School Health Toolbox-Nutrition - Recently Updated Pages

News from this Community of Practice

dmccall — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:45:27 CST

This page contains news and announcements about this Community of Practice (CoP)

The Canadian Association for School Health has been working with number of organizations in supporting school health (e.g. Canadian School Health NGO Network; School Health Research Network; Canadian School Health Knowledge Network). As part of the networking activity CASH is working to develop mini-networks on particular issues, including nutrition and healthy eating. This CoP presents an opportunity to support knowledge exchange, foster coordination and collaboration on a variety of projects of interest to its participants by bring together national non-government organizations, researchers, local agency practitioners (e.g. school district and health authority professionals) and others as interested. There are several opportunities that are being planned to support the exchange of evidence-informed practices, resources and research. Practical activities geared to helping support effective practice include:

School Health Webinars: These are 60 minute, web/phone based seminars presented by a blend of research experts and practitioners. Each session is very topic specific (e.g. implementation of school food guidelines). More about the webinars program can be seen at: http://www.safehealthyschools.org/webinars/introduction.htm.

Nutrition & Schools Symposium (April 21/08 in Ottawa-Gatineau): this day-long focused on a comprehensive approach to this issue iwas held in conjunction with the 4th annual National School Health Conference. Presentations from the symposium are noted below while the agenda is included as an attachment (see below). For more on the full symposia series and the 4th National School Health Conference see: http://www.cash-aces.ca/conference_2008/

Breakfast for Learning - National Symposium on Schools & Nutrition

Marie-Claude Thibault - Ottawa's Healthy Active Schools Partnership

Cathy Richards - BC School Nutrition Initiatives

Joanne Gallagher - Leveraging the New Food Guide in School Nutrition Education

Paul Fieldhouse - Manitoba School Nutrition Policy

Paul Fieldhouse - Reporting & Evaluation

Michelle Murton - Policy Implementation

Michelle Murton - Monitoring Policy Implementation

Lynn Sawchuk - Leveraging the Food Guide

Mary McKenna - School Nutrition Policy: Are We There Yet?

Meredith Hayes - Food Literacy Education

Jennifer Taylor - School Nutrition Policies in PEI

Jennifer Taylor - Evaluating ElementarySchool Nutrition Policies in PEI

Wiki toolbox: this virtual filing cabinet presents an opportunity to continue to update/broadcast nutrition and schools related research, policy, program and practice related work underway in Canada and internationally. Contributions to this wiki by all interested is encouraged.

Collaborative Maintenance of a Research/Resources List: CoP members are invited to add to the attached document (See nutrition&schools.doc below) listing key research studies, reports and evaluated programs that has been prepared from a combination of projects. The document is a real convenience for readers because almost all of the references have web links. If you have items to add to this list, simply open the document, add them and then resave the document.

The Community of Practice (CoP) meets via teleconference approximately 4 times per year. Minutes and items of interested for each of these calls are attached below. For more information on this community of practice, contact Cindy Andrew at candrew@cash-aces.ca.

Recent news, upcoming events on Nutrition & Schools

dmccall — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:52:53 CDT

This page lists upcoming and recent news and events related to healthy eating, nutrition and schools. If you would like to change this page or other pages in this wiki by adding additional references and links, you will need to join this wiki (no charge, no spam) To do so, click on the "Join this Wiki" button from the Home Page or contact info@cash-aces.ca (Please add such additional content at the top of the page)
You don't need to join the wiki if you want to comment on materials listed or linked here or to ask a question of the members of this wiki-community, we invite you to do so by selecting the Discussion Forum in the Navigation Bar on the left hand side of these pages.

Webinars

A regularly updated calendar of webinars is posted at http://www.safehealthyschools.org/webinars/schedule.htm. To register, go to: http://cash-aces.ca/cshkn/cshkn_reg.asp.

Posted Items (More recent postings appear at the top of this list)

Impact of School Nutrition Policy Report from Saskatchewan: this study shares the findings and the experiences of students, parents and school staff in one small school division in Saskatchewan one year after a division-wide school nutrition policy was implemented. To view the report scroll down to the attachments.

The Canadian Best Practices Portal for Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention: the purpose of the Portal is to improve policy and program decision-making by enabling access to the best available evidence on chronic disease prevention and health promotion. This searchable tool enables users to locate evidence based approaches in areas they're intersted in such as schools and nutrition. See the Portal at:
http://cbpp-pcpe.phac-aspc.gc.ca/.

The Public Health Nutritionists of Saskatchewan have produced The Cost of Healthy Eating in Saskatchewan 06 as a useful resource for supporting those working in food security.

The Society for Research in Child Development's social policy report brief, The Family Dinner Table: Implications for Children's Health and Wellbeing, summarizes recent research and corresponding policy implications surrounding family eating habits.

Review of Studies on Media Exposure Finds Links to Negative Health Outcomes for Children
A comprehensive, yet non-peer reviewed, study released this week from CommonSenseMedia and the National Institutes of Health and finds that 80% of studies examining the relationship between children and adolescent's exposure to media and health outcomes report a negative association between the two. The researchers reviewed over 1800 studies but focused on 173 studies of high-quality released in the past 28 years investigated links between media exposure and childhood obesity, tobacco, drug and alcohol use, low academic achievement, sexual behavior and attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity.

Act Now BC has launched an Eat Together, Eat Better campaign with some excellent online resources, including meal planning, recipes, and how to address meal behaviour and manners. Studies have shown that children from families that eat meals together consume more fruits and vegetables and more nutrients such as fibre, calcium, and folate, and are at lower risk of becoming overweight. Adolescents from families that eat together have better school performance, lower risk for substance abuse and better social adjustment Check out the resources at www.eattogether.net.

