Anne Abramowitz
Public Intellectual Essay
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An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound (or Several) of Cure
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The Crisis Facing Today’s Youth:
“He who has health, has hope. And he who has hope, has everything.”(proverb)
America is facing a crisis in public health unlike any ever before seen. Childhood obesity
in America is skyrocketing at an astounding rate. In the last ten years alone, pre-teen obesity
rates have doubled and teenage obesity rates have tripled. For the first time in America,
children’s life spans are actually predicted to be shorter than those of their parents, in large part
because of the chronic health conditions associated with obesity.1 This problem must be
addressed, as it has potentially drastic medical, social and economic ramifications.
Childhood obesity has severe consequences for individuals, for schools, and for society.
Obese children are far more likely to develop Type II diabetes; up to eighty-five percent of
children with Type II diabetes are overweight. Obese individuals can also experience chronic
kidney failure, or can eventually die of obesity in and of itself. Social, psychological and
academic difficulties are also caused by obesity; obesity is connected to the increased likelihood
of social ostracism, to depression, and to poorer academic performance. Children who are obese
are more likely to miss school, likely because they suffer from more physical, psychological and
social problems than children with weights that are considered healthy. This probably explains
much of their decreased academic performance.2
Schools, communities, and society in general also suffer as a result of the national
childhood rise in obesity. Schools suffer because increased absenteeism among obese children
can harm their funding. States that receive funds based on student attendance rates lose money
1
Amanda Mays Woods and Jerie Weasmer, More than ‘An Apple a Day:’ New Mandates for School Wellness,
Kappa Delta Pi Record 42 (2006): 167.
2
Kyle P. Cline, Terry E. Spradlin and Jonathan A. Plucker, “Child Obesity in Indiana,” Center for Evaluation and
Education Policy 3 (Winter 2005), 1.
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Public Intellectual Essay
every time a child does not come to school; thus, absenteeism will only cost schools more and
more as childhood obesity rates rise.3 Obesity also hurts taxpayers. According to Kyle P. Cline,
Terry E. Spradlin, and Jonathan A. Plucker, “Obesity and its resulting health effects are
extremely expensive…. The economic cost of obesity in the United States was approximately
$117 billion in 2000.”4 At the same time, if current trends continue, as baby boomers get older
and require medical attention, more and more young people will become obese, causing health
care in America to undergo a financial crunch.
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The Relationship between Schools and Wellness:
“To keep the body in good health is a duty, for otherwise we shall not be able to trim the lamp of
wisdom, and keep our mind strong and clear.” (Buddha)
Schools play a key role in combating obesity. Because students spend roughly half of
each day at school, where they consume roughly half of their daily food intake, schools have a
responsibility to promote wellness during this time. Also, because good health affects academic
performance, schools must address obesity as a part of any effort to improve student
achievement levels. 5 Schools must provide opportunities to maintain good health, and teach
children life skills that will help them sustain their physical, as well as mental, wellbeing.
Unfortunately, schools often promote unhealthy lifestyles in response to financial and
time constraints. Selling foods with Minimal Nutritional Value (FMNV) à la cart and in vending
machines often brings much-needed revenue into schools.6 Districts with a high percentage of
students eligible for free or reduced lunch often have little choice other than to serve the canned
3
Woods and Weasmer, “More than ‘An Apple a Day,’” 166-169.
Cline, Spradlin and Plucker, “Child Obesity in Indiana,” 2.
5
Donald Siegel, “The Short- and Long-term Effects of Quality Physical Education,” Journal of Physical Education,
Recreation and Dance 75 (October 2005), 13.
6
Cline, Spradlin and Plucker, “Child Obesity in Indiana,” 3.
