THE LEARNING CONNECTION: The Value of Improving Nutrition and Physical Activity in Our Schools

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THE LEARNING CONNECTION The Value of Improving
Nutrition and Physical Activity in Our Schools

• Presented by
• Presenters
• Presenters Title
• Washington Action For Healthy Kids
• Date

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Overview of the Problem

• The majority of American youth are sedentary and
  do not eat well.
• These unhealthy practices lead to health and
  learning problems.
• It is critical to bring to our attention that
  there are costs to poor nutrition and physical
  inactivity.costs on health and, importantly,
  costs to our schools.

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The Facts

• Only 2 of school-aged children consume the
  recommended number of servings from all food
  groups
• More than 80 percent of children and adolescents
  eat too much total fat and 90 percent eat too
  much saturated fat
• Fewer than one in four American children get 30
  minutes or more of physical activity per dayand
  more than three in four get no more than 20
  minutes of vigorous physical activity per week
• 9 million school-aged children and adolescents
  are overweight to a degree that directly affects
  their health (16 national average)

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Schools Can Make A Difference

• Some schools practices and policies can
  aggravate students health and can interfere with
  their readiness to learn
• Evidence suggests that addressing students
  health can help schools to meet performance goals
  and alleviate financial constraints
• Schools play a critical role in helping students
  and themselves by addressing nutrition and
  physical activity
• By collaborating with many stakeholders, schools
  can take immediate action that will help to
  address these issues.

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Connection to Learning

• Poor nutrition has a negative impact on learning
• Undernourished children attain lower scores on
  standardized tests, are more irritable, have
  difficulty concentrating and have less ability to
  resist infection and may miss more school
• Well nourished students who skip breakfast
  perform worse on tests and have poor
  concentration
• Poor nutrition and hunger interfere with
  cognitive function and are associated with lower
  achievement

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Connection to Learning

• Being physically active has a positive impact
• One study linked physical activity to stronger
  academic achievement, increased concentration,
  and improved math, reading, and writing scores.
• Another study found that students participating
  in daily physical education exhibit better
  attendance, a more positive attitude toward
  school, and superior academic performance.
• Physical activity among adolescents is
  consistently related to higher levels of
  self-esteem and lower levels of anxiety and
  stresseach of which has been associated with
  better academic performance.
• Moderate physical activity has positive impact on
  immune functionthis can help to prevent colds
  and flu.

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A More Tenuous Link

• Evidence of a direct effect of weight on
  achievement is less conclusive, however emerging
  research shows an association.
• A 2003 JAMA study found that severely overweight
  children and adolescents were 4 times more likely
  than healthy children and adolescents to report
  impaired school functioning
• A 2004 study of 11,192 kindergartners found that
  overweight children had significantly lower math
  and reading test scores at the beginning of the
  year than did their non-overweight peers, and
  that these lower scores continued into first
  grade.

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Overweight and Learning

• Associations between weight problems and
  achievement do not imply causation, as there are
  a number of relating factors
• Underlying cause of overweight -- poor nutrition
  and inactivity -- affect learning
• Being overweight can impact a students health
  and leads to increased absenteeism
• Overweight children face more psychological
  problems and studies show these students may be
  victims of bullying or be bulliesthis can
  interfere with readiness to learn

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Economic Strains on Schools

• Comprehensive analysis to evaluate the impact of
  poor nutrition, inactivity and increasing number
  of overweight students on schools ability to
  manage within its budget has not been conducted.
• However, there are subtle and indirect ways that
  these factors are taking an economic toll on our
  schools
• Reduced state funding
• Indirect/hidden costs

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Reduced State Funding

• In nine states, that collectively serve more than
  one-third of all students in the U.S., state
  funding for schools is determined by the number
  of students that show up for school average
  daily attendance.
• In these states, a single-day absence by one
  student can cost a school district between 9 -
  20 dollars.
• This adds up quickly to estimate the potential
  cost of poor nutrition, inactivity and weight
  problems might pose on these districts, The
  Finance Project made projections based on percent
  of American children that are overweight to a
  degree that affects their health (16)

