{"id":2176,"date":"2016-05-24T15:51:09","date_gmt":"2011-05-24T22:51:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.accessrx.com\/blog\/?p=2176"},"modified":"2011-05-24T15:51:09","modified_gmt":"2011-05-24T22:51:09","slug":"school-healthy-habits-l0524","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/current-health-news\/school-healthy-habits-l0524\/","title":{"rendered":"Study: School helps children learn healthy habits"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>A new study shows schools may\u00a0help a child’s long term heart health.\u00a0\u00a0By introducing\u00a0fruits and vegetables, encouraging\u00a0physical activity, and offering health lessons they are improving a child’s cholesterol levels and\u00a0heart rates.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0research was presented at the American Heart Association\u2019s Quality of Care and Outcomes Research 2011 Scientific Sessions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis four-year school intervention in Ann Arbor, Mich., was designed to promote healthier lifestyle choices and it shows that programs like this could have long-term impact on obesity and other health risks,\u201d said Elizabeth A. Jackson, M.D., M.P.H., co-author of the study and assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan. \u201cSuch changes may have sustained benefits in terms of reducing incidences of diabetes and cardiovascular disease as the students age.\u201d<\/p>\n

The program, called Project Healthy Schools, is\u00a0a collaboration between\u00a0the University of Michigan and local community and business organizations working to improve the health\u00a0of middle school students.<\/p>\n

Specifically, the program goals for the students included:
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Eating more fruits and vegetables;
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Eating less fatty foods;
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Making better beverage choices;
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Getting at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week; and
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Spending less time in front of the TV and computer.<\/p>\n

Through a four year study, with\u00a0close to 600 students participating,\u00a0researchers tracked\u00a0student’s\u00a0diet, activity levels, cholesterol, and other behaviors.\u00a0 After\u00a0four years, the results show students continued to make health-conscious decisions.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Kids and Obesity<\/strong>
\nAccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. “The prevalence of obesity among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5% in 1980 to 19.6% in 2008. The prevalence of obesity among adolescents aged 12 to 19 years increased from 5.0% to 18.1%.”<\/p>\n

Obese children are more likely to have\u00a0medical problems like Type 2 diabetes, heart\u00a0disease and stroke.\u00a0They are more likely to have low self esteem, bone and joint issues, and\u00a0are more prone to sleeping disorders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A new study shows schools may\u00a0help a child’s long term heart health.\u00a0\u00a0By introducing\u00a0fruits and vegetables, encouraging\u00a0physical activity, and offering health lessons they are improving a child’s cholesterol levels and\u00a0heart rates. The\u00a0research was presented at the American Heart Association\u2019s Quality of Care and Outcomes Research 2011 Scientific Sessions. \u201cThis four-year school intervention in Ann Arbor, Mich., […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_autoblog_aioseo_focus_keyphrase":"","_autoblog_aioseo_title":"","_autoblog_aioseo_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-health-news"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t