Overweight students cost schools plenty

The excessive rise in poor nutrition, inactivity, and weight problems is affecting academic achievement adversely and possibly costing schools millions of dollars each year, according to a report issued by Action for Healthy Kids, Chicago.

"The Learning Connection: The Value of Improving Nutrition and Physical Activity in Our Schools" indicates that schools may be losing significant funding each year due to the problems associated with poor nutrition and physical inactivity--the root causes of obesity among American youth.

Current data show:

* Schools with high percentages of students who did not routinely engage in physical activity or eat well had smaller gains in test scores than did other schools.

* Well-nourished students who skip breakfast perform worse on tests and have poor concentration.

* Children not getting adequate nutrients have lower test scores, increased absenteeism, difficulty concentrating, and lower energy levels.

* Physical activity programs are linked to stronger academic achievement, increased concentration, and improved math, reading, and writing test scores.

* Students participating in daily physical education exhibit better attendance, a more positive attitude toward school, and superior academic performance.

"Schools have the unique opportunity--even the responsibility--to teach and model healthful eating and physical activity, both in theory and in practice," stresses David Satcher, former U.S. Surgeon General and the founding chair of Action for Healthy Kids. "Improving children's health likely improves school performance, and it may even help a school's bottom line. Therefore, schools have a vested interest in improving the nutrition and increasing the physical activity of their students."

The Learning Connection also cites how schools may be losing critical state dollars when students are absent due to health problems caused by poor nutrition and physical inactivity. For example:

* In states that use attendance to help determine funding, a single-day absence by just one student can cost a school district anywhere from nine to $20.

* If such health problems kept children out of school just one day per month, this could cost a large district like New York about $28,000,000 each year, while Chicago would forfeit about $9,000,000 in state funds annually.

* An average size school district could lose from $95,000 to $160,000 annually in state aid.

Additionally, poor nutrition, inactivity, and weight problems result in hidden costs, including extra staff time and attention devoted to students with low academic performance or behavior problems. There also are expenses associated with time and staff needed to administer medications used by students with related physical and emotional difficulties.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Society for the Advancement of Education
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