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Costs of the Status Quo

• Current practices and policies include selling
  and promoting low-nutrient, high-calorie foods in
  an attempt to generate revenue
• Some school practices and policies have cut back
  on physical education, recess and other physical
  activity opportunities to increase classroom time
  as a way to boost achievement
• These strategies are not proven to meet those
  objectives and, unknowingly, are counterproductive

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Nutrition Practices Today

• Research shows that selling competitive foods can
  drive students to these foods and beverages and
  away from the school meal programs
• Schools can help their budgets via reimbursements
  from participating in school lunch and breakfast
  programs
• If students are not participating, dollars from
  reimbursement decrease
• Finances could improve by increasing
  participation in these programs
• And, studies do indicate children that consumer
  school meal program have better nutrient
  consumption

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Physical Activity Practices

• The National Association for Sport and Physical
  Educations recommends elementary schools offer
  225 minutes of physical education per week and
  that secondary schools offer 150 minutes per week
• However, just 8 percent of elementary schools,
  6.4 percent of middle/junior high schools, and
  5.8 percent of senior high schools provide daily
  physical education.
• Increasingly, schools have reported cutting back
  or not increasing programs to meet these
  recommendations in order to give more class time
  to reading and math

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The Bottom Line

• It is in schools own interest to address these
  issues discussed.
• Solutions lie in partnerships and collaborations
• AFHK is dedicated to improving childrens health
  and their readiness to learn through better
  nutrition and physical activity in schools
• Private public partnership with thousands of
  volunteers on state teams and over 40 national
  organizations representing education, health,
  fitness and nutrition

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Our Vision

• Schools provide an environment that fosters the
  development of lifelong habits of good nutrition
  and physical activity for all children
• Our aim is to
• Enhance the learning potential of all children,
• Slow the rate of increase in overweight and
  obesity,
• Increase efforts that lead to the prevention of
  overweight and obesity among youth.

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Actions Schools Can Take

• Form a school health advisory council
• Develop a comprehensive wellness policy
• Integrate physical activity and nutrition into
  the school day
• Incorporate nutrition and physical activity into
  after school programs
• Encourage staff to model healthy lifestyles

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www.ActionForHealthyKids.org

• We must understand this important truth that
  improving childrens health likely improves
  school performance. It may even help a schools
  bottom line.

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Actions School Districts Can Take

• Develop a comprehensive wellness policy for
  schools in your district
• Develop a district level school health advisory
  council
• Keep nutrition and physical activity on the
  agenda at your local, district, and state school
  boards
• Contact your AFHK State Team or visit our website
  for resources and to learn more

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Actions Individuals Can Take Now!!!!

• Join your AFHK State Team!!!!
• Be an advocate for better nutrition and physical
  activity in your local school.
• Spread the Word!!!!! Dont keep this information
  to yourself. Share this information and
  encourage others to get involved.
• www.actionforhealthykids.org

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Schools Must Be Part of the Solution

• Why are schools so important?
• Children and teens spend 2,000 hours each year at
  school
• Feeding programs are already in place
• Schools are a great equalizer all children have
  equal access to information about nutrition and
  physical activity
• Schools have an opportunity to create the type of
  environment that students are being taught in the
  classroom

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AFHK Approach
Establish State and National coalition Private-p
ublic partnerships
Produce programs and projects for state teams
to help schools adopt CTC goals
Assess actions Determine what works, under what
conditions Identify models
Communicate Findings tools Stimulate more
schools to change Recognize successes
This will result in children developing
Positive eating and activity patterns
Healthy schools, healthy children and healthy
communities
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Focus on Commitment to Change

• Serves as framework for planning action
• Collaboration of multi-discipline group essential
  for success
• Details specific actions necessary to create
  healthy schools that promote sound nutrition
  physical activity
• Increasing health, physical nutrition education
• Increasing physical activity (recess, PE, after
  school)
• Ensuring health promoting foods are available
  throughout the school environment