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Anne Abramowitz
Public Intellectual Essay
and starchy foods provided by the government.7 New accountability standards also detract from
the promotion of wellness in schools. More and more, schools are forgoing healthy choices in an
effort to meet standards set in a culture of high-stakes testing, eliminating or cutting back on
physical education programs to make time for extra academic preparation.8
These practices actually work against the best interest of schools and students, and affect
certain segments of student populations disproportionately. Wellness practices in schools are
affected by factors such as the school’s geographic location, size, status as rural, suburban, or
urban, and the ethnic and socioeconomic demographics. For example, urban schools are more
likely than suburban or rural schools to have no recess period, as are schools with a higher
concentration of students living in poverty and/or a higher concentration of students of color.9
Also, lower-income students, who are entitled to free breakfast and lunch, are more likely to be
obese than students who do not depend upon meals provided by the federal government.10 The
physiology of ethnicity can also determine to what degree groups are affected by the food and
level of activity present in schools.11 These discrepancies make the level of opportunity for
health and wellness in schools dependant upon demographics, an undemocratic and unjust
phenomenon.
And for what benefit? Schools that sell FMNV foods to earn a profit are hurting
themselves, and students, unnecessarily. Vending machines can be stocked with healthy
alternatives, such as real fruit juices, vegetables, and yogurts, and can still make money for
schools. Also, the money that schools make by selling vending machine items is partially offset
7
Lombardi, “A Cafeteria Food Fight over Health.”
Donald Siegel, “The Short- and Long-term Effects of Quality Physical Education,” 13.
9
E.D. Tab, “Calories In, Calories out: Food and Exercise in Public Elementary Schools, 2005,” National Center for
Education Statistics (May 2006), 13-14.
10
Woods and Weasmer, “More than ‘An Apple a Day,” 168.
11
Marc Santora, “Bad Blood: East Meets West, Adding Pounds and Peril,” The New York Times, January 12, 2006.
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Public Intellectual Essay
by the losses that result from the increased absenteeism of obese students. These losses will only
increase as obesity rates rise among children.
Schools also work against their own best interests when they eliminate or reduce recess
and/or physical education periods to make more time for academic preparation. Being active and
attending physical education classes improves students’ concentration, retention of information,
and behavior.12 One long-term prospective study published in 2006 has indicated that highquality, professionally-run physical education programs increase student academic performance,
though students may have less academic time.13 Facilitating regular exercise would therefore
actually help schools achieve higher test scores, while maintaining wellness as a priority in
schools. In addition to academic benefits, regular exercise also had long-term health benefits for
the participants in Shephard and Trudeaus’ study. Twenty-five years after the program finished,
the participants in the experimental group were more likely to describe themselves as in good
health and as being physically active.14
Some efforts have been made to make schools into healthier learning environments. In
2004, President George W. Bush signed the Child Nutrition and Women, Infant, and Children
(WIC) Reauthorization Act into law; this act was authored for the purpose of “Promoting healthy
diets, nutrition education, and physical activity while preserving local control of schools.”15 This
act mandates that schools that participate in federally funded programs offering meals at school
serve more nutritious food and increase students’ activity levels.16 Individual schools have also
taken measures to champion wellness. Some schools are adding fitness classes tailored to
individual students’ needs to their curricula.17 Schools in New Jersey are in the process of
banning soda and candy from schools.18 In many schools, green salads are more readily
available for student consumption than French fries.19 Unfortunately, these efforts are not
universal, and are therefore not sufficient to counteract the growing obesity crisis among
America’s youth.
12
Woods and Weasmer, “More than ‘An Apple a Day,’” p. 186.
Donald Siegel, “The Short- and Long-term Effects of Quality Physical Education,”13.
14
Donald Siegel, “The Short- and Long-term Effects of Quality Physical Education,”13.
15
The Education and the Workforce Committee, “S. 2507, Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004,”
http://www.gop.gov/Committeecentral/bills/s2507.asp, accessed November 2, 2006.
16
Julie Bosman, “Putting the Gym Back in Gym Class,” The New York Times, October 13, 2005.
17
Bosman, “Putting the Gym Back in Gym Class.”
18
Lombardi, “A Cafeteria Food Fight Over Health.”
