Nutrition at School: Creating a Healthy Food Environment

This chapter describes nutritional concerns for youth, the impact of school nutrition programs, the current environment in schools, tools for assessing school nutrition environments, and model efforts to improve school nutrition. A healthy school food environment can influence students to make healthful food choices, helping in turn to combat rising trends in weight problems, obesity, diabetes, and related conditions among children. Obstacles to healthy school food environments include snack bars and vending machines, a la carte food programs, and easy access to fast foods. Strategies to establish healthy food environments in schools include School Nutrition Advisory Councils, school policies, educational interventions, and the provision of attractive, healthy food choices.