nurse, Laura Kramer, RN, LSN, coordinated the Student Nutrition. Group and the school wellness committee. The Student Nu
Dietary Expert and School Nurse Help Schools Move Ahead with Healthy Changes Bill Burleson
Summary The Martin County West school district in Welcome, Minnesota, includes 5 schools that serve more than 850 students in grades K-12. To better comply with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrition guidelines for 2012, the district representatives assessed current nutrition options, spoke with multiple stakeholders, and developed a new nutrition plan. A school nurse and University of Minnesota child nutrition expert led the effort. Changes included installing salad bars, starting a breakfast program, and forming a Student Nutrition Group.
Challenge In rural Martin County, nearly one of four students is obese or overweight. Slightly more than 35% get free or reduced-cost lunches. With the impending new dietary requirements from the USDA, the school district needed to revise their nutrition model. This would require time and effort, as well as unified support from food service staff, administration, teachers, families, and students. In addition, some of the proposed nutrition guidelines could be unpopular or met with opposition. For example, people often expect food at celebrations, but some of the foods offered are unhealthy. The proposed guidelines advised against offering food at school birthday celebrations, and relied on teachers to decide whether food should be a part of class holiday celebrations.
Your Involvement Is Key Nutrition is vital to good health and a key factor for educational success. Support future generations by making the healthy choice the easy choice for them, such as making fresh fruits and vegetables readily available at school. Ask your school's principal, school board, Parent Teacher Student
Solution
Association, or district administration for more information about your
In spring 2010, University of Minnesota child nutrition expert Leslie Lytle, RD, PhD, conducted a needs assessment of the school nutrition environment. The assessment included surveys of thencurrent policies, an inventory of all vending machines, a la carte items, and concession foods in schools, and surveys to parents, school staff, and food services about school wellness. The district nurse, Laura Kramer, RN, LSN, coordinated the Student Nutrition Group and the school wellness committee. The Student Nutrition Group included students in grades 9-12 and the school wellness committee included teachers, administrators, parents, and food service staff.
school’s nutrition and wellness plan and how you can help.
Results Changes included programs mandating healthier foods available before, during, and after school. In-classroom changes meant not using food as a reward and providing guidelines to students and parents on what could be brought in to share. Student taste-testing was implemented and two salad bars were installed. The percentage of students using the salad bars increased—12% of students used the salad bar daily in the 2012-2013 school year, but 23% did in the 2013-2014 school year. School cooks attended additional training and met with a dietitian to make menu changes. Additional healthy options were added to the a la carte line as well. Before the change noted, only 17% of options offered were healthy choices. After changes, almost 50% of the options available for purchase were healthy choices.
Contact Bill Burleson Minnesota Department of Health 85 East Seventh Place St. Paul, MN 55101 651-201-5391 phone www.health.state.mn.us/divs/oshii
"Kids are learning about and eating different types of fruits and veggies—some they have never seen, tasted, or tried before. Teachers are pleased that nutrition guidelines are clear, so they can help ensure kids are eating healthy foods in the classroom." - Nurse Laura Kramer
Sustaining Success U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Future plans include continuing to support the changes by promoting healthy school lunches, the breakfast program, and healthy snacks through the school newsletter and posters, as well as at preschool teacher conferences. In grades K-6, plans include establishing activity challenges to ensure that children are active for 60 minutes a day. The school nurse is also developing plans to mentor students to help reduce obesity. Examples include meeting with students before school several times a week for physical activity and to discuss nutrition. Lap swimming, snowshoeing, yoga, and walking are all available to students, and school staff members are researching ways to promote these activities.
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion NCCDPHP
Success Stories
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Contact CDC http://www.cdc.gov/cdc-info/requestform.html Web site http://nccd.cdc.gov/nccdsuccessstories/ The findings and conclusions in this success story are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position of the funding agencies or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