19
Tab, “Calories In, Calories Out.”
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Public Intellectual Essay
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How Should We Regulate Wellness in Schools?
“The health of the people is really the foundation upon which all their happiness and all their
powers as a state depend. (Benjamin Disraeli)
There is a need for nationwide standards of that move beyond setting basic guidelines for
wellness. America needs policies that improve in nutrition and activity levels in ways that will
actually create healthier schools, and thus healthier students. These new standards should also
encourage students, schools and communities to take ownership of wellness, instituting creative
programs and ideas tailored to individual schools and communities. Though some elements of
these standards will require funding (and will have myriad pay-offs in the long term), many
elements of these standards will require little or no increase in funding. Working together,
students, schools, communities and governments can cultivate a culture of wellness that both
supplements academics and is independent in its own right.
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Nutritional Standards:
Schools must:
Ensure that foods served at breakfast and lunch meet the “2005 Dietary Guidelines for
Americans,” released by the USDA (United States) Department of Agriculture and
USDHHS (United States Department of Health and Human Services) in January 200520
Serve children appropriate serving sizes of food (meat: 2-3 ounces; pasta or rice: 1 cup;
bread: 1 slice; peanut butter: 2 tablespoons; vegetables: 1/2 cup; cheese: 1 ounce)21
Eliminate FMNV food items from vending machines
Use healthy food preparation techniques, such as steaming and broiling, as opposed to
unhealthy techniques, such as frying
Schools can most affect wellness by altering the food they serve and the opportunities for
physical activity that they provide. It is crucial that schools serve wholesome, nutritious meals
that are still substantive; this is especially important for students receiving free or reduced
20
United States Departments of Agriculture and of Health and Human Services,
http://www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines/, accessed November 2, 2006.
21
American Dietetic Association, “If Your Child is Overweight: A Guide for Parents, 2nd Ed,” 2003, 8.
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Public Intellectual Essay
breakfasts and lunches, who often receive most of their calories at school.22 Starchy, fatty meals
must be replaced with hearty, healthy alternatives. Food preparation techniques can also make a
huge difference in nutritional quality; for example, cafeterias can steam, boil or grill foods
instead of frying them. Nutritious school lunches and breakfasts require somewhat more time
and money to prepare, but are essential to student health.
Serving more nutritious food does little good if students supplement or replace their
school breakfasts and lunches with FMNV foods from vending machines. Ideally, vending
machines should be banished from schools, or should sell only healthy snacks (I have stated
previously that vending machines selling healthy foods can make profits as large as those that
sell FMNV foods). If schools below a certain level of funding (to be determined) stand to face
significant losses of income because they no longer carry unhealthy snacks, the federal
government must step in and subsidize the placement of healthy snacks in these machines. As a
nation, we must affirm the importance of equal levels of health and fitness in all schools, by
making it possible for all schools to say “no” to vending machines, without straining alreadysmall state education budgets.
Standards for Physical Activity:
Schools Must:
• ensure that all K-12th grade students are engaged in physically active P.E. classes for at
least half an hour per day
• employ physical educators trained to promote wellness
• ensure that physical education classes revolve around the completion of constructive
goals, involve all students, and provide students with “fun” physical outlets and
opportunities
• provide half an hour of recess per day for K-8th grade students
• offer after-school athletic opportunities for 9th-12th grade
• reward physical activity with positive feedback; create a culture supportive of wellness
and physical activity
In addition to providing healthier food, schools must incorporate physical activity into the
22
Lombardi, “A Cafeteria Food Fight Over Health.”
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Public Intellectual Essay
school day. Schools must make time in student schedules for daily physical education (P.E.)
classes for students of all ages. Schools must provide recess for elementary- and middle-school
children, and school-sponsored athletics programs for high-school students, who, due to time and
social constraints, would not take advantage of a recess period as a time for physical activity.
Communities and schools must recognize that students learn more efficiently and thoroughly if
they exercise vigorously during the day.
