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Scotiana Sampson (Students, families, schools)

Professor Morean

English 1201

9 April 2020

Avoiding Obesity in Schools

Johnny is off to school for the first day of fifth grade. It’s lunch time, and he sees a new

vending machine placed in the cafeteria. Instead of eating the school lunch that has nutritions, he

goes straight to the vending machine to the back of the long line. It’s finally his turn and he buys

a soda and some bbq chips. Johnny says that it was totally worth waiting in line for. He enjoys

his lunch to the fullest and decides he’ll ask his mom for money for the next day. Once he gets

home he tells his mom all about his day even about lunch time. He tells her he skipped regular

school lunch just to have snacks. His mother is very disappointed because she is already trying to

get Johnny on a meal plan at home, but now the school is making it harder. Johnny does have the

option to choose if he wants to eat lunch or vending machine snacks, but no kid makes right

decisions under the pressure of sugar. She tries to find a solution but she realizes that the only

effective solution would be for schools to take the vending machine out of the school. Vending

machines should be removed from schools altogether because they are unhealthy options for

students and the unhealthiness leads to health problems and obesity.

Health Problems

According to the CDC, obesity is “Weight that is higher than what is considered as a healthy

weight for a given height” (CDC). Some of the causes of obesity are dietary patterns, physical

activity, environment and inactivity. In order to avoid obesity people should have a healthy diet

to follow, and regular physical activity. The consequences of obesity is that they have an
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increased risk for Type 2 diabetes, death, strokes, heart problems and many more. According to

CDC, Type 2 diabetes is when “cells don’t respond normally to insulin; this is called insulin

resistance.” (CDC). You are most likely to have Type 2 diabetes if you are overweight,

physically active less than 3 times a week, and have siblings with Type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is

the 7th leading cause of death in the U.S. Before, Type 2 diabetes was most commonly found in

adults but more recently teens and kids have been diagnosed with it due to the fact that they are

obese. As stated by the CDC, Heart disease is, “the leading cause of death for men, women”

(CDC). Causes and risk factors of Heart disease include diabetes, obesity, unhealthy diet, and

lack of physical activity.

Most vending machines at schools serve unhealthy food options to all students, which can

contribute to them becoming obese. If students have the availability to eat whatever they would

like, then no doubt they will alway choose the non healthy option. According to a school district,

“While most everyone agrees that children are better off eating healthier meals, the reality is that

kids - especially in the higher grades - will eat what they want. Some will chow down on raw

vegetables and salads while others will gravitate toward the empty calories of cookies and sodas.

There is legitimate concern about the growing epidemic of obesity among American children,

and the district is considering steps to address this dangerous trend” (Kisch). In order to avoid

the dangerous trend of obesity schools must not make it an option to have unhealthy snacks at

school. Because the obesity rates are so high, this tends to lead to other health problems such as

Type 2 Diabetes. If schools tend to still serve unhealthy snacks then the obesity rate will not be

the only number to rise, Type 2 diabetes as well. Most vending machines' food are high in fats,

sugars and salts. With that being said, those types of foods, when eaten regularly, contributes to

the cause of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. According to Live science, “ The researchers also
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found that soft drinks accounted for more than two-thirds of beverages offered in school vending

machines and stores. Desserts and fried snacks were the most commonly eaten vended items

among elementary school children, and beverages other than milk and fruit juice were the most

commonly consumed items among middle and high school students. Other frequently eaten

vended foods included candy, snack chips, crackers, cookies, cakes and ice cream” (Live

Science). If schools have the option to get sweets over nutritious then the decision is already

made. No kid wants vegetables and fruits, most would want a delicious snack to fill them up. In

order to keep vending machines in school they would have to replace the delicious snacks for

healthy one’s but that would never work because that’s not what the kids want. They would not

make any revenue from the vending machines because if the snacks become healthy ids would

no longer buy. So the most efficient thing to do would be to remove the vending machines

altogether. Although a student can do something different when they return home, school is the

first step to greatness. In order to function as a school, the school must first set the best examples

in every way starting with the food. If schools start the trend of taking vending machines out of

schools then the trend may follow at home because the students will eventually tell their parents

about their school life. Now, there is no guarantee that the home life will be exactly like life at

school, but there has to be a start somewhere and in this case school is the start for most students.

