with school wellness policies has not taught

children why those types of foods are “unhealthy” claims the American Beverage Association

(ABA) [21]. The ABA suggests that schools educate children about calorie balance and

moderation of all foods and believes that the absolute removal of soda will actually cause school

children to want them more [21].

A fellow junk food, cupcakes, have also been taken out of schools, including fundraisers

using bake sales. In New York, this ban was aimed at reducing students’ sugar and calorie

content, but has also removed crucial funds to afterschool activities [6]. Students raise funds for

these activities through cheap production of cupcakes and with the ban students [6] must do

without the activities or parents [27] are forced to come up with the difference.

Baking sale bans hurt students, but also parents because they must pay for the activities

that the fundraisers used to support [27]. As a parent of a child in the New York Unified School

District, Linda Grant felt that these restrictions were wrongly targeting parents as the enemy and

should focus their efforts towards providing students with healthy, nutritious meals everyday

[27]. An odd part of the bans is that they do not ban classroom celebrations, which also serve

cupcakes occasionally [17], and occur more often. This leads Grant to believe that the

Department of Education is just appearing to be fixing the school health problem instead of

committing to finding a childhood obesity solution [27].

The most interesting failure of the school wellness policy is that even after the required

implementation of the policies, some schools are not enforcing changes in junk-food availability

or physical activity, while others have worded policies so no change has to take place [5]. Past

policies have not forced school improvement [5], so what will the standardization of school

wellness policies bring for student health? Schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District

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violated junk food bans and some schools had such a liberty when writing wellness policies they

created programs in which no change in any area to improve health was required [5].

There have been many successful programs that have helped improve student health and

combat childhood obesity after the implementation of school wellness policies. The success of

policies greatly outweighs those programs that claimed to not have worked in improving student

health. Changes in the school curriculum [17], education classes [7], and food ingredients have

proven to better student health and help instill healthy lifestyles in children [24]. Grants like

MetroWest [2] and advocacy groups for healthier children [19] have helped in the success of

these programs.

Banning cupcakes will reduce children’s intake of sugar [17] and reduce their availability

of unhealthy foods choices [28]. Fundraisers can incorporate healthier foods choices like produce

from school gardens [7], fruit smoothies [6], or fruit cups [13]. To emphasis the importance of

nutrition knowledge, children could be educated on correct food nutrition [24] on food that they

eat and what are appropriate portions and food types for children [28].

IV. Discussion

Two areas were not considered when discussing children’s health and student learning.

Childcare facilities or preschools where children get their prior and afterschool care and nutrition

from and the psychological side of student health are not discussed by all sources as an important

factor to be considered in a school wellness policy. Both need further discussion to contribute

how the standardization of school wellness policies will improve all areas of student facilities

and help with all health issues of children.

Childcare facilities and preschools should also be required to have a wellness policy that

teaches and enforces healthy choices for children [14]. Some states have childcare food

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requirements, but each state differs in food regulation and the government cannot easily check-

up these facilities (DHSS). Since childcare facilities and preschools are not part of the K-12

school system, they might not be considered under the same control that school districts are and

forced to follow the same nutrition rules the government places on those districts [9]. People

might overlook these areas and view them as not adequate places for nutrition education or

healthy food enforcement, but the 24 strategies proposed by Khan and the CDC covers some

strategies for childcare facilities [14].

Both childcare facilities and preschools need to be considered because the early

development and after-school care of children are areas where they can be taught the benefits of

healthy eating early and then carry over to K-12 schooling [24]. Zammit believes that teaching

children about healthy foods and nutrition at an early age will be the most effective when

teaching them about healthy choices for life [24].

Another aspect of student health that needs to be considered during their whole education

is the psychological needs of a student. That is why the school wellness policy should also

incorporate psychological help for students [12], improving their self-esteem and creating an

accepting student body [6]. In a study conducted about the effect of a student’s mental health has

on their education, almost three fourths of mental health problems of students were related to

social and family issues (Mental Health).