Though making time for P.E. is essential to promoting wellness, it is not a solution in and
of itself. Physical education classes must be environments in which students are active for
extended periods of time. The best way to ensure that these classes facilitate activity for all
students is to educate the physical educators. The better teachers understand the standards for
physical education, the stronger their commitments are to meeting these standards. Changing
these standards only actually affect the quality of student education if teachers are
knowledgeable about and support the changes.23
If students are to participate in it willingly and prioritize it as important in their lives,
physical education must be enjoyable. Many peoples’ recollections of P.E. classes are
unpleasant, often because of they feel embarrassed about their performance in competitive
sports. Instead of focusing on competitive goals, P.E. classes can center around achieving
mastery goals for different skill sets. Research has shown that wellness-related skills that are
taught through “fun” methods are the most effective in increasing student activity and interest in
the class.24 Students are more likely to be invested in their physical education classes if they
focus on the achievement of social responsibility goals—namely, if they are part of a group
23
Weiyun Chen, “Teachers’ Knowledge About and Views of the National Standards for Physical Education,”
Journal of Teaching in Physical Education 25 (January 2006), 170-171.
24
Stuart J. Fairclough and Gareth Stratton, “A Review of Physical Activity Levels During Elementary School
Physical Education,” Journal of Teaching in Physical Education 25 (April 2006), 252.
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Public Intellectual Essay
trying to accomplish a common goal.25 This is a perfect opportunity for students to develop
teamwork and communication skills in a fun and physically rigorous setting.
It is crucial that student efforts towards wellness be rewarded with positive feedback.
One way to do this is by making physical education an enjoyable, rather than an intimidating or
competitive, experience. Another is to train teachers to provide positive reinforcement when
students incorporate wellness into their lives. Teachers should promote confidence and selfesteem. By modeling positive attitudes towards wellness, and demonstrating their own
commitment to healthy lifestyles, teachers could encourage students to follow their examples and
prioritize health.
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Standards for Wellness Education:
What Schools Must Do:
teach students about nutritional and physical education, as presented by the Department
of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health26
integrate wellness education into the curricula of “core” subjects
What Schools Can Do:
offer service learning opportunities that integrate concepts of wellness with the reality of
wellness in students’ own communities
In addition to solving the problems facing students’ bodies, schools and communities should
also address the components of wellness that focus on students’ intellects. At the most basic
level, schools should teach children about the importance of healthy eating and exercise, and
about how to achieve wellness. With some creatively, schools can also integrate this information
into their curricula—and not just in scientific disciplines. The connection between wellness and
science is the most obvious, as diet and exercise are related to chemistry, biology, anatomy and
25
Jianmin Guan, Ping Xiang, Ron McBridge, April Bruene, “Achievement Goals, Social Goals, and Students’
Reported Persistence and Effort in High School Physical Education,” Journal of Teaching in Physical Education 25
(January 2006), 66-67.
26
Departments of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health, “We Can: Ways to Enhance
Children’s Activity and Nutrition,” http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/learn-it/about.htm,
accessed November 2, 2006.
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Public Intellectual Essay
physiology, among other fields. Teachers can also show students the connections between
wellness and other subjects, such as psychology, geography, and economics. Students can
investigate the social components of health and wellness for service learning projects, and
educate their communities about wellness using methods and strategies appropriate to each
individual community, about how to achieve better wellness.
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How Schools and Communities Can Work Together:
Schools Can:
Make facilities and recreation spaces open to families outside of school hours
Offer facilities to parents and community leaders who wish to lead wellness-related
workshops and activities
Offer wellness-information sessions to families and communities
Though physical education is essential to student wellness, physical activity should not just
happen during school. By working together, communities and schools can demonstrate that
physical activity should extend beyond P.E. class and occur throughout the day. There are
several ways in which schools and communities can work together to promote wellness. Schools
can make their play equipment and spaces available for public use outside of school hours, using
volunteers to supervise playgrounds and distribute equipment. Families may choose to play
outside instead of spending time indoors, if offered an inviting space in which to be active.
