On any given Friday, the cafeterias in Athens’ five elementary schools are crowded with giggling children hovering over lunch trays topped with grease-smothered square pizzas and cartons of chocolate milk.
Grade-schoolers who eat this particular lunch combo consume 550 calories and 10 grams of fat, according to Gordon Food Services, which supplies the school lunches. And that does not include the sugar-filled breakfast they were offered just a few hours before.
“The nutritional requirements for school food programs are ancient,” said Ruth Dudding, health education coordinator at the Athens City-County Health Department. “The food that is offered to schools is the worst food available on the market and the reimbursement rate for it is miserable.”
This year, the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (OU-HCOM) is stepping into Athens City Schools to take a stand against childhood obesity with a five-year, $36,000 obesity prevention program.
Though pre-made salads and fruit are available in school lunch lines, it is no secret that most children will choose chicken nuggets and hot dogs over healthy greens, given the option — which they have.
“We’re aiming to provide a potential increase in activity ideas and to help our young people understand why eating fruits and vegetables is important,” said Mary McPherson, the program’s nurse consultant.
However, adding local or fresh-bought foods would not be easy for the district’s kitchens, said Tammy Dicken, director of food services at Athens City Schools. The cost to transport the food, preserve it and get students to eat it would be an added chore.
“Everyone has to learn how to make the right choices on their own,” she said. “We encourage them to eat the full lunch every day.”
The Division of Child and Family Health Services grant was issued after OU-HCOM’s community assessment last January revealed that a third of Athens children between the ages of 12 and 17 were considered obese. The number of obese children in Athens County almost doubles the state’s average of 18 percent.
Though the OU-HCOM team is still assessing the health of Athens High School students by monitoring their BMIs, the project has already launched in area preschools. OU-HCOM and AmeriCorps will integrate healthier foods and more physical activity into school days to ensure that students are getting the nutrients and exercise they need.
McPherson said Athens’ 27 percent poverty rate — the highest in the state — is unquestionably a factor in the high number of overweight youth.
“Poverty directly relates to the ability of purchasing groceries at the grocery store,” she said. “Fruits and vegetables are expensive and poverty interferes with that ability to buy fresh food.”
oy311909@ohiou.edu