To assist Member States in DPAS implementation at the country level, WHO produced the document "School Policy Framework: Implementation of the Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health" . The overall purpose of this tool is to guide policy-makers at national and sub-national levels in the development and implementation of policies that promote healthy eating and physical activity in the school setting through changes in environment, behaviour and education. See http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/schools/en/index.html. (Dr. Mary McKenna, Chair of the Nutrition and Schools Community of Practice co-authored this paper.)

To examine the relationship between school environments and adolescent development, Child Trends produced the research brief, The School Environment and Adolescent Well-Being: Beyond Academics. Health, safety, social support, academics, and civic engagement are addressed. This brief is designed for school principals, district staff, and others who are responsible for aspects of school functioning.

Health Care Papers - Vol. 9 No. 1 2008 | Obesity Policy (source: http://www.longwoods.com/home.php?cat=250)

Notes from the Editor-in-Chief
Peggy Leatt

Invited Essay
The Prevention Moment: A Post-partisan Approach to Obesity Policy
Neil Seeman

Commentary
Getting from Analysis to Action: Framing Obesity Research, Policy and Practice with a Solution-Oriented Complex Systems Lens
Diane T. Finegood, Özge Karanfil and Carrie L. Matteson

The Danger in Conservative Framing of a Complex, Systems-Level Issue
Alan Shiell

What Are We Waiting For?
Trevor Silverstone

The Role of Public Health Professionals in Obesity Policy
Susan M. Heywood and Renee Deschamps

Building Public Support for Anti-obesity Policy Initiatives
Bruce Silverglade

The Parents Jury is an Australia online network of parents, grandparents and guardians, who are interested in improving the food and physical activity environments of children. See www.parentsjury.org.au for more.

Family meal proves best defence against child obesity. Child health experts told a Brisbane conference recently that families that ate and talked "as a unit" over dinner had better nutrition levels than those which did not. Click here to read the full article.

The (US) National Association of School Nurse's newest online continuing education program, Making the Difference in Caring for Students with Food Allergies, is adapted from a session presented at NASN's 40th Annual Conference. In this multimedia program, Sally Schoessler, RN, SNT, MSEd, Executive Director of the New York Statewide School Health Services Center, identifies the pathophysiology and treatment of anaphylaxis in the school setting and discusses school-based strategies for managing food allergies.

The US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's new report, Effectiveness of Weight Management Programs in Children and Adolescents, finds behavioral interventions in schools or specialty health care settings can result in small to moderate short-term improvements for weight management. Research to evaluate the treatment of obese children has increased in quantity and quality over the past few years, but more work must be done to improve current practice and policy development.
The new Healthy Eating at School Website is one-stop shopping with all of the relevant school nutrition resources on one site presented by the BC Dairy Foundation, ActNow BC and Knowledge Network. See: www.healthyeatingatschool.ca.
The Dietitians of BC have created a draft document entitled Tips and Recipes for School Food Services: Meeting the Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales in BC Schools. http://healthyeatingatschool.ca/wp-content/uploads/TipsRecipes_Sep08.pdf This new resource has been created to assist people who prepare food for sale to students in implementing the Guidelines. It includes tips on how to choose healthy recipes, substitutions to make favourite recipes healthier and a selection of recipes that meet the Guidelines. If you would like to provide feedback on its suitability you can complete the questionnaire in the resource.
The Dietitians of Canada in its current edition of "Current Issues" overviews school nutrition policies in Canada. See attached PDF versions (Eng/Fre) below.
The (US) National Eating Disorders Association Toolkit contains an eating disorders glossary, frequently asked questions, common myths, and treatment locations. With specific regard to schools, information is provided on the impact of eating disorders on cognitive abilities, strategies for assisting students with eating disorders, communication tips, and tips for psychologists and coaches. For Canadian resources on preventing eating disorders/disordered eating, see wiki posting below.
Anaphylaxis Canada is pleased to present Managing Anaphylaxis in Secondary Schools, and Managing Anaphylaxis in Elementary Schools, two online information sessions which will take place from 12 noon to 1 pm (EST) on October 15th and October 22nd respectively. These webcasts will address anaphylaxis management strategies in both elementary and secondary schools individually, auto-injector training, as well as tips and strategies for creating an allergy safe school environment. Each webcast is being offered free of charge across the country to aid school staff in their anaphylaxis training programs as well as for anyone with an interest in anaphylaxis, such as patients, parents of allergic children, educators, child care workers, nurses, public health and other caregivers. For more information see: http://www.anaphylaxis.ca/content/programs/learning_centre.asp.
Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs: A Position Statement from the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (May 2008): see it at: http://iweb.aahperd.org/naspe/pdf_files/CSPAP_Online.pdf.
From Action for Healthy Kids (US): Criteria for Evaluating School-Based Approaches to Increasing Good Nutrition and Physical Activity. See it at: http://www.actionforhealthykids.org/pdf/criteria_report.pdf.
Sweet Deals: School Fundraising Can Be Healthy and Profitable, Center for Science in the Public Interest (Feb.2007). Available at: http://www.cspinet.org/schoolfundraising.pdf.
The Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's recent report, F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America (2008), tracks trends in obesity related rates and policies. According to the report, much progress has been made during the past five years to bring attention to the obesity problem, and many communities and states have taken action to provide programs which make physical activity and good nutrition more accessible. At the same time, the report concludes that until wide adoption of these programs occurs and steady funding is available, only limited progress will be made.
Center for Weight and Health, University of California, Berkeley. (2007). Dollars and sense: The financial impact of selling healthier school foods. Retrieved January 21, 2008 from http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/cwh/PDFs/Dollars_and_Sense_FINAL_3.07.pdf.
Institute of Medicine Meets to Review National School Lunch/Breakfast Programs (From CHHS): The Institute of Medicine Committee to Review the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs Meal Patterns and Nutrient Standards meeting on July 10, 2008, heard recommendations for improving school food programs from state and local government representatives, prepared foods manufacturers, researchers, and associations, representing students, parents, and school nutritionists, administrators and boards of education. http://www.healthinschools.org.
Championing Public Health Nutrition Policies (Ottawa, October 22-23, 2008): Health and food-policy experts, policymakers, and journalists from across Canada and around the world gather to explore how to reform public health nutrition policies. Issued address include: school foods, nutrition information on labels and menus, food taxes, marketing to children, reformulating foods to minimize added salt and harmful fats, and much more. For details visit www.cspinet.org/canada .
Impact of Neighbourhood Income on Childhood Obesity (Statistics Canada):

