Top Health Concerns in American Schools: Obesity and Malnourishment

School Nutrition

In 2017, schools across the nation suffer from several bad behaviors everyday. From malnutrition to obesity, alcohol all the way up to drugs and tobacco. All of these issues have grown over the years some in big strides others in just baby steps. Perhaps the most noticeable of those issues is that of obesity and malnutrition.

Malnutrition was the first of the two topics to arise. During the nineteen thirties malnutrition took center stage as the dust bowl traveled across the country. Parents couldn’t afford to send food with their children to school each day. Some ate as little as one meal a day if that. In 1934, the National School Lunch Program was established in order to help schools provide meals for their children during the day so no one would be left hungry. This school lunch program started out as a great solution to problems, but over time as processed foods became more readily available they made their way into the school systems. What does this mean? It meant that children were getting less of what was natural and good for them, and turned to the high sugar and high sodium of the processed foods. Over the years fast food industries changed their focal point completely to the adolescent crowd. Mcdonald’s even opened a franchise inside a high school thus starting the craze of school menus going out the window, and fast food walking right in. Of course we can’t blame the industries completely for bringing obesity to its’ all time high, but they did play around with their marketing strategies a little too much. Parents find it easier to give their kids ten bucks to get whatever they want rather than to pack a lunch. It is completely on the school system to say no to these outside food chains.

This problem could easily be avoided if schools backed out of contracts with outside companies, and parents took the time to provide their kids with a sack of food rather than crumpled money. This issue affects the largest amount of children in the nation, and should have a lot more focus being brought to it. Not only that, I see it within my own community, and my own school. Children all the way up to young adults seem to choose the easiest options not the healthiest.