Parents and community members can also use school facilities to offer workshops in the
evenings that promote physical activity. Community members could lead classes for families
that teach fun skills such as dance or the performance of martial arts. This would forge ties
between communities and schools, and provide outlets for physical activity that are athletically
and culturally diverse. Extra-curricular activity provides families and communities with the
opportunity to both become healthier and to become involved in students’ lives.
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The Future of Wellness and Schools:
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Public Intellectual Essay
“Health is Not a Condition of Matter, but of Mind.” (Mary Baker Eddy)
Together, community and schools can work to make children healthier. Whether it
involves improving school food, restructuring curricula, having “Turn Off the Tube” nights, or
organizing other efforts, schools, parents and communities must work together to improve
student health. To make it important to students, wellness must be promoted as a value
fundamentally important to both the individual and public good. By implementing these
measures, schools and communities can prevent both the massive public health problems
threatening America’s youth, and the effects that these problems will have upon American
society. Together, students, families, schools and communities can create a healthier America.
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Public Intellectual Essay
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WORKS CITED
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REFERENCES USEFUL FOR FURTHER INQUIRY
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--American Dietetic Association, “If Your Child is Overweight: A Guide for Parents, 2nd Ed,”
2003, 1-13.
This is a very good resource for practical steps parents can take to combat childhood obesity. It
breaks down nutritional and exercise-related information into steps that both parents and
children can manage easily. Families and schools can use this as a guidebook demonstrating
how to talk to children about health, and how to set manageable goals for increasing wellness.
--Cline, Kyle, Terry E. Spradlin and Jonathan A. Plucker. “Child Obesity in Indiana.” Center for
Evaluation and Education Policy 3 (Winter 2005): 1-7.
This article contains a wealth of information about the effects of childhood obesity, and about
measures that can be taken to counteract this trend. Though it is specifically about how Indiana
has dealt with childhood obesity and the problems that Indiana faces, it is an extremely useful
resource for general background information and ideas about the fight against childhood
obesity.
--Departments of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health, “We Can:
Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity and Nutrition,”
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/learn-it/about.htm, accessed
November 2, 2006.
This is a good official resource, put out by the DHHS and the NIH, about how to cultivate
healthier lifestyles for children. It gives a sense, not just of the problem of obesity in America,
but of the reasons for this problem. This website has information in the form of a lesson plan
that teachers can use—excellent for curious students who have some background with nutritional
education.
--Education and the Workforce Committee, “S. 2507, Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization
Act of 2004,” http://www.gop.gov/Committeecentral/bills/s2507.asp, accessed November
2, 2006.
The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 is the legislation that President
George W. Bush signed into law mandating the implementation of measures to promote wellness
in schools. This legislation has the specific information about how, and how much, wellness
should be integrated into schools. It specifically addresses the issue of the nutrition level of
foods given to Title I students (students eligible for free and reduced lunch), because these
students and their families often have no choice but to eat the school meals.
--Lombardi, Katie Stone. “A Cafeteria Food Fight Over Health.” The New York Times.
February 26, 2006.
This is an article from the New York Times, and thus provides a good general overview of school
food, but is not exhaustingly thorough. This article emphasizes what actions communities can
take if they are not satisfied with the wellness levels of their schools.
---Siegel, Donald. “The Short- and Long-term Effects of Quality Physical Education.” Journal of
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Public Intellectual Essay
Physical Education, Recreation and Dance 75 (October 2005).
This is a strong and evidence-based analysis of the benefits of physical activity for academic
performance. Especially notable is the idea that even students whose class time is shorter
because of P.E. tend to learn and retain more information.
--Tab, E.D. “Calories In, Calories out: Food and Exercise in Public Elementary Schools, 2005.”
National Center for Education Statistics (May 2006): 1-111.
