Overweight Philadelphia Students Lose Weight
Five Philadelphia elementary schools removed sodas, candy and other junk food substances, substituted fruit juices, held raffles for healthy choices and taught the parents, teachers and kids about good nutrition.
The two year study of 1,349 students in grades four to six started with about 40% of the students being overweight or obese. After the experiment, there were fewer new overweight children and the overall number of students dropped 10% to 15%. Schools that did not make changes showed an increase of 20% in overweight students.
The experiment tested a program developed by The Food Trust, which works to improve the health of children and adults, promote good nutrition, increase access to nutritious foods, and advocate for better public policy.
Read the full study published in the journal Pediatrics. We are not helpless to intervene on the deplorable health condition of many of our children.
