Nutrition Education in Public Schools: Rationale, Policies, and Impacts

This article discusses the importance of nutrition education in public schools in Canada, the policies put in place, and their impacts. It highlights the rationale behind the implementation of nutrition education programs, the policies formulated by some provincial schools, and their effectiveness. The article also explores the challenges faced in implementing these policies and concludes with a call for the improvement of the quality of foods available in schools.

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Nutrition Education in Public Schools.
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Nutrition Education in Public Schools.
Introduction.
Nutrition education is one of the major public health strategies that are implemented in
prevention of diseases. The whole idea of healthy living is pinned on the nutrition we provide to
our bodies. Disorders associated with nutrition are known as malnutrition disorders. They may
be over nutrition or undernutrition disorders. The over nutritional disorders such as obesity are
more common in Western Countries, Canada being one of them. Nutritional education is thus an
essential subject that should be taught in schools to cater for the nutritional challenges.
According to Godin (96) most of the lifestyle diseases are influences partly by the eating habits
and the types of foods even in school children.
In epidemiology of some disease conditions, it can be noted that some geographical
regions have a higher prevalence to some diseases than others. The standards and quality of
nutrition usually has a major bearing and may be considered a risk factors. High cholesterol diet
foods in some urban settings have implicated with causing cardiovascular diseases such as
atherosclerosis. Cancers have been associated with associated with canned foods. The
importance of nutritional education cannot be overlocked. Cultivating a healthy habit in nutrition
practices can be done through schools (Vine, et al, 331-339). It’s an important public health
intervention. This paper has will cover nutrition education program in public schools in Canada,
the rationale, the policies put in place and their impacts.
Rationale.
Diet related disease have been a major concern within the Canadian population;
including the children. (Lucan, 205-212.) A large population of Canadians has been found to

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consume very high amounts of calories, too much saturated fat and added sugars. The diets are
deficient or with very little amounts of legumes and fruits. This particular lifestyle predisposes
he general population to many preventable diseases or whose course of progression could be
altered if the proper nutrition is provided. In the case of a disease like diabetes, complications
associated with it can be reduced with diets that do not significantly cause a peak in the blood
sugar (Sun, et al. 404-421).
In the case of school children, there has been a sharp increase in the cases of obesity.
This is a nutritional disorder that is largely influenced by the diet habits. Large calories diets
have been attributed to this condition (Lebel, 16). The body converts excess calories into fat
which is deposited beneath the skin. There has been established a causal relationship between
many disease conditions and obesity. Obesity has been identified as a major risk factor in heart
and cardiovascular diseases (Hanninen and Rashid, 465-465). There has been association with
reduced immunity and a reduced life expectancy.
In order to have an edge on the situation, nutritional education in public school was rolled
out by the government. It is very rational to enroll children in such a program in order because it
is economical as it will significantly reduce the expenditure in treating such conditions (Abdullah,
167). By extension, it is a way of dealing with a future impending catastrophe. Some of the
diseases have a long progression and present later in life. It is economical both in the short term
and the long term.
Implementing the program would be the best way to reverse a trend that has taken root.
Children are more receptive to knowledge especially at a tender age. Integration of nutrition
education is a way of providing knowledge that is practical in real life (Yip, et al. 82-97). This

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provides a basis of introducing a habit that will influence the behavior and the culture in general.
It will address some of the nutritional problems identified in schools.
The Policy.
Some provincial schools in Canada have laid down policies to address the issue of
nutrition and promote healthy living among the children that attend them (Godin, et al. 138).
These measures, if strictly followed will have a good outcome. An example of a policy
formulated is one of Brunswick schools (Hernandez, et al. 208-229). The goal was to implement
a coordinated and comprehensive food and nutrition policy. All school food services should
adhere to guidelines such as: provide as variety of the four food groups, low fat dairy and food
prepared with little or no fat. Low sugar foods also emphasized. Students should be provided
with a variety to choose from to facilitate development of healthy food habits.
Promotion of a nutrition education should be a continuous process where the school food
service program would reinforce what was taught in class. Food security was also another
component of the policy. A plan to provide food for students whom arrive at school without food
or have no means to obtain it (Colley, et al. 1-8). This addresses the issue of under nutrition. The
responsibility of administering the policy rests on the districts with the assistance of the
department of education and the department of health and community service.
Effectiveness of The Policies.
Majority of the provinces in Canada have implemented policies supporting
healthy food environment in schools (Veugelers, et. al, 7). British Columbia implemented the
guidelines in 2005 which were updated in 2013 regarding the sale of foods in high schools. This
involves categorization of foods into three groups. The first is selling most which include healthy

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foods; the second choice less healthy with little nutrients and don’t sell for foods high in sodium
and fat. Ontario pronvince guidelines were passed in 2011 which categorizes groups into selling
healthy food 80% of occurrences,20% selling less healthy food and unhealthy foods should not
be sold for sale. New Brunswick implemented a formal nutrition policy which dictates that
healthy foods should be promoted and sold in the canteen and cafeteria while their price is made
affordable. Unhealthy foods should not be sold during events in the schools. Nova Scotia policy
for its public schools is foods with maximum nutrition are sold daily while those with moderate
nutrition should not be sold more than twice in a week. Newfoundland &Labrador policy on
nutrition in public schools came to place in 2008 stating that all foods sold in the school must
come from maximum nutrients group (Jeffery, 40).
These policies have played an important role in ensuring the children in public
schools have nutritious meals with low sugars and saturated trans fats which have been attributed
to obesity and heart diseases. They ensure that the foods consumed by school going children are
healthy and produce required amounts of kilocalories for energy spent in school.
Challenges of the Policies.
There is little accountability on the implementation of the policies in the schools.
There is minimal information regarding the procedure on which schools are following to ensure
the nutrients criteria according to the various policies are met (Micha, et al, 27). Some policies
don’t elaborate the specific nutritional information regarding the sugar and fat content the meals
may contain. This makes it vague to determine which foods fall under various categories such as
the healthy, less healthy. The Northern territories have not established any policies yet hence

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allowing unhealthy foods in the school environment. The provinces don’t fund healthy foods
programs in schools making it difficult to implement the policies (Mullally, et al,42).
Questions and Comments
The first question regarding this topic is whether there can be an improvement in
the quality of foods available in schools in terms of nutrients, sugar and salt content and fat
levels (Taylor, et al, 24). This means that the availability of junk and unhealthy food relates to
cheaper foods but is there anyone who is willing to pay the price for the health of school going
children. This is a challenge to the provincial governments and the ministry of health to fund
these programs to boost their success.
The second question is on the least unhealthy foods are there efforts to minimize
saturated fats, sugar and salt content, the preservatives to promote healthier living. These
substances have been associated with heart diseases, obesity, and cancers. There should be a
regulatory body limiting the amounts of these substances in the foods exposed to the students
and population in general.
Conclusion.
It is commonly said that we are what we consume and this statement reflects
strongly as there is an increased occurrence of non-communicable attributed to unhealthy foods.
There is a need to teach the students on the maintenance of proper nutrition by consuming
healthy foods to ensure a healthy future.

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