Children living in Canada’s poorest neighbourhoods gained more weight over an eight-year period than those living inmore middle-income areas, according to Statistics Canada Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY), the study found that neighbourhood environment may be an important determinant of a child’s weight at an early age.

Presentations on School Nutrition: The following presentations on nutrition were made at the recent annual School Health Conference in Ottawa on April 20-23, 2008.

The Alberta Nutrition Guidelines (which include day care, rec centers and schools) are now available at: http://www.healthyalberta.com/Documents/AB_Nutri_Guidelines_2008(1).pdf.
Resources on Eating Disorders/Disordered Eating: The Student Body: a teacher training module designed to help alert teachers (and parents) to the factors that can trigger unhealthy dieting among children, and ways to prevent it. www.aboutkidshealth.ca/thestudentbody. From the Body Image Coalition of Peel (www.bodyimagecoalition.org): Every Body is a Somebody: Facilitator's Guide (or Bien dans TA peau in French) was designed to promote healthy body image, positive self-esteem, and a non-dieting approach to eating. This active learning program provides background information for the facilitator and activities to be used with adolescents. The effectiveness of this program has been evaluated with middle school girls using a classroom format² and a nurse-led peer support format, and has been shown to improve global self-esteem, body satisfaction, and eating attitudes and behaviours. From BC's "Here to Help" resource centre a variety of information and resources related to eating disorders. See: http://heretohelp.bc.ca/publications/factsheets/eating-disorders.
Dietitians of Canada Resources for Educators: The DC has published several excellent resources on their web site. One of these resources highlights good practice in school-based promotiom of healthy eating in a report on model programs in Manitoba.
Health Canada Nutrition Label Quiz:The Interactive Nutrition Label and Quiz published by Health Canada can help Canadians better understand and learn how to use nutrition information on food labels. This interactive tool can be used with students in projects and webquests. Health Canada has also published a list of Frequently Asked Questions about Nutrition Labelling For a list of student and teacher tools, visit the www.safehealthyschools.org web site where you can find a list of student webquests and lesson plans for teachers on nutrition/healthy eating.

School nutrition policies

cindyandrew — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:36:28 CDT

This page lists resources related to the development and implementation of school nutrition policies. If you would like to change this page or other pages in this wiki by adding additional references and links, you will need to join this wiki (no charge, no spam) To do so, click on the "Join this Wiki" button from the Home Page or contact info@cash-aces.ca (Please add such additional content at the top of the page) You don't need to join the wiki if you want to comment on materials listed or linked here or to ask a question of the members of this wiki-community, we invite you to do so by selecting the Discussion Forum in the Navigation Bar on the left hand side of these pages.

Posted Items:

www.schoolfoodpolicy.com is a US based website that may be of intereset to this CoP membership.
Impact of School Nutrition Policy report from Saskatchewan: this study shares the findings and the experiences of students, parents and school staff in one small school division in Saskatchewan one year after a division-wide school nutrition policy was implemented. To view the report scroll down to the attachments section.

The Government of New Brunswick announced an updated comprehensive school nutrition policy in the spring of 2008. See: http://www.gnb.ca/0000/pol/e/711A.pdf and
http://www.gnb.ca/0000/pol/e/711AA.pdf.

The Alberta Nutrition Guidelines (which include day care, rec centers and schools) are now available at:
http://www.healthyalberta.com/Documents/AB_Nutri_Guidelines_2008(1).pdf

An interesting article looking at the impact on revenue with the introduction of school food standards/policies. Wharton CM, Long M, Schwartz MB. Changing nutrition standards in schools: the emerging impact on school revenue. J Sch Health. 2008; 78: 245-251
These presentations were made at the 2008 Nutrition & Schools Symposium in Ottawa.Gatineau on April 21, 2008.

Healthy Fundraising for Schools guide from BC: http://www.dashbc.org/upload/Healthy%20Fundraising.pdf

Manitoba has published a Handbook for Schools on School Nutrition Policies. The province has also published guidelines on food sales in schools. Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales in BC Schoools were released in 2005 and updated in 2007.

Newfoundland School Food Guidelines. Several provinces/territories had broadly-based advisory groups that developed school nutrition guidelines. See http://www.dietitians.ca/members_only/pdf/Foundations_for_School_Nutrition_Alberta.pdf, See Action in Schools for Physical Education , and Nutrition (ASPEN)

The Manitoba School Nutrition Handbook is designed to help school communities develop
nutrition policies

In 2004, the Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health released Healthy Weights, Healthy Lives.
In this report there were a number of School Health Recommendations. In October 2004, the Ontario Ministry of Education released a policy document: Healthy Foods and Beverages in Elementary School Vending Machines Policy/Program Memorandum. The Dietitians of Canada developed School Food and Nutrition Recommendations for the Ontario Ministry of Education Regarding Snacks and Beverages Dispensed by Vending Machines which accompanied this Policy and Program Memorandum The Ontario Ministry of Education’s Healthy Schools plan includes policy direction on daily physical activity, healthy foods and beverages in elementary school vending machines, anaphylaxis, Community Use of Schools, swimming survival programs, health and physical education curriculum and a high school cardiopulmonary resuscitation program.

