Welcome Local Wellness Policy Committee Members

Goals for today’s meeting: Introduce the legislation addressing school wellness policy development Learn why it is important for schools to promote wellness among their students Divide into workgroups to perform wellness needs assessment

Why are we here? Legislation: Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act (Public Law ) Commitment to health and well-being of children Recognition of the role of the school in promoting healthy behaviors among children

Who are we? Name Why do you think you were invited to participate on this wellness committee? Identify a change you have made in your life to improve your health

What does the legislation require? Nutrition Education Goals Health-promoting guidelines for all foods available Assurance guidelines for reimbursable meals will not be less restrictive than USDA guidelines

What does the legislation require? (continued) Physical Activity Goals Other School-Based Wellness Activities Goals

What does the legislation require? (continued) A plan for measuring the implementation of the policy Designation of at least one person to maintain responsibility for oversight and evaluation of policy

What does the legislation require? (continued) Local Wellness Policy Development team, including: Parents Students School Food Authority School Board School Administrators Public

Why is it important for schools to promote wellness?

Why school wellness? Health and success in school are interrelated Schools cannot achieve their primary mission of education if students and staff are not healthy and fit physically, mentally and socially The nation’s leading health authorities recommend schools take an active role in preventing disabling chronic health conditions that create misery and consume a burdensome share of the nation’s resources Nat. Assoc. of State Boards of Education: Fit, Healthy, and Ready to Learn, 2000

Why school wellness? (continued) Schools have more influence on the lives of young people than any other social institution except the family, and provide a setting in which friendship networks develop, socialization occurs, and norms that govern behavior are developed and reinforced. Healthy People 2010

Why school wellness? (continued) 35 – 40% of a child’s daily energy (calories) are consumed at school French, Am J Pub Health 2003; 93:161

Why all the emphasis on Nutrition and Physical Activity?

Why nutrition and physical activity? Snapshot of America’s kids: Overfed but undernourished Declining physical activity

Why nutrition and physical activity? (continued) Calcium Folate % Children Consuming Daily Recommended Intake Magnesium Vitamin A Vitamin C Zinc Iron Phosphorus Critical Age Data compiled by Dr. John Lasekan, Ross Labs NHANES and the Continuing Food Survey , 1998

Why nutrition and physical activity? (continued) Percentage of students who ate five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day during the past seven days Grunbaum, et.al. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance --- United States, Morbity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2004:53(SS02);1-96

Why nutrition and physical activity? (continued) Percentage of students who drank three or more glasses of milk per day during the past seven days. Grunbaum, et.al. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance --- United States, Morbity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2004:53(SS02);1-96

Why nutrition and physical activity? (continued) Percentage of students who attended physical education class daily. Grunbaum, et.al. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance --- United States, Morbity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2004:53(SS02);1-96

Why nutrition and physical activity? (continued) Students who did not participate in recommended levels of physical activity in past 7 days. Grunbaum, et.al. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance --- United States, Morbity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2004:53(SS02);1-96

Why nutrition and physical activity? (continued) Prevalence of Overweight Among U.S. Children and Adolescents National Center for Health Statistics, Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Prevalence of Overweight Among Children and Adolescents: United States, at

Why nutrition and physical activity? (continued) Obesity is now the most prevalent nutritional disease of children and adolescents in the U.S.

What are some areas of intervention your wellness policy could address? Nutrition Physical Activity

Nutrition School lunch lines A la Carte lines Vending machines Breakfast programs Snacks Candy/snacks as rewards in classroom Guidelines for lunches from home Holiday celebrations

Nutrition (continued) School fundraisers Recess scheduling: amount of time for meals Cafeteria environment Staff policies: modeling healthy food choices FACS/health curriculum Food Safety considerations Training expectations for school food service workers Food pricing

Physical Activity Recess activities Duration of sitting in classroom Physical activity class offerings and frequency Walking as a reward Availability of playground equipment Sports offerings

Physical Activity (continued) Busing policies Walk-to-school campaigns Safety of school neighborhood Qualifications/training of PE staff Safety of indoor and outdoor environment for physical activity

Meeting One:Wellness Policy overview and workgroup assignments Meeting Two:Needs Assessment Meeting Three:Prioritizing Issues Meeting Four:Draft Policy Meeting Five:Action Plan and Monitoring Wellness Committee Policy Development Meeting Plan

Workgroups: Nutrition – Elementary Nutrition – Middle/High School Physical Activity – Elementary Physical Activity – Middle/High School

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