New Report: Food and Exercise in Public Elementary Schools

Posted by on December 8, 2006

[posted from Public Education Network newsblast]

CALORIES IN, CALORIES OUT: FOOD & EXERCISE IN PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

This study, prompted by concern over the rate of obesity among school-age children, was designed to obtain current national information on availability of foods and opportunities for physical activity in public elementary schools. The report includes findings on the types of food sold at one or more locations in schools and in their cafeterias or lunchrooms; the types of food sold at vending machines and school stores or snack bars, and times when foods were available at those locations; food service operations and contracts with companies to sell foods at schools; scheduled recess, including the days per week, times per day, and minutes per day of recess; scheduled physical education, including the days per week, class length, and average minutes per week of physical education; activities to encourage physical activity among elementary students; and the physical assessment of students.

http://nces.ed.gov/whatsnew/commissioner/remarks2006/5_16_2006.asp