This is an excellent breakdown of national disparities in health and wellness. This article points
to the situations in which demographics and geography can heavily influence the access to
wellness that each group of child might have.
--Woods, Amanda Mays and Jerie Weasmer. More than ‘An Apple a Day:’ New Mandates for
School Wellness. Kappa Delta Pi Record 42 (2006): 166-169.
This article points to the challenges facing childhood wellness today, and gives excellent
information about nutrition and health standards.
WORKS USEFUL FOR THIS PAPER
Bosman, Julie. “Putting the Gym Back in Gym Class.” The New York Times. October 13, 2005.
Chen, Weiyun. “Teachers’ Knowledge About and Views of the National Standards for Physical
Education.” Journal of Teaching in Physical Education 25 (January 2006): 120-142.
Fairclough, Stuart J. and Gareth Stratton, “A Review of Physical Activity Levels During
Elementary School Physical Education,” Journal of Teaching in Physical Education 25 (April
2006), 239-257.
Guan, Jianmin, Ping Xiang, Ron McBridge, and April Bruene. “Achievement Goals, Social
Goals, and Students’ Reported Persistence and Effort in High School Physical Education.”
Journal of Teaching in Physical Education 25 (January 2006), 58-74.
Santora, Marc. “Bad Blood: East Meets West, Adding Pounds and Peril.” The New York Times.
January 12, 2006.
United States Departments of Agriculture and of Health and Human Services,
http://www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines/, accessed November 2, 2006.
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Public Intellectual Essay
School Wellness “Scorecard”
CRITERIA
RATING (1-5,
1 = NONCOMPLIANT,
5= PERFECTLY COMPLIANT)
NUTRITION
Foods served meet the “2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans”
Portion sizes for meals meet recommended guidelines
Vending machines do not contain Foods with Minimal Nutrition Value (FMNV)
Food preparation techniques are healthy (steaming, broiling, etc.) instead of
unhealthy (frying, etc.)
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
All K-12 students engaged in physically active P.E. classes for at least 1/2 hour per
day
Physical educators trained to promote wellness
P.E. classes have constructive goals
P.E. classes involve all students
P.E. classes provide students with “fun” physical outlets
After-school athletic opportunities are offered for 9th-12th grades
Half an hour of recess offered for K-8th grades
Physical activity rewarded with positive feedback
School creates a culture supportive of wellness and physical activity
WELLNESS EDUCATION
Students are taught about nutritional and physical education, as presented by the
Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health
Wellness education is integrated into the curricula of “core” subjects
(optional) Service learning opportunities are offered that integrate concepts of
wellness with students’ communities
SCHOOL/COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP
Facilities and recreation spaces are available to the community
Facilities are available to community members for wellness-related workshops and
activities
Wellness-information sessions are available to families and communities
*These standards are not meant to create homogeneity in schools! States and districts should
find their own ways to meet these standards, putting the health and wellbeing of communities
first.
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NUTRIOTION
EDUCATION
CROSSDISCIPLINARY
APPROACH
MENTAL
COMPONENT
SOCIAL
ASPECTS OF
WELLNESS
Anne Abramowitz
Public Intellectual Essay
FITNESS
EDUCATION
TEAMWORK
SOCIAL
SKILLS
WELLNESS IN
COMMUNITIES
SERVICE
LEARNING
POSITIVE SOCIAL
GOALS
EMOTIONAL
COMPONENT
FEELING
HEALTHY
GOOD SELF
ESTEEM
FUNDING
FEDERALLY
PROVIDED
MEALS
NUTRITION
VENDING
MACHINES
FAMILY/COMMUNITY
INVOLVEMENT
PHYSICAL
COMPONENT
IMPROVED
ACADEMIC
PERFORMANCE
AFTER-SCHOOL
ACTIVITIES
TIME FOR
ACTIVITY
P.E. CLASSES
RECESS
GOOD
INSTRUCTION
FUN!
CONCEPTS CONCERNING CHILD WELLNESS AND SCHOOLS
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