The health of a student might only be measure by their body stature, instead of also

considering their emotions and how they view themselves. This might not be considered a part of

school wellness and therefore overlooked as a possible branch of student health, but it needs to

be seriously measured and evaluated. Students should be counseled to find what issues they have

regarding their health [12], which can be addressed and be an integral part of improving school

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wellness [2]. Children could also be educated on acceptance and how teasing could hurt the

wellbeing of others and to view childhood obesity as not the child’s own fault [18].

V. Stakeholder’s suggestions for how best to resolve the issue

The stakeholder, Eugene School District Food Services Nutritionist and registered

dietitian Nicole Zammit, proposed the nutrition of children to be valued by the government and

emphasized in schools. She believes in a stricter wellness policy or a standardization that would

enforce food restrictions, portions, and activities with parents [24]. The strength of her solution is

placing a power in schools creates strong wellness policies and restrict unhealthy foods [1] and

increase education [7], which is a large step that will improve student health. By making only

healthy choices available [28], incorporating education with physical activity [8], and education

students on healthy choices [9], will lead to a better school wellness. But there are weaknesses in

her solution. Zammit overlooks that schools cannot just eliminate anything that is deemed

“unhealthy” and that parents will not agree with strict control over their children’s eating habits.

The nonstakeholders, Senator Bill Morrisette and child advocate Mel Rader, proposed to

implement more programs that incorporate healthy choices for students [25] and that further

legislation needs to be passed in dealing with childhood obesity [23, 25]. The strength of this

solution is that the government does have a huge power over schools, especially on their

programs and budgets [22]; therefore possess the largest influence in health programs in schools

and in the fight against childhood obesity [9]. The weaknesses of this solution is that the

government can only fund health programs if it either increase taxes or takes money away from

another program. The tax increase will be hard to pass and the program with a funding decrease

will fight to get the support back.

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VI. Recommendations

I believe that the Oregon Department of Education should standardize school wellness

programs. The standardization would create a minimum [4] that all wellness policies must have

[23], guaranteeing nutritious food, health education, and daily physical activity for school

children [17]. The government should support the programs put in place with adequate funding

to implement [25] and to maintain the programs [10, 22]. By instilling health education in

schools and supporting children’s healthy choices, school wellness will improve and can be part

of the solution for childhood obesity [24].

This recommendation has strength in that it covers how improved wellness policies will

be implemented and funded. It also addresses what specific programs need the most attention to

combat childhood obesity and incorporate strong wellness policies. Since funding is a main

factor in implementing school policies, this solution addresses how important student nutrition is

and how the government should view it relating to educated, productive, and healthy children.

The weakness of this recommendation is the lack of community involvement in the school

changes. Different communities will produce different ideas of wellness and might criticize some

schools for wellness policies. That is why the help of community support will not help the

implementation of the policies. Even though community involvement could help with the

strengthening of the wellness policies, schools need to be able to improve and incorporate

student wellness on their own. Just because there is a lack of community involvement doesn’t

mean there shouldn’t be a school standard for how schools view student wellness.

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VII. Conclusion

School wellness policies are lacking enforcement and funding to create a strong enough

policy that will improve student health and combat childhood obesity. There has already been a

government requirement for the development and implementation of a school wellness policy.

Schools require standards for the health programs in the policy, but they lack a measurement

system or minimum to judge the effectiveness of the wellness polices.

To come to this conclusion, I have researched sources thoroughly around my topic. I

examined how schools have dealt with the increase of childhood obesity in the past and what

they believe is the answer for schools to prevent obesity of children in the future. I focused on

sources that examined how schools have implemented school wellness policies and if these

programs have shown success in improving school health.

I believe the standardization of wellness policies will create stronger programs that are

easily executed at schools. Support by advocacy groups and government funding will force

schools to follow strict health guidelines and greatly improve student health. With healthier

foods, nutrition education, and increased physical activity incorporated in school wellness, there

will be an increase in healthy student lifestyles. The lifestyles that children are taught now, at an

early age, will transfer over to lessons that they apply as adults. Healthy programs can provide

children with the knowledge about correct food choices and the importance of nutrition and

physical activity. With these tools, the risk of children developing childhood obesity will

decrease along with the increase health of students.

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School Wellness Could Do More To Fight Childhood Obesity

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