In 2004, The Ontario Society of Nutrition Professionals in Public Health releasedCall to Action: Creating a Healthy School Nutrition Environment which included recommendations related to the importance of healthy eating in the school context .

A position paper by the Ontario Medical Association (2005) An Ounce of Prevention or a Ton of Trouble: Is there an Epidemic of Obesity in Children?

Une nouvelle politique fut adopte au Québec qui limite la consommation des produits néfaste afin d’améliorer la nutrition des élèves dans les écoles. http://www.infobourg.com/sections/chemises/afficheChemise.php?idChemise=33&id=10094

The Healthy Eating Nova Scotia Strategy (HENS: 2005) is a planning framework, based on a population health approach, to guide coordinated evidence-based action, decision, and resource allocation on nutrition and healthy eating. the focus has been on the development of the comprehensive Food and Nutrition Policy for Nova Scotia Public Schools.

The PEI Healthy Eating Alliance is a group of individuals, non-governmental organizations and government departments working together to improve the eating habits of children and youth. In December 2002, the HEA released the Healthy Eating Strategy for Island Children and Youth, a three year strategy to guide its work. Since the spring of 2003, the School Healthy Eating Policy Project (an initiative of the PEI Healthy Eating Alliance) has worked with the three school boards of Prince Edward Island to develop healthy eating policies using a consultative process. PEI School Nutrition Policies for elementary (Grades 1-6) and consolidated (Grades 1-8) schools now exist in all three school boards.

The Revised Canada Food Guide includes a Resource Guide for Educators. The US-based Center for Science in the Public Interest has published a School Food Kit that includes sample and model policies and case studies.

Nutrition Guidelines for Schools by Public Health Nutritionists of Saskatchewan Research Centre.
A page on the BC Government web site houses a variety of information documents geared to informing schools about healthy eating

November 18, 2008 Teleconference

cindyandrew — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:11:49 CST

Documents related to this call (e.g. agenda, power point slides from featured presenters, minutes, etc.) are posted as attachments below as they are available. Scroll down to access the file.

If you'd like to know more about the CoP or this call's discussion in particular, feel free to contact Cindy Andrew at candrew@cash-aces.ca.

The minutes and related items are below and/or attached (scroll down to see them).

November 12/08 Nutrition & Schools Community of Practice Teleconference Notes

1. Welcoming Remarks - Dr. Mary McKenna, Chair Dr. McKenna welcomed all to the call and provided a brief introduction to the nature of today’s call. Introductions were made by participants on the call though a number of folks joined in as the call was in process.

2. Recent Events/Updates:

a. Championing Public Health Nutrition This event led by the Center for Science in the Public Interest brought together over 250 practioners, researchers, policy makers and others to look at various relevant items including: food related taxes, regulations re: trans fat; advertising to kids; school nutrition policy, universal child nutrition programs and more. Mary McKenna noted that the meeting certainly reflected the renewed vigour and interest in public health nutrition matters and noted that the panel on school nutrition was productive and reflected the level of interest among delegates to move forward on national school nutrition standards, All Power Point slide decks from the event are now available on www.cspinet.ca.

b. Childhood & Adolescent Obesity 2008 conference http://www.interprofessional.ubc.ca/Obesity_Conference.htm Mary McKenna also participated in this conference and noted that it brought together prevention and clinical delegates and given all sessions were consecutive, all were able to participate in the full program which was informative.

c. Dietitian of Canada’s Current Issues - Overview of School Nutrition Policies in Canada (circulated previously to the CoP and posted on http://shtoolbox-nutrition.wetpaint.com) Mary McKenna acknowledged Dietitians of Canada’s effort to undertake this process and noted that school nutrition appears to be a higher priority for DC as of late and noted its on the agenda for next years DC conference in Atlantic Canada (in Charlottetown -- June 4 to 6, 2009; for more on the conference go to: www.dietitians.ca). Others on the call commented on the great utility and timeliness of the school nutrition policy document. Cindy noted that there are likely items of interest that were not captured in the development of the paper (e.g. Nutrition Tools for Schools from ON). If people are aware of information that should be included in an updated version, input is welcomed. Cindy offered to receive, collate and send that information along to Dietitians of Canada for their reference/follow up.

ACTION: Additions to the school nutrition policy related article done by Dietitians of Canada (DC) are welcomed. Direct them to Cindy Andrew at candrew@cash-aces.ca who will send them along to DC.

3. School Nutrition Policy & Programs – Looking Beyond Nutrition Standards: Several jurisdictions across Canada have developed policies that extend beyond nutrition standards related to school food. This call presented an opportunity to learn more about efforts underway to look at other key elements of a comprehensive approach to school nutrition – for starters in the area of school environment (e.g. fundraising, special functions, food as a reward; food safety; time to eat, etc.).

