MINNEAPOLIS --
Maybe getting schoolchildren to eat healthy foods isn't a hopeless struggle. Bucking some common notions, a University of Minnesota study has found that school lunch sales don't decline when healthier meals are served, and that more nutritious lunches don't necessarily cost schools more to produce.

"The conventional wisdom that you can't serve healthier meals because kids won't eat them is false," said …

Peaceful Playgrounds research identified five problems consistently occuring on most elementary school playgrounds. Inconsistent game rules was one of those five problems.

"Children were playing by different game rules and this lead to arguments, frustration and sometimes physical confrontations," according the Dr. Melinda Bossenmeyer, Peaceful Playgrounds President. Further, we found that rarely were children taught either the rules…

The California School Boards Association and several districts have sued the state for nearly $1 billion, saying the state's deferral of payments for 38 mandatory programs violates the state of California's constitution. The lawsuit claims that districts are forced to divert limited educational funding to support state-mandated programs such as student health screenings and attendance-figure reporting.

Physical education and health educa…

The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) has a
wonderful new tool for physical education teacher evaluation. All teachers benefit from meaningful, ongoing assessment and evaluation. The NASPE-developed Physical Education Teacher Evaluation Tool identifies the knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed to provide sound instruction in the K-12 physical education classroom. Its purpose is to assist principals, school district c…

Los Angeles COUNTY: Overweight kids more likely to be found in poorer cities with less park space.

By Melissa Evans, Staff Writer, Long Beach Press Telegram

Never has the link between poverty and child obesity been more apparent.

A new report from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health shows that the richest cities with the most public open space have the lowest rates of obese children. By contrast, cities with larger low-income populat…

LONDON, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- A new heathcare bill in England authorizes the distribution of letters detailing children's height and weight as part of the fight against childhood obesity.

Parents of children ages 5-10 will receive letters outlining their child's height and weight to be input into an online "fat check" in an effort to determine the onset of obesity, The Telegraph said Saturday.

The new program is part of the Health and…

I stumbled on the following utube video entitled, "Hero in the Hallway." Check it out.

Physical education should be compulsory in school and children should have at least three physical education lessons a week, says an own-initiative report adopted by MEPs with 590 votes in favor 56 against and 21 abstentions. The number of children who are overweight or obese is growing by an estimated 400,000 per year, yet, according to a study for the Culture Committee, the average time that primary schools allocate to physical education has f…

The Game On! The Ultimate Wellness Challenge Toolkit was developed by Action for Healthy Kids, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and with input from the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Education and other leading health and education organizations.

This turn-key guide for hosting a local Game On! The Ultimate Wellness Challenge event includes all necessary information to prepare, publicize, and carry-out a …

Published on Tuesday, Nov 13, 2007
Ohio.com

Sniffling and sneezing? Coughing and feverish? When are a child's symptoms severe enough to stay home from school? The rule of thumb, according to Medina General Hospital's School Health Services, is to keep children home if they are experiencing any of these symptoms: fever over 100 degrees, vomiting, diarrhea, frequent cough, persistent pain (earache, stomachache, etc.) or widespread rash.

If th…

Nike, Inc. -- Physical Activity Grants for Youth Nike, Inc. supports programs that increase and promote physical activity and seeks to: 1) get youth more physically active; 2) get youth involved in the teamwork of sports; and 3) have real, positive and measurable impact. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status in communities where Nike has a significant employee or business presence. Rolling deadline. Contact …

Obesity has dominated media headlines over the past few years as the
nation has begun to recognize it is a serious health crisis.

"F as Fat", a new document released by the Trust for America's Health points out how obesity policies are failing in America. The 118 page reports covers such topics as

1. Obesity Rates and Related Trends

2. Obesity and State Policy: A review of legislation and initiatives;

3. Obesity and Federal Polic…

Boston - More sleep can reduce a child’s risk of becoming obese, according to a new study from the University of Michigan.

Researchers found that for every additional hour of sleep for a night for a third-grader, the risk of obesity is reduced by 40 percent by 6th grade.

“Many children aren’t getting enough sleep, and that lack of sleep may not only be making them moody or preventing them from being alert and ready to learn at school, it may also …

Given that physical activity not only keeps obesity at bay but generates a healthy and happy attitude, it’s surprising that more schools have not tried to harness the positive influence of physical activity within their educational program. Unfortunately, usually physical activity takes a back seat to other subjects regarded as more important.

Things have changed at home as well.

Prior to the digital age, children were forced to go out and play, u…

The British govt has decided to cure obesity with better designs – by roping in architects and town planners in its drive against the disease.

The proposal also calls for schools and employers to encourage “active travel”, by creating new walking and cycle routes, re-allocating parking places to cyclists and introducing more speed humps and other traffic calming measures.

The flab-fighting proposals drawn up by officials at the National Institute …

EnergyNow! is an alliance comprised of leading authorities in the physical education, nutrition and fitness technology fields who are committed to reversing today’s alarming childhood obesity epidemic. EnergyNow! is a results-based grant program that will enable schools to combat the alarming trend of obesity in our children. With an emphasis on building physical education and nutrition education programs that are doable, sustainable and effect…

The Tennessee Physical Activity Handbook is now available to download from the CSH website. The direct link to the handbook is:

http://tennessee.gov/education/schoolhealth/physed/doc/TNPhysActivHbook_10_07.pdf

Please check the website often for additional resources. Questions regarding this handbook may be sent to our Physical Education Specialist, Susan Brotherton at Susan.Brotherton@state.tn.us.

S 651 PLAY Every Day Act 2/15/07

To help promote the national recommendation of physical activity to kids, families, and communities across the United States. The Secretary of Education, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall provide grants to State health departments to enable the State health departments to work in partnership with eligible community-based coalitions to plan and implement model comm…

"Having students take their lunch recess before lunch has had some unintended, healthy consequences," according to Tulsa, Oklahoma principal Carolyn Moore.

"We switched recess to before lunch because I was seeing so many office referrals of students with stomachaches, but now they're hungrier and more ready to settle down and eat. They're not going to pitch that food out so fast because they want to go outside and play,&qu…