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

in Our Schools

Presented byPresenter’s

Presenter’s TitleName of AFHK State Team

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 day—and 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 student’s health and can interfere with their readiness to learn

• Evidence suggests that addressing student’s 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 stress—each of which has been associated with better academic performance.

– Moderate physical activity has positive impact on immune function…this 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 student’s health and leads to increased absenteeism

• Overweight children face more psychological problems and studies show these student’s may be victims of bullying or be bullies…this 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 school’s 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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Reduced State Funding• If there was one day missed per month by 16% of

students, – An average-size school district in Texas has the

potential to lose $95,000 per year– An average-size school district in California has the

potential to lose $160,000 per year– New York city could lose about $28 million each

year, Chicago could lose $9 million in funding• These are estimates…actual costs could be more as,

in some areas, there is a much higher percentage of students suffering from maladies associated with poor nutrition/inactivity – New York, 24% students overweight to a degree that can effect their health

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Indirect or Hidden Costs

• Significant costs are associated with increased staff time and money for programs designed to help underachieving students and those with behavior problems

• A wide variety of physical and emotional problems associated with poor nutrition, inactivity and weight problems can lead to medication needs and places a significant burden on schools

– staff time to dispense medications– Schools that can not afford professional staff use other staff –

keeping them from their work and potentially putting student and school at risk in the event of an error

• Like most employers, schools are burdened by rapid rise in staff healthcare costs, absenteeism, and lower productivity associated with staff suffering from the consequences of poor nutrition, inactivity and weight problems

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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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Case Study: Texas

• Statewide revenues from vending contracts are estimated at about $54 million dollars/year

• Statewide losses due to declining school meal sales are even greater-$60 million/year

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Physical Activity Practices

• The National Association for Sport and Physical Education’s recommends elementary schools offer 150 minutes of physical education per week and that secondary schools offer 225 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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Case Study: New York

• New York mandates 120 minutes of physical exercise per week

• A study of 51 New York schools found that only 25 percent met the requirement for second graders and only 40 percent did so for fifth graders

• We know from earlier information presented that students that are physically active perform better in reading and math

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The Bottom Line

• It is in school’s own interest to address these issues discussed.

• Solutions lie in partnerships and collaborations

• AFHK is dedicated to improving children’s 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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AFHK State Teams

• There are nearly 4000 State Team members – up from 450 in 2002

• Stakeholders on teams include representation from: – State Departments of Education and Health– Teachers– Administrators – Physical Education leaders– University partners– Health/Nutrition Professionals – School Food Service Professionals – Community leaders and Non-Profit – Business/Industry – Parents & Students

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Board of Directors

William Potts-Datema, MSChair

Director, Partnerships for Children's Health Harvard School of Public Health

 

Roger GoodellChief Operating Officer

National Football League

Kathy Kaufer Christoffel, MD, MPHProfessor, Pediatrics & Preventive Medicine

Northwestern University Medical SchoolChildren’s Memorial Institute for Education and Research

John W. Rowe, MDChairman and CEO

Aetna, Inc.

Judy Young, PhDVice President for Programs

American Alliance for Health, Physical Education,Recreation and Dance

David Satcher, MD, PhDFounding Chair

Director, National Center for Primary CareMorehouse School of MedicineFormer, U.S. Surgeon General

Nora Howley, MA, CHESDirector, School Health

Council of Chief State School Officers

Jean Ragalie, RDExecutive Vice President, Nutrition, Corporate

and Public AffairsNational Dairy Council

Barry Sackin, SFNSVP Government Affairs

American School Food Service Association

Reginald L. Washington, MDMedical Director

Rocky Mountain Pediatrix CardiologyAssociate Clinical Professor

University of Colorado Health Sciences Center

Alicia Moag-Stahlberg, MS, RDExecutive Director, Ex Officio

Action For Healthy Kids

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Partner Steering CommitteeAmerican Academy of Family PhysiciansAmerican Academy of PediatricsAmerican Association of School AdministratorsAmerican Association of Family & Consumer Sciences American Diabetes AssociationAmerican Dietetic AssociationAmerican Federation of TeachersAmerican Public Health AssociationAmerican School Health AssociationAssociation for Supervision and Curriculum