Therefore, the best decision for the school boards should be to remove unhealthy snacks and

vending machines because this contributes to the well being of students. The vending machines

could lead to various health problems and this will start to show in a student's grades at school.
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Figure 1 shows an example of how when healthier food options are provided in schools then the

children tend to eat more. There were more vegetables, fruits and entrees eaten altogether when

the options were healthier rather than junk food.

Vending machines can also have allergens in them that may be unknown to a child with

allergies. If a child sees their friend eating a candybar, they may ask for a piece because that’s

what kids do. Although the child may know that they have allergies, the child may be unaware of

what’s in the candy bar because it is not noticeable to the aked eye. In that case the child would

have an allergic reaction due to the fact that the school provided the candy bar. Although it is

said that a child should always be aware of what they eat if they have allergies, this is not the

case for most young kids because they are tempted to eat things under the pressure of their
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friends. Sometimes they may not want to feel like outsiders so they do whatever to fit in, even if

their well being is at risk. In order to avoid a situation like this they must take vending machines

out of schools.

Physical Education

Most schools are cutting back on physical education, and focusing more on the core subjects and

standardized testing. Because testing is more important, something had to take a cut and it

happened to be PE. This idea is not effective because for some students, physical education was

the only physical activity that they had everyday. Some parents aren’t fortunate enough to work

out with their kids or even walk with them, which is why they relied on schools to provide

physical activity. Cutting physical activities out of a students school day is just going to lead on

to the trend of obesity. As stated before, obesity is caused by the lack of physical activities and

schools are providing that option. It seems as if schools support obesity because first they

provide unhealthy snacks and second they remove physical activities from a students school day.

Schools fail to realize that physical activity is important in a students school life too. According

to Pam Massey, professor of health, “The benefits of physical activity are conclusive and

researchers have found it’s not only good for the body, but also promotes self-esteem and can

even sharpen concentration and boost academic performance” (Massey). Not only does physical

education help a child's physical body but it also helps a student's academic life. If they were to

receive more gym time then test score would likely rise because physical activity helps a

student's concentration. If a student is only sitting around in class all day, that does not contribute

positively for their brain or well being. If schools take away physical education, not only will

students begin to suffer from obesity but also Type 2 Diabetes. As stated before one cause of
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type two diabetes is the lack of activity 3 times a week. Although it's inefficient to cancel gym

altogether at least limit it to 3x a week in order to ensure that schools are not contributing to the

overall rates of Type 2 diabetes.

Figure 2 shows

how after a 20 minute walk, the brain becomes more active. The blue parts of the representation

represent inactivity of the brain.

This shows a good representation on how schools work, if a student is only sitting in

class everyday with no physical activities their brains become inactive. If they were given more

time in school to get active then they would be able to focus more on their school work because

their brain is working better. They may be able to achieve more and schools will start to see an

improvement in grades all around.

Figure 3 shows how the more active a student was, the higher they scored on a test. The lower

the exercise the lower the scores.

Positive Messages

If schools want change to start they have to be encouraging. They have to show the benefits

going the healthy route. Not only should the students eat healthy but the staff should also

participate in being more healthy at school. If a teacher does not set the example for the student,

then the student will most likely want to follow the path of the teachers. Jonathan says, “Staff

and teachers also set positive examples by shunning empty calories and actively participating

with students in exercise” (Seidi). If a school actively participates with the students, this will

lend to even better results. Students will see that they are not alone and that being heath is the

right way. In order to build a healthy school, it starts with the staff wanting to help and see

change. Schools should also post positive messages around the school that support the healthy

lifestyle. If a child sees a poster around a school they will most likely stop and look at it this way
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they will gain more information about it. Therefore, school staff should up their participation in

order to show kids the right way.

Military

The rates at which the obesity levels are rising causes a threat to our national security. If one is

overweight then they are not able to join the military and with the obesity levels rising in

children, then more and more people are not available for the military. This means that 75% of

people couldn’t join the military if they wanted to because they are overweight. There was a

survey conducted in which a child's consumption of food and drinks. The survey showed, “

almost 40 percent of children in elementary through high schools—16 million children—

consumed one or more competitive foods that were high-calorie, low-nutrient junk food, or

sugar-sweetened beverages. These were foods obtained in school, but outside of the regular

lunches” (Christeson). So the problems that begin in school are heading to whole world

problems. Who will be there to fight in the military if the levels keep rising. Students are at

school to learn and succeed, not to be held down by something so little. Kids may not realize the

intensity of eating junk food, so it's the parents and staff job to ensure that they begin to

understand. Therefore, schools need to be mindful of the access students have to vending

machines because this could jeopardize the kids in the future.

