New research suggests that a federal rule passed in 2010 that increased nutrition requirements for school meals has helped to curb the growth in childhood obesity in the United States, especially among teens with access to commercially available snack foods.
More than 14,000 schoolchildren, aged 5 to 18, across the country had their heights and weights measured before and after the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 was passed, and the results showed a tiny but substantial decrease in the average body mass index.
Childhood obesity has been on the rise in the United States for decades, and currently affects around one in five children. This study provides fresh evidence that enhancing the quality of school meals through legislation may be one strategy to help reverse this trend. It is unclear whether or if the program has begun to turn the tide for all children in the country, not simply the groups of children who were the focus of the study. Each day, almost 30 million youngsters in the United States are fed by their schools.
According to Dr. Aruna Chandran, a social epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, “you have the opportunity to significantly effect their extra weight growth throughout their entire life.” On Monday, her team’s research appeared in JAMA Pediatrics.
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 was the first national legislation to enhance school meals in almost 20 years, and it was strongly supported by former first lady Michelle Obama. It mandated more plant-based foods including fruits, veggies, and nutritious grains in school lunches.
