chiefly for high-carbohydrate and calorie-rich foods.
Research has shown that lack of sleep is a bigger
risk factor for overweight and obesity than parental
obesity, family income, or computer and television
screen time.xxviii
Schools
■ Enhance participation in school food programs,
particularly in the under-utilized school breakfast and
summer food programs.xxix Pilot strategies, such as
improving food quality and creating a pleasant cafeteria
environment, have worked to eliminate the stigma
associated with participation in subsidized food
programs.xxx
■ Increase availability of fast, low-cost, and appealing
healthy food options in school lunches, fundraising
activities, rewards, snacks served and/or sold at afterschool
activities and other public spaces, such as movie
theaters.
■ Create a farm-to-school and school garden programs to
bring farm-fresh produce into school meals.xxxi
■ Assess the prevalence of eating disorders and create
school-based programs that address eating disorders
and different types of diets common among
adolescents.
■ Work with schools to offer cooking classes as an elective
and educate families on how to incorporate more whole
foods into their meals. Ensure that the curriculum
contains information on the nutrition of and cooking with
a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Communities
■ Conduct a community needs assessment of the food
and physical activity environment to identify strengths
and opportunities for improvement.
■ Help corner markets and local grocery stores incorporate
and prominently display fresh produce and whole grain
products, while moving packaged items to a less
prominent location.
■ Work to create and promote a neighborhood farmers’
market, and ensure that they accept Electronic Benefit
Transfer (EBT) cards.
■ Provide training to staff of after-school programs to lead
activity sessions, offer healthy foods for snacks, and
model positive eating. Engage parents to participate so
that they can be involved in changing the family context.
Increase opportunities and support for
physical activity within families,
schools, and communities.
Families
■ Encourage families to support their adolescent’s
participation in physical activity, to be physically active
role models, and to include physical activity in family
events.
Schools
■ Work with school boards to provide the required number
of minutes of physical education in schools, and to
ensure that classes are taught by credentialed physical
education specialists.
Communities
■ Expand safe park and recreational facilities to create a
range of free and/or low-cost, developmentally
appropriate, community sports and recreation/fitness
programs.
■ Encourage schools and other organizations, such as
religious organizations and community groups, to make
their facilities available after hours.
■ Enhance bike and pedestrian safety by creating well-lit
and accessible bike and footpaths. Residents of highly
walkable neighborhoods report approximately twice as
many walking trips than those in poorly walkable areas.xxxii
■ Ensure that safe places to exercise are available. Easy
access to safe physical activity areas, such as parks,
basketball courts, and gyms, can increase the number of
people exercising at least 3 times a week by 25%. xxxiii
Promote social norms that support
healthy eating and physical activity
■ Reduce the presence of advertising on school campuses
and in communities that encourages youth to drink
sodas and eat fast food.
■ Promote appealing physical activity, such as dancing,
which involves social interaction among friends and is
fun and easy to do. Communities can also offer other
“fun” physical activities that are age-appropriate (e.g.,
skating, climbing, and rollerblading).
■ Encourage health care providers to talk routinely to
adolescents about the importance of physical activity
and healthy eating.