Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 12–Senators Wiener, Cegavske, Mathews, Titus, Rawson, Care, Neal, Nolan and Washington

 

March 4, 2003

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Referred to Committee on Human Resources and Facilities

 

SUMMARY—Encourages school administrators, teachers and other educational personnel involved in prekindergarten through 12th grade to promote nutrition and physical fitness in schools. (BDR R‑698)

 

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EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.

 

Senate Concurrent RESOLUTION—Encouraging school administrators, teachers and other educational personnel involved in prekindergarten through 12th grade to promote nutrition and physical fitness in schools.

 

1-1  Whereas, Between 1986 and 1998, obesity among children in

1-2  the United States doubled, and results of a survey completed in the

1-3  year 2000 by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers

1-4  for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that 15 percent of

1-5  children between the ages of 6 and 11 years are overweight; and

1-6  Whereas, In 1990, not one state had a rate of obesity in

1-7  adolescents as high as 15 percent, but today in more than one half of

1-8  the states, the rate of obesity in adolescents is 15 percent to 19

1-9  percent; and

1-10      Whereas, Obesity in children and adolescents is directly

1-11  related to an increased risk of developing heart disease,

1-12  hypertension, excess fat or lipids in the blood, musculoskeletal

1-13  disorders, breathing problems and asthma, early sexual maturation

1-14  and type 2 diabetes, which was previously quite rare in children; and

1-15      Whereas, Obesity in children and adolescents is also linked

1-16  with emotional distress and psychosocial issues such as

1-17  discrimination, low self-esteem, poor body image, depression,

1-18  anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder, and researchers have

