The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believes that schools are vital in improving the dietary and physical activity among children and adolescents. It is the school that forms an environment that is supportive of the students and their efforts to eat healthy and be physically active.
Research has found that student health is linked to academic success. This is why cultivating a mindset and a set of behaviors promoting healthy eating and exercise is highly important.
Good, healthy eating habits, partnered with a lifestyle that suits regular physical activity has a strong role in warding off obesity and chronic disease. With this, the CDC compiled and synthesized research and best practices to create a set of guidelines. Here they are:
1. Use a coordinated approach to develop, implement, and evaluate healthy eating and physical activity policies and practices.
2. Establish school environments that support healthy eating and physical activity.
3. Provide a quality school meal program and ensure that students have only appealing, healthy food and beverage choices offered outside of the school meal program.
4. Implement a comprehensive physical activity program with quality physical education as the cornerstone.
5. Implement health education that provides students with the knowledge, attitudes, skills, and experiences needed for lifelong healthy eating and physical activity.
6. Provide students with health, mental health, and social services to address healthy eating, physical activity, and related chronic disease prevention.
7. Partner with families and community members in the development and implementation of healthy eating and physical activity policies, practices, and programs.
8. Provide a school employee wellness program that includes healthy eating and physical activity services for all school staff members.
9. Employ qualified persons, and provide professional development opportunities for physical education, health education, nutrition services, and health, mental health, and social services staff members, as well as staff members who supervise recess, cafeteria time, and out-of-school-time programs.