Schools

Schools share the responsibility with parents to promote knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours amongst our children that will develop healthy eating and physical activity patterns for maximizing health, intellectual development, and overall quality of life.

The current epidemic of obesity in kids is a health catastrophe in the making. We need to be aware of all the factors that contribute to it and begin addressing it immediately in our schools, homes, and communities.

Leah will work with schools to help them develop an environment that is conducive to healthy eating. This could include school nutrition policies, working with PACs to initiate healthy fundraising ideas, teaching nutrition in the classroom, working with cafeterias to provide healthy food, or discussing healthy options for vending machines, school stores, or drink dispensers. Leah can also provide health articles for school newsletters, give seminars to PACS or teachers.

Pro D Day

• Kids and obesity: Creating an environment where healthy food and physical activity are modeled, valued, and available.
• You are what you eat and your kids are too!
• Thrive for Kids
• Thrive for teachers
• Thriving under stress
• Thriving at work: learn how to think, concentrate, and perform at your best.
• Thrive in Five - the five minute a day plan for whole health
• Aging Well - Optimal nutrition gives you the power
• Food, mood, and stress
• Women's Ways : the power of nutrition to boost your health
• Managing Menopause
• Investing in yourself
• Brain food - Maximizing concentration and clarity

Kids and obesity facts: Canadian children are getting fatter In Canada, our rate of overweight children has doubled in 15 years to 29% of boys aged 7-13 and 24% of girls. The rates of obesity have increased even more dramatically from 5% in 1985 to 13%. We are seeing "adult" diabetes in young children, and even very young children with high risk factors for heart disease. The consequences are high Medical Childhood obesity is a strong predictor of obesity as an adult. This relationship gets stronger with age. 26-41% of overweight pre-schoolers will remain obese into adulthood; and approximately 50-70% of obese 10-18 year olds will remain obese as adults (2). The following statistics are from a research excerpt from Improving Children's Academic Performance, Health and Quality of Life. A Top Policy Commitment in Response to Children's Obesity and Health Crisis in California.(2) * Reaching children before they become obese is particularly critical given that obese children have increased mortality as adults independent of adult weight. It has been suggested that those who are genetically susceptible to obesity are at high risk for medical problems later in life without early environmental manipulation to prevent obesity. * An (American) study of 4th, 5th, and 6th, graders found that 53% already had one or more cardiovascular risk factors. * Obese children have higher rates of cardiovascular disease risk factors than non-obese children. One study found that only 14.4% of obese children were free of cardiovascular risk factors compared to 79.1% of normal weight controls. Another found that 60% of overweight children aged 5-10 years already have a risk factor for heart disease such as high blood pressure or elevated insulin levels. * Extremely obese children may experience medical problems associated with their weight while they are still children. These include: high blood pressure, increased stress on weight bearing joints, Type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, asthma, hyperlipidemia, and chronic hypoxemia. Psychosocial Consequences Pressuring children to be thin has not helped decrease the incidence of overweight. Instead it has resulted in rampant body dissatisfaction, poor body image, low self-esteem, and eating disorders. Self-Esteem Feelings of social incompetence, low self-esteem, and symptoms of depression are closely linked to obesity - especially if the child is made to feel responsible for his/her weight. The child who grows up with a poor self-image is less likely to achieve his/her potential role in society as a healthy, productive individual. Discrimination Young people who are overweight are at risk for social discrimination. Distorted body image Feeling fat and wanting to lose weight by dieting are becoming normative for girls as young as nine to eleven years old. Inadequate Nutrition compromises academic achievement and potential Food insufficiency, whether from poverty, eating disorders, or "under nutrition" from too many nutrient-poor foods hampers academic achievement. Children who suffer from poor nutrition during the brain's most formative years score much lower on tests of vocabulary, reading comprehension, arithmetic, and general knowledge. (Brown L, Pollitt E. Malnutrition, poverty and intellectual development. Scientific American 1996;274(2):38-43) Even moderate under-nutrition (inadequate or sub-optimal nutrient intake) can have lasting effects and compromise cognitive development and school performance. (Centre on Hunger, Poverty, and Nutrition Policy. Statement on the Link between Nutrition and Cognitive Development in Children. Medford, MA: Tufts University School of Nutrition 1995)