Does nutrition education in schools

help to reduce childhood obesity?

(American Society for Nutrition 2014)
 Background
● About 20% of school-aged kids in the US are considered
obese
● Many different factors can contribute to obesity including
genetics, age, metabolism, sleep deprivation, and lifestyle
factors such as diet and exercise
● Lifestyle changes in diet and increasing physical activity
can be effective at reducing at treating obesity

(CDC 2019)
● Regular access to food AND junk
foods
● Sedentary lifestyle
● Spending too much time on
social media
● Lack of adequate amounts of
exercise

(NIH 2017) Copyright © 2019 timesofmalta.com

Case Study: Controlling childhood obesity: A
systematic review on strategies and
challenges (Cumulative)
● Series of different intervention programs implemented in different countries
with varying results
● Some Intervention programs focused on diet, others on physical activity, while
others used a combination of both
● Subjects were of mixed age groups from primary to high school
● Duration of programs range from 2 months to a few years
2006 US Multidisciplinary Elementary
School-based Intervention
● 1 school year program for children in the 4th and 5th grade
● Program focused on behavior change by incorporating regular physical
activity and consumption of fruits and vegetables
● Intended outcome was to change improve BMI and weight
● Results revealed reduction of BMI, with less overweight participants in
the control group, acquired healthier eating habits, and increased
exercise

Spiegel and Foulk, 2006, USA

2012 Integrative Canada Program
● 3 year program that targeted 5th grade students
● Wholesome program, focusing on overall healthier eating, as well as physical
activity
● Outcome was to improve dietary intake, increase exercise, and ultimately
improve BMI
● Results showed a decreased calorie intake and reduction in obesity,
success at changing eating habits, incorporating regular exercise, and
improving fitness
2011 Germany Randomized Controlled Trial
● Focused exclusively on 6 year-olds for a duration of 1 year
● Program emphasized nutrition education, increasing physical activity and
decreasing TV time
● Outcome was to reduce BMI, % of body fat, waist circumference and food
intake
● Results revealed that it was effective at improving BMI, mainly in
students of higher socioeconomic backgrounds, up to 8 years after
program
2012 Mexico Quasi-experimental Randomized
Cluster Controlled Trial
● 6 month program for students in the 2nd and 3rd grade
● Program focused on decreasing sedentary time and educating students about
nutrition
● Outcome was to reduce BMI, waist circumference, and prevalence of
overweight and obesity
● Results showed that at 6 months, differences in BMI were observed, and
at 24 months, waist circumference reduced and abdominal obesity
declined
2008 Korea Two group pre-test/post-test
Design
● 8 week program for 4-6 grade students
● Focused on group education, phone counseling, obesity management points
for mothers
● Outcome was to induce self-control, improve obesity index, and abdominal
circumference
● Results showed decline in obesity index, abdominal circumference, and
body fat percentage
Supporting obesity programs in schools
NCBI- Schools and Obesity Prevention: Creating
School Environments and Policies to Promote
Healthy Eating and Physical Activity
● Policies and programs in place increase efficacy
● Get parents and teachers involved
● Projected results to increase in future
 Conclusion
● Studies show that nutrition programs are effective at reducing obesity in
school-aged children
● Programs that incorporated a variety of intervention methods tended to be
more successful
● Schools should increase nutrition education and fitness programs in order to
get kids healthier
 REFERENCES
Childhood Obesity Facts. (2019, 29 April). Center for Disease Control. Retrieved April 8, 2019, from

https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/obesity/facts.htm

Vanderwater, E.A, Denis, L.M. (2017, December 20). Media, Social Networking, and Pediatric Obesity. National Center for
Biotechnology Information. Retrieved April 8, 2019, from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5737742/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4274579/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3414762/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2997127/