Nutrition and Weight Status
Healthy People 2020
Marina Castanedo, Lauren Jones,
Sasha Seiden
Nutrition and Weight Status
• Goal1
– “Promote health and reduce chronic disease risk
through the consumption of healthful diets and
achievement and maintenance of healthy body
weights.”
• Overview1
– Healthful diet and healthy body weight
– Individual behaviors, policies, and various
environments
– Household food security and hunger elimination
Americans With a Healthful Diet1…
• Nutrient-dense foods
• Include all food groups
• Limit intake of saturated and trans fats,
cholesterol, added sugars, sodium, and
alcohol
• Meet caloric needs
• Avoid unhealthy weight gain
Americans With a Healthful Diet2
• Eating healthily and exercising regularly can
help
– Maintain healthy weight
– Reduce risk of chronic disease
– Promote overall health status
– Growth and development in children
Weight Loss3
• Advantages of weight loss
• How to achieve weight loss
– Dietary Therapy
– Physical Activity
– Behavior Therapy
Overview of Objectives
• NWS-2.2: Increase the proportion of school districts that
require schools to make fruits or vegetables available
whenever other food is offered or sold
• NWS-10.2: Reduce the proportion of children and adolescents
who are considered obese in children aged 6 to 11 years
• NWS-10.3: Reduce the proportion of children and adolescents
who are considered obese in children aged 12 to 19 years
• NWS-12: Eliminate very low food security among children
• NWS-13: Reduce household food insecurity and in doing so
reduce hunger
NWS-10.2 & 10.3
• Baseline: 17.4% of children aged 6-11 years were
considered obese.
• Target: 15.7%
• Baseline: 17.9% of adolescents aged 12-19 were
considered obese.
• Target: 16.1%
Background for 10.2 & 10.3
• Costly condition
o +$125 million/yr spent on hospital admittances9
• Lower math & reading scores in kindergarten
o Increased behavioral and learning disabilities9
• In 2005-20088
o 17.4% of children (6-11 years)
o 17.9% of adolescents (12-19 years)
• Increased rates, as well as heavier weights6
Importance of 10.2 & 10.3
• Physically, mentally, academically
• Increased risk of chronic disease & premature
death
• More likely to be overweight or obese adults4
• Economic impact & direct medical costs4
– $14 billion annual in direct health care expenses
Importance
• Minority youth populations at risk7
o Ages 6-11:
o 22% Mexican American
o 20% African American
o 14% non-Hispanic
o Ages 12-19:
o 23% Mexican American
o 21% African American
o 14% non-Hispanic
o American Indian children ages 5-18
o 39% overweight/at risk
National Programs8
• Let’s Move!
o “America’s move to raise a healthier generation of
kids”
o American Academy of Pediatrics
o Chefs Move to School
o National School Lunch Program & Breakfast Program
o HealthierUS School Challenge
State Programs in Washington
• Washington State Nutrition & Physical Activity
Plan11
o Center for Safe Routes to School
o Unplugged12
o 30 Days Live! – students give up TV for a month
• Washington State Senate Bill 543612
o Adopt nutrition & physical policies
• Washington State Senate Bill 509312
o Encourages healthy food & beverages during school
hours, school sponsored activities
Local Programs
• Boys & Girls Club of Whatcom County6
o SMART Girls5
o Healthy Habits5
• Child Nutrition Program6
o USDA funded
o Provide nutritious meals & snacks to childcare
centers
• Food $ense Nutrition Program in Skagit
County3
Gaps
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Programs aren’t fully funded2
No programs are aimed towards minority groups
Time requirement for PE or recess vary1
Food deserts8
Should incorporate sleep health
Food companies market for children
Difficult to change attitudes
NWS 2.2
Only 6.6% of school districts require schools to make fruits or vegetables available
Importance of Objective
• School environments impact adolescent diets
– 19-50% of daily calories at school12
• Too many unhealthy foods can damage brain2
– Academic impact
• Motivation and attention12
• GPA9
• Obesity has more than doubled in last decade in
school age children19
Background12
• ¼ of WA students eat 5+ fruits & vegetables a
day
• 1 in 10 teens in WA are overweight
• Shortened lunch periods
• 90% of students have easy access to unhealthy
food
• Focus on prevention, not treatment
What are kids eating at school?9
• Food brought from home
• Federal school lunch or breakfast programs
• Foods sold outside of meal programs
– Vending Machines, snack bars, school stores
• “Competitive Food”
– Much of schools revenue depends on competitive
foods
• Institutional fear results in unhealthy decision making
Competitive Foods9
• Vending Machines found in 17% of elementary, 82% of
middle, and 97% of high schools
– Low nutrient, energy dense (high calorie) food
– Low income vs. high income schools?
• Availability of snacks in schools higher calorie intake
– Decrease in fruits and vegetables
• USDA cannot regulate what is sold outside of mealtime
National Programs
• Lets Move!6
– Healthier US School Challenge17
• National School Lunch & Breakfast Program13
– Low cost/free lunches to children living in poverty
• Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program16
– Outreach to low income schools
• Farm to School programs19
– Child Nutrition Act
National Programs
• FitPick4
• Healthy Schools Program1
– Make healthy foods at competitive pricing so they
are a more available option for schools
• CDC & IOM make recommendations and
policies consistent with Dietary Guidelines for
Americans12
– 5-9 fruits and vegetables a day
State Programs in Washington
• Bills requiring nutrition and physical fitness
policies in schools12
– Encourages school health advisory committees
• Farm to School programs19
– Local Farms-Healthy Kids
• WA State utilizes federal programs
Local Programs
• Whatcom County Statistics
– 40.4% eligible for federal program assistance
• Fit Pick12
– Clark County
• Square Foot Nutrition Project20
– Weekly lessons & vegetable growing
Cultural Competence12
• Different perceptions of nutrition
• Correct knowledge and attitude required
when dealing with dynamics of cultures
• Delivery of information
– Respect and awareness
• Goal: Reduce disparities in health outcomes
Gaps
• Lack of a standard of measure to assess policy
strength
• Budget cuts in schools
• Nutrition programs in schools
• Support for agricultural programs
• Competitive food
NWS-13
• “Reduce household food insecurity and in
doing so reduce hunger”1
– 15% of American households unable to acquire
adequate food2
– HP 2020 Target goal: 6.0 Percent
– Retain 2010 Goal
• What is food security?
– “access at all times to enough food for an active,
healthy life for all household members.” –USDA4
Importance5
• USDA measures food security annually
– Domestic food and nutrition assistance programs
• Children often shielded from insecurity
– 1.3 % of households with children insecure in
2008
• 1/3 of food-insecure households had very low
food security 2008
– 6.7 million (5.7 percent of all U.S. households)
• Variety of coping strategies
National Level
• National School Lunch Program5
– Meet Dietary Guidelines for Americans
• SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program)6
– Food Stamp Program
• WIC (Women, Infants, and Children)7
– Provides state grants to all 50 states
– Targets low income, nutritionally at risk populations
• Healthy Food Financing Initiative8
– Eliminating Food Deserts in America
State Programs
• Washington Basic Food Program9
• WIC10
• Department of Agriculture10
– EFAP, TEFAP, CSPF
• Partners in Action12
– Strengthen food assistance programs and improve
economic security for low-income families and
individuals
– Improve access to and awareness of food assistance
programs
Local Programs13
• Bellingham Food Bank14
– Free groceries, open to all.
– Food Bank Farm
– Food 4 Tots
– Small Potatoes Gleaning Project
– Milk Money
– Victory Gardens
Any Questions?