Nova Scotia’s Food and Nutrition Policy Lindsay Corbin, Public Health Nutritionist, Pictou County Health Authority (moving in to a role that has her as the provincial lead for school nutrition) and Michelle Murton, Assistant Coordinator, Healthy Eating, Department of Health Promotion and Protection spoke to the efforts underway in NS. Directing people to the slides used at last year’s CoP related symposium (attached) Lindsay noted the 12 policy directives (required) and 5 guidelines (optional) that together create a comprehensive approach to school nutrition. In addition, they noted: - how the above link and/or build on other existing policy and programming opportunities within NS. For example, the Healthy School related initiative, Sport Animators, children’s breakfast programs, Dept. of Agriculture relate efforts, etc. - that sizeable investments in infrastructure to support implementation of the policy (e.g. provincial lead for school nutrition, dedicated dietitian staff per district) . a monitoring process is currently underway to examine compliance with the policy directives and guidelines (for more on that see the second PP file attached with these minutes). From this they’ll have a better sense of what directives and at what level schools have implemented and/or are having challenges with. This work will help to support further implementation. A rubric has been designed to help assess levels of implementation. Post her presentation, discussion ensued re: Using food as a reward is a policy directive: this directive aligns with another Department of Education policy related to behavioural issues and positive behaviour support in which it is recommended that food is not a suitable reward. Breakfast programs are included in the policy and are expected to meet standards. The Provincial government gives separate funding to support school nutrition programs (Learning For Life II). For more see: http://www.ednet.ns.ca/healthy_eating/.

Lindsay closed noting that for NS, Health Promoting Schools, School Breakfast Programs and continued funding for the food and nutrition policy directives and guidelines represent the three strategic directions and funding related to school nutrition.

Doug McCall thanks Lindsay and Michelle and noted that we hope to learn more from Nova Scotia’s efforts – perhaps by way of the PHAC-led Best Practices Portal. CASH will be receiving a small amount of funding related to the Portal and with that, might be able to allocate some resources to support that conversation. Jennifer Taylor (UPEI) noted that BC is leading an environmental scan related to the monitoring of school nutrition policy and suggested that the learnings from this exercise would be of interest to the CoP membership. Cindy Andrew offered to follow up for more information and to report back to the CoP on our next call.

Nutrition Tools for Schools©: Lucy Valleau, York Region Public Health, York Region, ON spoke to this grass roots initiative that started in 2004 based on the with the Call to Action which drew attention to the barriers to creating a healthy school nutrition environment. The 9 elements identified provided a framework to support Public Health Departments across Nutrition Tools for Schools© aims to help school communities work through a step-by-step process of creating a healthy school nutrition environment. Practical tools and resources are included to help the school carry out many different activities that support healthy eating in classrooms, schools and within the community external to the school. This whole school approach fits within the comprehensive school health model that many public health units are using to guide their work with schools. Developed as a collaborative venture between several Health Departments, It is currently being used by 33 of the 36 Health Departments in Ontario. The Power Point presentation, included as an attachment below, provides more information on this excellent resource. A wiki dedicated to sharing more about NTS, including implementation and evaluation related efforts has been established at: http://nutritiontoolsforschools.wetpaint.com/. Lucy reported that since initiating NTS, there has been a lot of activity that has been taken in to account (e.g. Healthy Food for Healthy Schools, 2008).

Chris Kotz, (ON Ministry of Education) noted that a consultative process is underway and includes various perspectives (e.g. health, education, industry). The Ministry will be reporting back to cabinet on this for future directions. Mary McKenna noted that the expertise from the CoP would be pleased to help support Ontario’s efforts.

4. Roundtable Sharing

a. CASH and the Canadian School Health Knowledge Network Update Cindy Andrew spoke briefly to upcoming webinars of interest to the CoP (see attached webinar calendar) as well as the upcoming National School Health Conference (tentatively set for May 20-22/09 in Ottawa). The conference would have three related days: Day 1: a symposia series aligned to some of the CoP areas including nutrition. Day 2: Annual School Health Conference that will address broad issues and a thematic focus on social determinants/poverty and school health programs. The Ontario Health Schools Coalition has expressed interest in jointly planning/hosting this day. Day 3: this day will look at health and learning in multiple settings, including schools, childcare, communities, workplaces, etc.

The latest issue of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation “Health and Learning” magazine has been published. See: http://www.ctf-fce.ca/e/publications/health_learning/default.asp?doc=Issue7&noid=15.

b. Others 5. What’s New on the Nutrition and Schools Wiki (http://shtoolbox-nutrition.wetpaint.com) Several items have been posted lately including: - Review of Studies on Media Exposure Finds Links to Negative Health Outcomes for Children - Act Now BC has launched an Eat Together, Eat Better campaign - WHO produced the document "School Policy Framework: Implementation of the Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health" (co-authored by CoP Chairperson, Dr. Mary McKenna) - Health Care Papers: its recent issue is focused on obesity. See the wiki for more.

6. Next Call Date The date of our next call will be determined in consultation with the CoP membership and is expected to take place in late Jan/09.

School physical environment

cindyandrew — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 11:47:31 CST

This page lists resources that relate to promoting healthy eating and nutrition through changes to the physical environment. This includes regulating the sale of foods in vending machines and cafeterias.

If you would like to change this page or other pages in this wiki by adding additional references and links, you will need to join this wiki (no charge, no spam) To do so, click on the "Join this Wiki" button from the Home Page or contact info@cash-aces.ca (Please add such additional content at the top of the page)

You don't need to join the wiki if you want to comment on materials listed or linked here or to ask a question of the members of this wiki-community, we invite you to do so by selecting the Discussion Forum in the Navigation Bar on the left hand side of these pages.

Posted Items:
The Parents Jury is an Australia online network of parents, grandparents and guardians, who are interested in improving the food and physical activity environments of children. See www.parentsjury.org.au for more.

Ontario Government Introduced Pilot Project: Eating Well Looks Good On You / Bien manger, ça vous va bien: News Release (English): http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/news/Product.asp?ProductID=2456&Lang=EN Backgrounder (English): http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/nr/08.09/bg0909.html Communiqué (Français): http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/news/Product.asp?ProductID=2456&Lang=FR > Document d'information (Français) : http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/fre/document/nr/08.09/bg0909.html

Shannon Ouellette, MAN, RD, Acting Public Health Nutritionist with the Perth District Health Unit (ON) developed a presentation related to Ontario's Bill 8 regarding trans fat in schools. It is attached below. The presentation was developed to support implementation of Bill 8. Documents related to this Bill are: http://cal2.edu.gov.on.ca/june2008/EDU_DMTransFatStandards.pdf http://cal2.edu.gov.on.ca/june2008/Reg200_08TransFatStandards.pdf. A related presentation was also developed by the Niagara Region Public Health Department and is attached below.

