Schools Offering More Healthy Food Options

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Debra Lau Whelan -- School Library Journal, 10/23/2007 2:10:00 PM

Move over, junk food: schools are offering kids healthier options and are cutting out cookies, cakes, and other high-fat baked goods, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Overall, our nation’s schools have made considerable improvements in policies and programs that promote nutrition, exercise, and tobacco use, says the “School Health Policies and Programs Study,” conducted by the CDC and published in the October issue of the Journal of School Health.

Specifically, about 30 percent of states prohibit schools from offering junk food in vending machines, up from only eight percent in 2000, when the last report was published. Schools that sold cookies, cakes, and other unhealthy baked goods decreased to 25 percent from 38 percent. And schools that offered salads increased to 73 percent from 53 percent. Schools selling water jumped to 46 percent from 30 percent.

Meanwhile, states that required elementary schools to provide students with regularly scheduled recess increased to 12 percent from four percent. And policies that banned tobacco use in all school locations—including off-campus school-sponsored events—rose to 64 percent from 46 percent, the study says.

“Our goal with this report is to provide health and education officials with useful information that will help them develop and improve programs that can have significant benefit for our school-aged children,” says CDC Director Julie Gerberding.

Indeed, the report says there are several areas that need improvement. Some 77 percent of high schools still sell soda or fruit drinks that are not 100 percent juice, and 61 percent sell salty snacks that are not low in fat.

Overall, 22 percent of schools don’t require students to take any physical education—only four percent of elementary, eight percent of middle, and two percent of high schools provide daily physical exercise for the entire school year. And, currently, 36 percent of schools still don’t have policies banning tobacco use in all locations at all times.

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