On the other hand critics may think that vending machines should stay in school because

it allows them to have freedom. They say that vending machines could be a child’s escape from

what they have going on at home. Vending machines should be available because a child may

forget their lunch at home and this is their last resort. This is not the case because vending

machines do not provide freedom, they just support bad habits. A child’s problem at home can
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not be brought to school because that just affects their focus altogether. Things that happen at

home should be kept at home. If a child’s lunch is forgotten at home then they should either call

their parents or eat the school lunch because a vending machine is not doing the students justice

if they forget their lunch.

In conclusion, in order for kids to successfully help decline the obesity rates in schools

they must believe. They have to focus on themselves and realize that this is helping their future.

If schools start young and tell kids that they are doing the right things, then this trend will

continue all throughout highschool. In order to ensure that the world does not get into a crisis,

one must make the right decisions and depend on themselves. Schools have to advocate for a

better lifestyle in order to see improvements. Schools are a main priority in people's life, so it’s

only right that they get treated the correct way. A call to action would be to have parents protest

for their child’s rights. Also for staff to protest for the rights of their students because they need

support. There is no way that a student will protest to get rid of vending machines but if their

support system does it then this will prove to them the importance of dieting. Another call to

action would be to replace the contents in the vending machines with healthier options such as

fruit cups and vegetables. Once vending machines are out of schools then obesity rates in

children will decline, type 2 diabetes rates will fall, so will heart disease. Also if they bring back

physical education then these rates will also decline, so in order to succeed in schooling then

schools have to have a concern for their students health.

Works Cited

“Adult Obesity Causes & Consequences.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention, 4 Feb. 2020, www.cdc.gov/obesity/adult/causes.html.

Black, Jessica. “Healthy School Lunches Can Reduce Childhood Obesity and Diabetes.” The

Pew Charitable Trusts, 5 Apr. 2016,

www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2016/04/06/healthy-school-lunches-

can-reduce-childhood-obesity-and-diabetes.

Christeson, William. "Junk Food in Schools Contributes to Obesity and Threatens US Security."

Should Junk Food Be Sold in School?, edited by Roman Espejo, Greenhaven Press, 2014. At

Issue. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link-gale-

com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/EJ3010754224/OVIC?

u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=e2819aeb. Accessed 12 Apr. 2020

“Diabetes Quick Facts.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, 6 Aug. 2019, www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/quick-facts.html.

“Heart Disease Facts.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention, 2 Dec. 2019, www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm.

Kisch, Marian. "Schools Can Find Alternative Funding to Junk Food." Should Junk Food Be

Sold in School?, edited by Roman Espejo, Greenhaven Press, 2014. At Issue. Gale In

Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

https://link-gale-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/EJ3010754223/OVIC?u=dayt30401&

sid=OVIC&xid=eb554971. Accessed 12 Apr. 2020.

McCoy, Mary Kate. “Schools Cut Back Physical Education As Childhood Obesity Remains
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High.” Wisconsin Public Radio, 1 Mar. 2018, www.wpr.org/schools-cut-back-physical-

education-childhood-obesity-remains-high.

Seidl, Jonathon M. "Banning Junk Food in Schools Is Effective." Should Junk Food Be Sold in

School?, edited by Roman Espejo, Greenhaven Press, 2014. At Issue. Gale In Context:

Opposing Viewpoints,

https://link-gale-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/EJ3010754220/OVIC?

u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=b33d9114. Accessed 12 Apr. 2020.

Staff, Live Science. “School Vending Machines Detrimental to Kids' Diets.” LiveScience, Purch,

30 May 2013, www.livescience.com/34893-school-vending-machines-children-poor-

nutrition-diet-100803.html.

“THE TREMENDOUS BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN SCHOOL.” The

Tremendous Benefits of Physical Education in School, Active,

www.phitworld.org/Benefits_of_P_E__in_School.htm.