The Dietitians of Canada developed School Food and Nutrition Recommendations for the Ontario Ministry of Education Regarding Snacks and Beverages Dispensed by Vending Machines which accompanied this Policy and Program Memorandum.

The Ontario Ministry of Education’s Healthy Schools plan includes policy direction on daily physical activity, healthy foods and beverages in elementary school vending machines, anaphylaxis, Community Use of Schools, swimming survival programs, health and physical education curriculum and a high school cardiopulmonary resuscitation program. The ministry has also published its regulations on school food sales. entitled: Healthy Foods and Beverages in Elementary School Vending Machines Policy/Program Memorandum.

The Ontario Resource Centre on Nutrition has published materials in its Eat Smart program for healthy school cafeterias. Find out how your school can become an Eat Smart School.

In 2004, The Ontario Society of Nutrition Professionals in Public Health releasedCall to Action:
Creating a Healthy School Nutrition Environment which included recommendations related to the importance of healthy eating in the school context .

The Manitoba ‘Taking Action for Healthy Food in Schools’ Student Leadership Award is designed to encourage youth to take leadership action on promoting healthy eating in schools and improving school food environments. For more information see: http://www.gov.mb.ca/healthyschools/foodinschools/resources/sla/sa.html.
Healthy Foods in Schools: Making Healthy Choices the Easy Choices Tool kit, developed by the Public Health Nutritionists of Saskatchewan Working Group (PHNSWG) in partnership with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Saskatchewan and the Dairy Farmers of Saskatchewan, can help you improve children’s health and create a healthier workplace by improving school foods and beverages.

Center for Weight and Health, University of California, Berkeley. (2007). Dollars and sense: The financial impact of selling healthier school foods. Retrieved January 21, 2008 from http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/cwh/PDFs/Dollars_and_Sense_FINAL_3.07.pdf

Comprehensive Approaches to Healthy Eating via Schools

cindyandrew — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:25:44 CDT

This page lists resources that explain how comprehenive approaches to promoting healthy eating through schools can be done. This includes linking eating and nutrition to other issues such as mental health, physical activity, poverty, geographical isolation, by expliciting using multi-level strategies within education, food and health systems as well as intersectorial approaches. It also includes a comprehensive approach to nutrition and healthy eating that includes overeating, undereating, food safety, food security and other aspects.

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Posted Items:

Nutrition Tools for Schools© (ON) aims to help school communities work through a step-by-step process of creating a healthy school nutrition environment. Practical tools and resources are included to help the school carry out many different activities that support healthy eating in classrooms, schools and within the community external to the school. This whole school approach fits within the comprehensive school health model that many public health units are using to guide their work with schools. Developed as a collaborative venture between several Health Departments, It is currently being used by 33 of the 36 Health Departments in Ontario. The Power Point presentation, included as an attachment below, provides more information on this excellent resource. A wiki dedicated to sharing more about NTS, including implementation and evaluation related efforts, has been established at: http://nutritiontoolsforschools.wetpaint.com/.
The new (BC based) Healthy Eating at School Website is one-stop shopping with all of the relevant school nutrition resources on one site presented by the BC Dairy Foundation, ActNow BC and Knowledge Network. www.healthyeatingatschool.ca
Action Schools! BC is a best practices model designed to assist schools in creating individual action plans to promote healthy living using a whole school, comprehensive approach. One of the goals of the initiative is to enhance knowledge, affect attitudes and influence eating behaviours, including increasing vegetable and fruit intake. The Healthy Eating pilot demonstrated that the initiative was effective at changing the pattern of vegetable and fruit consumption of school children in Grades 4 to 7 (Day, Strange, & Naylor, 2007). See: www.actionschoolsbc.ca.
Menu of Choices (from OPHEA - Ontario Physical and Health Education Association) is an online resource that takes the form of a dynamic website, www.MenuofChoices.ca. Menuofchoices.ca provides the latest quality information and supports to understand, plan and address healthy eating key messages in the school community for grades k-12. The website encourages the entire school community to take a proactive approach to addressing the healthy eating behaviours of children and youth.
Source URL: http://www.healthinschools.org/News-Room/News-Alerts/April-2008/School-Nutrition-Program-Reduces-Incidence-of-Overweight-in-Students.aspx School Nutrition Program Reduces Incidence of Overweight in Students: A school nutrition program, The School Nutrition Policy Initiative, organized by the Philadelphia-based Food Trust has reduced the incidence of overweight among students in the target schools and was particularly effective with African American students according to a report published in the April issue of Pediatrics. The multi-component program included a school self-assessment; nutrition education for students, staff and families; nutrition policy development and related changes in food offerings at the target schools; incentives for students who purchased healthy foods and social marketing that re-enforced healthy decisions; and parent outreach to emphasize nutrition messages and promote physical activity. The authors noted that: “There is some concern that school-wide obesity prevention programs may heighten body image concerns among youth and/or create more underweight children.” However, the authors continued, “Although the purpose of the intervention was the primary prevention of overweight and obesity, the emphasis was on eating well and moving more rather than weight control. This emphasis may have mitigated any potential adverse effects.” See: Gary D. Foster, et al. A Policy-Based School Intervention to Prevent Overweight and Obesity. Published on-line in PEDIATRICS Vol. 121 No. 4 April 2008, pp. e794-e802 (doi:10.1542/peds.2007-1365) at pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/121/4/e794

Coordinated school nutrition programs

cindyandrew — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:24:21 CDT

This page lists resources that promote the coordination of policies, programs and services in school-based and school-linked promotion of healthy eating that cross five elments of a coordinated approach; policy, instruction, health services, social support and physical environment.