1-19  found that obese adolescents are more likely to engage in risky

1-20  behaviors such as smoking and drinking alcohol; and

2-1  Whereas, Statistics indicate that obese children and

2-2  adolescents tend to remain obese during adulthood; and

2-3  Whereas, These dramatic statistics, devastating trends and

2-4  problems relating to obesity are the consequence of two principal

2-5  factors, lack of physical activity and poor nutrition; and

2-6  Whereas, Changes in our society and lifestyle have resulted in

2-7  limiting physical activity in children and adolescents, for example,

2-8  fewer children and adolescents walking or bicycling to school or

2-9  other activities because of increased safety concerns or busy

2-10  schedules, an upsurge in sedentary recreation such as television,

2-11  videotapes and DVDs, video games, computers and other electronic

2-12  media, and lack of money for parks and recreational facilities in

2-13  communities; and

2-14      Whereas, Another cause of lack of physical activity is that

2-15  many schools are experiencing reductions of time allocated to

2-16  mandatory physical education classes and time dedicated to recess

2-17  and organized physical activities; and

2-18      Whereas, This lack of physical activity in earlier years causes

2-19  less alertness and decreased productivity in the classroom, can

2-20  inhibit healthy social and emotional development, and increases the

2-21  likelihood of continued lack of physical activity as an adult; and

2-22      Whereas, Studies have shown that appropriate levels of

2-23  physical activity are advantageous in that they improve muscular

2-24  strength and endurance, flexibility and cardiovascular endurance,

2-25  reduce anxiety and stress, and can play a role in increasing feelings

2-26  of self-esteem, self-worth and self-efficacy; and

2-27      Whereas, Research also indicates that pupils who participate in

2-28  interscholastic sports are less likely to abuse tobacco and controlled

2-29  substances; and

2-30      Whereas, Modern conveniences, such as fast food, the

2-31  microwave and the easy availability of “junk foods,” and the fast

2-32  pace of everyday life have fostered higher caloric, less nutritional

2-33  food intake and given incentive to practices such as skipping

2-34  breakfast, a practice engaged in by 25 percent of high school pupils

2-35  and 7 percent to 12 percent of all children between 6 and 18 years of

2-36  age; and

2-37      Whereas, Although schools serve nutritional breakfasts and

2-38  lunches and provide programs that teach proper nutrition, food that

2-39  has minimal nutritional value is also made accessible because of

2-40  open-campus policies, vending machines, school stores and snack

2-41  bars, thus sending a message that good nutrition is merely an

2-42  academic exercise; and

2-43      Whereas, One especially harmful practice in some schools is

2-44  the high consumption of sodas, which can lead to obesity and

2-45  cavities and put children and adolescents at higher risk of bone

3-1  fractures and osteoporosis when substituted for drinks containing

3-2  calcium; and

3-3  Whereas, Poor nutrition negatively affects the behavioral and

3-4  cognitive development of young children and is associated with

3-5  increased educational failure because of an adverse effect on the

3-6  ability to learn as well as on motivation and attentiveness; and

3-7  Whereas, Proper nutrition plays a very important role in

3-8  learning because it significantly affects cognitive development,

3-9  influences the ability to learn, and increases motivation and

3-10  attentiveness; and

3-11      Whereas, Many pupils will make wise choices when offered

3-12  nutritious food at school, as was shown by a Minnesota study in

3-13  which prices were lowered and variety was added to salad bars with

3-14  the result that three times as many fruits and vegetables were sold;

3-15  and

3-16      Whereas, The habits relating to nutrition and physical activity

3-17  that children develop during their formative years become lifelong

3-18  habits; and

3-19      Whereas, Education is a guiding force that shapes the future of

3-20  the youth of this nation, and because children and adolescents spend

3-21  a significant amount of time at school, that environment constitutes

3-22  one of the most effective means that the general public possesses to

3-23  confront the problems of lack of physical activity and poor nutrition;

3-24  now, therefore, be it

3-25      Resolved by the Senate of the State of Nevada, the

3-26  Assembly Concurring, That school administrators, teachers and

3-27  other educational personnel who nurture pupils in prekindergarten

3-28  through 12th grade are hereby encouraged to make every possible

3-29  effort to promote proper nutrition and physical fitness in the school

3-30  environment and to foster good decision-making skills and serve as

3-31  role models in both areas; and be it further

3-32      Resolved, That to promote health in school-aged children,

3-33  school districts implement ideas from and build upon existing

3-34  models for physical fitness and nutrition, such as the “VERB

3-35  Campaign” of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the

3-36  “10,000 Steps to Better Health” program from Colorado, the Action

3-37  Planning Guide created by the Healthy Schools Summit, the

3-38  “Shaping Health as Partners in Education” (SHAPE) program

3-39  developed in California and the guidelines of the President’s

3-40  Council on Physical Fitness and Sports; and be it further

3-41      Resolved, That schools develop positive policies to ensure

3-42  proper nutrition and appropriate levels of physical activity during

3-43  the school day and that pupils be encouraged to set goals for

3-44  themselves toward healthy eating and increased physical activity;

3-45  and be it further

4-1  Resolved, That since physical activity is one of the nation’s

4-2  top 10 leading indicators of health, persons involved in education

4-3  make efforts to increase the amount of physical activity of all pupils

4-4  by expanding quality programs of physical education during each

4-5  school day, promoting health education and enhancing after-school

4-6  programs for youth sports and recreation; and be it further

4-7  Resolved, That schools incorporate education relating to

4-8  nutrition into the core curriculum, making proper nutrition a part of

4-9  the classroom and the cafeteria; and be it further

4-10      Resolved, That schools develop high standards for all food and

4-11  drinks that are competitive with meals provided by the schools,

4-12  carefully evaluate the hours during which such foods are sold, and

4-13  consider improving the quality of foods that are available for

4-14  purchase in vending machines, school stores and snack bars by

4-15  replacing the foods of minimal nutritional value and providing foods

4-16  from the five major food groups; and be it further

4-17      Resolved, That all educational personnel consider programs

4-18  and strategies to involve families and communities in encouraging

4-19  pupils to achieve good nutrition and physical fitness so that years

4-20  from now our society will not have to look back in retrospect and

4-21  lament what we should have done to correct these problems; and be

4-22  it further

4-23      Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate prepare copies of

4-24  this resolution for transmission by the Legislature to each school

4-25  superintendent in Nevada, the principal of each school in Nevada,

4-26  each school nurse in Nevada, the director or manager of food or

4-27  nutritional services in each school district, supervisors of before-

4-28  and after-school programs, the recreational director of each county

4-29  and city that has a recreational department, the Nevada Parent

4-30  Teacher Association (PTA), the Nevada Association for Health,

4-31  Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, and Boys and Girls

4-32  Clubs of America throughout Nevada.

 

4-33  H