Junk Food at Schools Not Contributing to Children’s Obesity?
| January 18, 2012 | Posted by Alex under Canada, Lifestyle |
A new study suggests that too much emphasis is being placed on children’s dietary habits at school and not enough is being placed on what they do elsewhere.
But does this mean that junk food being served at school cafeterias is off the hook? Not exactly.
After having finished a two year survey of Canadian and American children’s lifestyles and habits, in schools, the study found that obesity levels slightly dropped in grades 5 through 8. These grades happen to be the ones where children had the most access to junk food at school cafeterias. Noting a 4% drop in obesity levels, it would seem that junk food isn’t one of the contributing factors, or is it?
The researchers came to the conclusion that there wasn’t a connection between obesity and junk food being served at schools; however, they didn’t take into account habits formed outside of schools. When looking at how or why a person rapidly gains weight, one should look at that person’s entire life.
to account for the weight loss we should look at the whole picture. It’s entirely possible that these children lost weight because of their parents reacting to the poor menu choices at school, and offered them healthier alternatives. As well, it’s possible that enrollment in sports spiked during this age demographic as well.
Considering that we already know that junk food is a culprit for weight gain, we can safely assume that the rates of obesity amongst this demographic would drop even further if we removed those options for school menus.
Regardless of what this study says, food plays major factor in one’s overall wellness. Eating a balanced diet is a surefire way to stay in good health, as is getting plenty of regular exercise like sports, bike rides and even just going for a walk.
Is junk food off the hook? No. What does this survey really tell us? If children are getting in better shape during these grades, we should do more to make sure they stay in shape.
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