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You don't need to join the wiki if you want to comment on materials listed or linked here or to ask a question of the members of this wiki-community, we invite you to do so by selecting the Discussion Forum in the Navigation Bar on the left hand side of these pages.

Posted Items:

Nutrition Tools for Schools© (ON) aims to help school communities work through a step-by-step process of creating a healthy school nutrition environment. Practical tools and resources are included to help the school carry out many different activities that support healthy eating in classrooms, schools and within the community external to the school. This whole school approach fits within the comprehensive school health model that many public health units are using to guide their work with schools. Developed as a collaborative venture between several Health Departments, It is currently being used by 33 of the 36 Health Departments in Ontario. The Power Point presentation, included as an attachment below, provides more information on this excellent resource. A wiki dedicated to sharing more about NTS, including implementation and evaluation related efforts, has been established at: http://nutritiontoolsforschools.wetpaint.com/.

Food for Thought: Schools and Nutrition is an article on comprehensive school approaches to nutrition and schools by Health Canada and CASH.

Team Nutrition :: (US Dept of Agriculture) Information on nutrition education, healthy eating and physical activity. Schools are the key focal point.

CASH and Health Canada have published a checklist for a comprehensive approach to nutrition and schools.

Healthy Food in Schools http://www.gov.mb.ca/healthyschools/foodinschools/index.html This website provides guidance and resources for anyone working in or with a school on food related activities throughout the school day, including teachers, parents, administrators, students, and health professionals. Visit this website to find: The Manitoba School Nutrition Handbook; Guidelines for Foods Available in K to 12 Schools in Manitoba and more.

The Newfoundland School Healthy Eating Handbook contains advice on healthy foods, nutrition education, web resources for families and healthy fundraising tips.

A "Guidelines for Foods Available in K to 12 Schools in Manitoba" Mini Poster and Parent Guide has also been developed to assist those making decisions about what food will be available in or promoted by schools. http://www.gov.mb.ca/healthyschools/foodinschools/documents/k12food.pdf

Healthy Eating at School- formerly Making it Happen - (published by BC) is an in-depth, online how-to resource to help parents, policymakers, teachers and the entire school community to review current school nutrition policy and make plans for healthy changes. In addition it offers a series of helpful information resources.

CASH and several other national organizations have published several web pages of links to web resources on nutrition and schools.

OPHEA’s School Nutrition Initiative provides a comprehensive framework designed to address the individual and environmental influences.

Canadian Cancer Society has 10 CCS divisions across Canada. Examples of their work related to school health include: Action in Schools for Physical Education and Nutrition Policy Recommendations Summary Canadian Cancer Society (Alberta/N.W.T Division) undertook a project in collaboration with several partners to make recommendations to influence the creation and implementation of policies that facilitate healthy eating and active living within Alberta's junior high schools (2004). Prevention efforts include public information (for an example related to healthy eating as schools click here). Series of fact sheets related to healthy eating and a section ‘resources for teachers’. The 5-to-10-a-day campaign: to reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, by encouraging Canadians to consume at least five servings of vegetables and fruit a day as part of a healthy diet (as described in Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating), and as part of a healthy lifestyle is a joint venture of CCS, the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Produce Marketing Association.

The Canadian Council of Food and Nutrition (CCFN) was created out of a union of the mandates of the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) and the Canadian Food Information Council (CFIC) in 2004. On June 16, 2006 CCFN is co-hosting a Think Tank on School Nutrition and Activity. This is a Members only event and for invited experts and stakeholders..

Home

cindyandrew — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 12:46:21 CDT

Welcome to this wiki-toolbox that serves as a shared work space for researchers, non-governmental organizations and local agencies interested in promoting healthy eating and nutrition through school-based and school-linked programs.

The purpose of this wiki is to collect educational, planning, assessment tools related to promoting healthy eating and nutrition schools. We also have a page on related news and events.

This wiki is kept up-to-date by its members and is part of a focused community of practice (mini-network) that works together on:

the joint planning of a symposium and sessions at the annual School Health conference
webinars (telephone conference calls web presentation of slides) on selected topics
other activities organized by the lead organizations and individuals

For more information on the Nutrition and Schools Community of Practice and related items above please contact Cindy Andrew at candrew@cash-aces.ca.
How to use this wiki

To participate in this on-line wiki-based dialogue, you can use the "Thread" button found on the bottom of each page to make comments on the content on that page. You can also make a comment directly into the Discussion Forum (found on the top navigation bar). You can also edit and add text within the page by clicking on the "Easy Edit" button. Use the commands within that Easy Edit tool to add links to other web sites or documents. You can also add other pages to the wiki by using the "Add Page" button found just below the navigation bar on the left hand side of the page.

You can make the comments and edits and additions anonymously because we have left this wiki wide open to the public. If you want to let people know who made the change or suggestion, use the Join this Wiki found in the right hand side of the top navigation bar to create a little profile for your self. By joining the wiki (no charge, no spam) you can use the tools within the wiki to control the email you receive from this wiki (including none), post messages for other members and choose to "watch" or "unwatch" selected pages within the wiki.

If you want to make a comment or suggestion through email, or would like more information, contact Cindy Andrew at candrew@cash-aces.ca.

If you want to learn more about how to use the tools within this wiki, go to the "how to" wetpaint FAQ page or you can even go to the wetpaint "sandbox", where you can test out the various tools without editing an existing wiki.