DevelopmentAssociation of School Business Officials InternationalAssociation of State & Territorial Chronic Disease

Program DirectorsAssociation of State & Territorial Health OfficialsAssociation of State & Territorial Public Health Nutrition

DirectorsCouncil of Chief State School OfficersFamily, Career & Community Leaders of AmericaFood Research and Action CenterNational Association for Sport and Physical EducationNational Association of Elementary School PrincipalsNational Association of Pediatric Nurse PractitionersNational Association of School NursesNational Association of Secondary School PrincipalsNational Association of State Boards of Education

National Association of Student CouncilsNational Coalition for Parent Involvement in EducationNational Coalition for Promoting Physical ActivityNational Council of La RazaNational Dairy CouncilNational Education Association — Health Information

NetworkNational Future Farmers of America OrganizationNational Medical AssociationNational Middle School AssociationNational PTANational School Boards AssociationThe Robert Wood Johnson FoundationSchool Nutrition AssociationSociety for Nutrition EducationSociety of State Directors of Health, Physical

Education and RecreationU.S. Department of Agriculture — Food and Nutrition

ServiceU.S. Department of Education — Office of Safe and

Drug-Free SchoolsU.S. Department of Health and Human Services —

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

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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 children’s health likely improves school performance. It may even help a school’s 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!!!!! Don’t keep this information to yourself. Share this information and encourage others to get involved.

www.actionforhealthykids.org

Appendix

Additional Slides to Assist

State Teams

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Schools Must Be Part of the SolutionWhy 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 coalitionPrivate-publicpartnerships

Produce programs and projects for state teams tohelp schools

adopt CTC goals

Assess actionsDetermine what

works, under what conditionsIdentify models

Communicate Findings & toolsStimulate more

schools to changeRecognize 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

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State Team Goals

• Fill in the Commitment to Change Goals chosen by your State Team

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State Team Objectives

• Fill in Objectives chosen by your State Team

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State Team Contacts

• For more information about the ______(State Team Name)

• Please Contact: State Team Chair (email address)

• To learn more about AFHK

www.actionforhealthykids.org

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District Level Actions by State Teams

• Delaware State Team developed and disseminated a la carte food recommendations that were implemented by 84 percent of school districts, impacting more than 105,000 students

• The Indiana team has also developed materials on the benefits of recess before lunch. In one district alone, 13 schools with nearly 8,000 students have implemented recess before lunch as a direct result of the team’s actions.

• The Massachusetts State Team worked with the MA Dept. of Ed. & MA Food Service Association to develop and disseminate nutrition guidelines for foods and beverages sold in a la carte to all 1,893 MA school districts, positively impacting nearly 1,000,000 students

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School Building Level Actions by State Teams

• The Montana team is encouraging parents to take action by providing grants to parent groups, in public and private schools, for efforts that will improve food and beverage choices and/or to enhance the physical activity opportunities in their school community.

• “Recipe for Success” is a training program developed by the WV team in collaboration with the WV Dept. of Education trains school principals use of practical strategies for improving physical activity and nutrition.

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School Building Level Actions by State Teams• The Connecticut State Team collaborates on “Connecticut at

Play” a physical activity challenge for Connecticut Schools. This activity will encourage $15,000 students at more than 100 schools to be involved in physical activity in school.

• The Alabama State Team is leading change for more than 750,000 students in 1,529 schools, with its recommendations for increased physical activity at school, and healthy food choices in vending, school stores, school parties and school fund-raisers.

• The Texas State Team is working to ensure that the majority of school districts have a school health council. The team has trained 22 specialists that will assist districts in forming these councils.