How Boston Public Schools are trying to curb childhood obesity

When it comes to childhood obesity, the state of Massachusetts falls right in the middle of national rankings with a rate of 30 percent. Mississippi has the highest childhood obesity rate at 44.4 percent, and Minnesota and Utah tie for the lowest at 23.1 percent. So what is Massachusetts doing right in their public schools, and how are they constantly trying to improve?

For starters, Boston Public Schools are a part of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. The Alliance works to positively affect the places that can make a difference to a child's health, such as homes, schools, restaurants, doctor's offices, and communities. The Alliance's Healthy Schools program supports more than 7,800 schools across the nation in their efforts to create environments where physical activity and healthy eating are accessible and encouraged.

In the past 30 years childhood obesity rates have tripled, with almost one thirds of adolescents (ages 4-18) being considered obese in 2009. "This issue has been on the back burner but now it's on the front burner and is really hot," Jean Levins, Assistant Director of Food and Nutrition Services and School Operations for Boston Public Schools said.

Levins said that the biggest changes really began about six years ago. That was when Boston Public Schools, along with all food service operations in the city, first adopted a Zero Trans Fat policy as well as lowered the salt and fat allowances in their foods. Since then the process has been marked by other small, gradual changes. For example, in 2004 Boston Public Schools were serving what Levins likes to refer to as "junk juice", juice drinks that contain 15 percent or less actual fruit juice. In the following years Boston Public Schools gradually increased their real fruit juice percentage requirements an are now up to serving only 100 percent juice with no artificial sweeteners. The next step for this situation, Levins said, is "to reduce the juice quantity". Boston Public Schools will now be working towards reducing the size of their juice beverages from 16oz to 11oz. Soda has never been allowed to be bought or sold in Boston Public School buildings.

"Everyone is getting on the band wagaon," Levins said. "Industries, manufactureres, cities, states...everyone is working towards a healthier America."

Another big change has been an increase in the availability of fruits and vegtables at schools across the nation, as well as the use of fresh produce in preparing lunches.

Boston Public Schools has recently been pushing a FARMS program, which thanks to a federal grant, brings fruits and vegetables from local Massachusetts farms into the schools. "We are trying to get away from shipping fruits in from California that are covered with protective wax coatings," Levins said. "Buying locally gives us much better quality fresh things to provide to our kids."

In conjunction with the FARMS program, Boston Public Schools is running a Chef's in School Program sponsored by Project Bread. The program is designed to show schools how to properly cook with all the fresh produce, and how to comply with HACCP standards to prevent food born illnesses and get the produce "from field to plate in a way that is safe for consumption," Levins explained.

Boston Public Schools are also trying to increase their nutrition education in classrooms and promote more physical activity through physical education classes, recess, after school activities, and sports. "We do these things because our kids need better health," Levins said. "We need to lower child obesity rates, we need to decrease the cases of type II diabetes, we need to decrease possibilties of high blood pressure." The education part is important, Levins says, because you can't just tell kids what they can and can't eat. "Kids are very stubborn and defiant," she said. "You need to educate them starting at a young age about what they need to do, and then let them make the decision on their own."

Levins said she has noticed changes in the way kids are making food choices. "They are steering towards healthier options now," she said. "Kids want milk, kids are asking for broccoli." Though the process is still a work in progress, Levins believes the efforts will begin to show in the near future, especially with the Obama administration now on board with making school lunch rooms more nutritious places.

However, it was strssed by Levins that the schools are just one piece of the puzzle. She said to curb childhood obesity it needs to be a community effort. Governments, schools, restaurants, and most importantly the families at home all need to be involved with the process and continue to do more and more in making healthy changes. "If we keep going and everyone joins forces," Levins said, "we can't help but become winners in this."