School lunches linked to obesity

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Tribune Review

School lunches linked to obesity

Childhood obesity is on the rise in America. Research is now indicating that students who buy their lunch in schools compared to students who bring their food from home have higher rates of obesity and higher levels of bad cholesterol. The research shows that 39% of middle school students who buy their lunch at school are overweight compared with 24% who bring their food from home. The article mentions that only 6 percent of school meals meet nutritional requirements that are set by the Agricultural Department. Of these 6 percent of school meals that meet requirements it is mentioned that free meals are offered to students below the poverty line. This brings up the important link between heart health and poverty. Students who receive their lunches free because of their financial status have no choice but to eat the food that is given to them, shouldn’t the food they are being offered at least meet the nutritional requirements set by the Agricultural Department. This article mentions the need to help schools come up with a better variety of healthy foods for students to choose from so that we can help prevent heart disease, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, etc. later in life. The research also shows that students who buy their lunch have an average low-density lipoprotein level of 94 compared to 87.5 in the group of children who bring their food from home. Information that was obtained from questionnaires also shows that the students who buy their lunch eat less fruits and vegetables along with higher fat foods and more sweets compared to the group that brings their food from home. The questionnaires also show that the students who bring their lunch are more likely to watch television, sit at the computer, or play video games and less likely to get intense exercise. Another study b the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed the rate of childhood obesity has more than doubled since the 90’s to 17 percent in 2008. Research has also shown that vending machines at schools, which make snacks more readily available to children, have contributed to the childhood obesity epidemic. Lastly, it has been shown that children snack up to three times a day and get about 27percent of their daily calories from salty, fatty, and sugary foods.