Positive Signs for Combating Obesity in Schools

October 26 2012 — Updated nutritional standards for school lunch programs instituted by the US Department of Agriculture in 2010 have helped lead to slightly lower obesity rates among children in certain cities and states. Philadelphia, for example, saw obesity rates among kindergartners through eighth-graders drop from 21.5% in 2006-2007 to 20.5% in 2009-2010. And Mississippi’s obesity rate among kindergartners through fifth-graders fell from 43% in 2007 to 37.3% in 2011.

The changes are small, but they represent the first positive news in the battle against childhood obesity. Experts are cautiously optimistic and hope to see the trend continue. A third of children have excess weight or obesity. Schools play a key role since children consume 30-50% of their daily calories during the long school day. In addition to improved nutrition, the inclusion of more activity contributed to the lower obesity rates

You can read the story in USA Today here.