October 7, 2016
Since 2003, obesity rates among children in the United States have remained high, creating a new generation at risk for health problems later in life. Although reducing the prevalence of childhood obesity will require multisector solutions, changing the environment, particularly the school environment, is one way to promote change. Schools can potentially reduce the nation’s […]
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December 12, 2014
It’s hard to get kids to eat healthful foods, especially at school. But a new study suggests that, by changing the lunch environment, schools can encourage kids to make better choices without even changing their menus. This study, conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, found that students buying school […]
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November 26, 2014
By Kathryn Doyle Before the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) set strict standards for nutrition for federally reimbursable lunch programs, less than 2 percent of middle or high schools would have measured up. The absence of certain standards was associated with youth obesity, according to a new study. Full implementation of the program, which should […]
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October 22, 2014
Gourmet pizza in school? According to a new Food and Brand Lab pilot study, published in Appetite, chef-made meals can increase participation in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) by 9 percent and overall selection and consumption of vegetables by 16 percent. Chefs Move to Schools (CMTS), an initiative of [first lady] Michelle Obama’s Let’s […]
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August 15, 2014
By Caroline Porter and Stephanie Armour A new study reveals that the healthier school lunches despised in 2012 are now found to be agreeable among students and staffers. When the federal government implemented new school meal regulations in 2012, a majority of elementary school students complained about the healthier lunches, but by the end of […]
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August 8, 2014
One of the early signals that West Virginia was developing a child obesity problem came from the work of Huntington, W. Va., native Dr. William A. Neal. For the past 16 years, Neal has been checking the weight and health of elementary school students in the state through the West Virginia University School of Medicine’s […]
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July 30, 2014
By James Vaznis They stopped selling junk food at lunch and they persuaded a health-conscious food organization to donate a salad bar for their cafeteria so students could eat fresh romaine, cherry tomatoes, and bean salads instead of ice cream and potato chips. By all accounts the fight against childhood obesity and diabetes appeared to […]
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June 4, 2014
Citing insufficient nutritional value, some schools have banned chocolate milk from their lunch programs and offered skim milk instead. However, that move may be counterproductive as a new study published in PLOS ONE has found that kids who no longer have the choice on chocolate milk take 10 percent less milk and waste 29 percent […]
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June 2, 2014
Most schools meet a new U.S. government requirement to provide free drinking water for students during lunchtime, a new study finds. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s rule for schools in the National School Lunch Program took effect at the start of the 2011-2012 school year. Most schools fulfill the requirement by having water fountains in […]
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April 30, 2014
New federal standards launched in 2012 that require schools to offer healthier meals have led to increased fruit and vegetable consumption, according to a new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers. The study, the first to examine school food consumption both before and after the standards went into effect, contradicts criticisms that […]
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