Childhood Obesity & Schools
How does childhood obesity affect students’ health?
Currently, nearly one third of children and youth in the United States are overweight or obese. Childhood obesity rates have increased dramatically over the past four decades, quadrupling among children ages 6-11 and more than tripling among youth ages 12-19. Childhood obesity is one of the most pressing health issues affecting our nation’s students, and can impact children’s ability to reach their full potential. Read more
Why does childhood obesity matter for schools?
Healthy students learn better. Children and youth who eat nutritious foods and are active stay healthier, perform better in school and learn behaviors that will keep them healthier throughout their lifetimes. Read more
What role do school leaders play in addressing childhood obesity?
While addressing childhood obesity requires effort from many different stakeholder groups—government, industry, families and the community— the involvement of schools is essential. School leaders in particular play a key role in supporting policies and practices that provide better opportunities for healthy eating and physical activity. Read more
How does NSBA address childhood obesity?
With and through its member state school boards associations, NSBA works to provide local school boards with the information and tools they need to support school environments that address childhood obesity by fostering healthy eating and physical activity. Read more
The resources provided in NSBA's webpage do not represent an exhaustive list. For more information or inquiries about this webpage or childhood obesity topics, contact us at schoolhealth@nsba.org.
Resources
- Data and Research
Important data to inform data-driven decisions around childhood obesity.
- Policy and Practice
Resources for developing sound policies and practices related to childhood obesity, including model policies and other policy guidance.
- Best Practice and Success Stories
Key resources and examples of school successes in addressing childhood obesity. This is not an exhaustive list.
- Healthy Eating Resources
Resources on health and nutrition education; farm-to-school programs and school garden resources; and healthy vending, competitive foods, and food/beverage marketing.
- Physical Activity Resources
Resources pertaining to physical activity, physical education, recess, joint use agreements, and safe routes to school programs.
- Other General Resources
Other websites and resources for further research and policy guidance on specific topics related to childhood obesity.
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- How does childhood obesity affect students’ health?
[HTML 2,413kb]
- Why does childhood obesity matter for schools? [HTML 721kb]
- What role do school leaders play in addressing childhood obesity? [HTML 1,853kb]
- How does NSBA address childhood obesity? [HTML 3,848kb]
- Policy Strategies for Local School Leadership
[PDF 89,552kb]