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Educate your patients on the importance of 3-A-Day of Dairy: Here's
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tool (PDF: 618k) to show families how to get their 3-A-Day of Dairy
every day for stronger bones.
Developed in conjunction with The American Academy of Family
Physicians, The American Academy of Pediatrics, The American Dietetic
Association, and The National Medical Association.
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Dairy Council Digest Archives
Creating a Healthy School Environment for Children
Children's Nutrition and Physical Activity are Not Making the Grade
Children's poor eating habits and physically inactive lifestyles are contributing to some serious health problems (8,9). The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents, particularly African Americans and Hispanics, has escalated in recent years (2,4,10,11). Data reveal that 13% of children aged 6 to11 years and14% of adolescents aged12 to19 years in the U.S. are overweight (4). This prevalence has nearly doubled for children and tripled for adolescents in the past two decades (4). Overweight children, especially adolescents, are likely to become overweight or obese adults (9) and are at risk for serious health problems such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease (4,8). Over the past 20 years, hospital costs for childhood obesity-related diseases have more than tripled, increasing from $35 million in1979 to $127 million in1999 (12).
Children's poor dietary patterns, including increased intake of added sugars such as sugar-sweetened soft drinks, foods and meals of high energy, low nutrient density, and large portion sizes contribute to obesity in childhood (13-15). In recent years, children's beverage consumption has shifted from milk to sugar-containing soft drinks and fruit drinks (7). Researchers suggest that intake of soft drinks may promote obesity because of their high glycemic index (ability to raise blood sugar), whereas milk, which has a low glycemic index, may protect against obesity (14).
Not only are many children overweight, but they are also undernourished. Children's low calcium intake is of concern (3,16,17). Failure to meet dietary calcium recommendations in childhood can limit achievement of maximal skeletal growth and bone mineralization leading to increased risk of osteoporosis in later years (3,9,18). Low intake of milk and other dairy products, which are the major dietary sources of calcium, contributes to low calcium intake and poor bone health among children and adolescents (7,9,19,20). Recognition of the calcium crisis among America's youth led more than 40 government and health professional organizations to sign a mission statement to develop a shared vision and action plan to help improve children's dietary choices and achieve an optimal calcium intake (21).
Participating in school meal programs such as the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program benefits children nutritionally and academically.
The diets of many children need improvement (8,22). Only 2% of U.S. children ages 2 to19 years meet the Food Guide Pyramid serving recommendations for all five major food groups and children consume low amounts of fruits, vegetables, grain, and dairy (22). When the diets of young children ages 2 to 9 were compared to the Healthy Eating Index, which is a measure of overall diet quality (i.e., adequacy, moderation, variety), most children (81%) had diets that needed improvement (8).
Children's low physical activity and sedentary lifestyle also contribute to the obesity epidemic in this population (2,3, 9,23,24). Many children are less physically active than recommended and physical activity tends to decline as children reach adolescence (3,9,23,24). Children are spending more time on sedentary activities such as television viewing and video games (3). School-based physical activity has been steadily declining for years (3). From1991 to 1999, the percentage of students attending daily physical education classes at school dropped from 42% to 29% (23). According to the School Health Policies and Programs Study 2000, only 8% of elementary schools, 6.4% of middle/junior high schools, and 5.8% of senior high schools provide daily physical education for students (24). Also, only 71% of elementary schools provide regularly scheduled recess for all students in grades kindergarten through five (24).
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