You might be interested in our other SH wikis, including our professional networking web site (http://canadianschoolhealthprofiles.wetpaint.com/), our listing of research and reports (http://schoolhealthbibliography.wetpaint.com/) and our listing of status reports (http://schoolhealthincanada.wetpaint.com/)

Also, we have created several tool-box wikis as part of several other Communities of Practice.

School-based/linked nutrition services

cindyandrew — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:36:28 CDT

This page lists resources on the delivery of school nutrition services.

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You don't need to join the wiki if you want to comment on materials listed or linked here or to ask a question of the members of this wiki-community, we invite you to do so by selecting the Discussion Forum in the Navigation Bar on the left hand side of these pages.

Posted Items:

The Dietitians of BC have created a draft document entitled Tips and Recipes for School Food Services: Meeting the Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales in BC Schools. http://healthyeatingatschool.ca/wp-content/uploads/TipsRecipes_Sep08.pdf This new resource has been created to assist people who prepare food for sale to students in implementing the Guidelines. It includes tips on how to choose healthy recipes, substitutions to make favourite recipes healthier and a selection of recipes that meet the Guidelines. If you would like to provide feedback on its suitability you can complete the questionnaire in the resource.
Dial-A-Dietitian isa free nutrition information line for British Columbians funded by the B.C. Ministry of Health. Dial-A-Dietitian specializes in easy-to-use nutrition information for self-care, based on current scientific sources
Manitoba School Nutrition Information Line helps school communities with guidelines and policies? Call 1-888-547-0535 toll free (MB only) to get assistance from the school nutrition support team.
Center for Weight and Health, University of California, Berkeley. (2007). Dollars and sense: The financial impact of selling healthier school foods. Retrieved January 21, 2008 from http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/cwh/PDFs/Dollars_and_Sense_FINAL_3.07.pdf
Healthy Fundraising for Schools guide from BC: http://www.dashbc.org/upload/Healthy%20Fundraising.pdf

Prevalence, nature of this health problem

cindyandrew — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 11:27:40 CDT

This page lists resources, research and reports on the prevalence and nature of dietary and nutrition problems and the promotion of healthy eating.

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Posted Items:

There are several aspects of diet, healthy eating and proper nutrition that can be addressed through schools. These include:

food security (poverty, food shortages)
food safety (inspection, production, additives, storage, coolking and use)
preventing incidents related to food allergies
over-eating, obesity, overweight
eating disorders and disordered eating (eg use of fad diets)
nutrition-related careers

There are several other dimensions of health that affect healthy eating and nutritional intake. These include:

mental health
culture and social norms
genetics
physical activity
work life/balance

The 2006 Manitoba School Nutrition Survey was designed to obtain information about present school food-service facilities and arrangements, the types of foods sold in schools, and food-related policies and guidelines currently in place in Manitoba schools. http://www.gov.mb.ca/healthyschools/foodinschools/documents/survey.pdf

Body Mass Index Measurement in Schools (From CDC SH Web Site) Measuring the body mass index (BMI) of students in schools is an approach to address obesity that is attracting much attention across the nation from researchers, school officials, legislators, and the media.1-7 In 2005, the Institute of Medicine called upon the federal government to develop guidance for BMI measurement programs in schools.8 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention produced "Body Mass Index Measurement in Schools" to describe the purpose of school-based BMI surveillance and screening programs, examine current practices, and review research on BMI measurement programs. The article summarizes the recommendations of experts, identifies concerns surrounding programs, and outlines needs for future research. Guidance is provided on specific safeguards that need to be addressed before schools decide to collect BMI information. Executive Summary: Body Mass Index Measurement in Schools The full journal article is available from the American School Health Association Web site.

School social environment

cindyandrew — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:53:58 CDT

This page lists resources and programs that can influence the social environment in schools to promote healthy eating. This can be done through a variety of peer, parent, whole school and community programs, campaigns and projects.

If you would like to change this page or other pages in this wiki by adding additional references and links, you will need to join this wiki (no charge, no spam) To do so, click on the "Join this Wiki" button from the Home Page or contact info@cash-aces.ca (Please add such additional content at the top of the page)

You don't need to join the wiki if you want to comment on materials listed or linked here or to ask a question of the members of this wiki-community, we invite you to do so by selecting the Discussion Forum in the Navigation Bar on the left hand side of these pages.

Posted Items:
Action Schools! BC is a best practices model designed to assist schools in creating individual action plans to promote healthy living using a whole school, comprehensive approach. One of the goals of the initiative is to enhance knowledge, affect attitudes and influence eating behaviours, including increasing vegetable and fruit intake. The Healthy Eating pilot demonstrated that the initiative was effective at changing the pattern of vegetable and fruit consumption of school children in Grades 4 to 7 (Day, Strange, & Naylor, 2007).

When you eat together, you eat better: An overview of the Eat Together Initiative from the BC Dairy Foundation includes the rationale and evidence behind the important issue of family mealtime.
http://www.bcdairyfoundation.ca/nutrition_education/docs/Eat_Together-Revised.pdf

Manitoba offered $100 per school for projects relating to nutrition. Over 301 schools participated and MB has published a list of their funded activities.

Drop the Pop is a NWT program to reduce the sale of sugary drinks in schools.

Dairy Farmers of Canada is active across Canada in the areas of school nutrition by way of producing curriculum support materials, Web-related support, teacher training, conducting scientific research, advising on school-related health policies and programs, offering school and nutrition related reports and literature reviews and coordinating school milk programs. Activities vary per jurisdictions. In partnership with local University research teams, conduct research with students to describe eating and physical activity patterns. (Alberta and Ontario). There are two reports pending that have been submitted to the Canadian Journal of Dietetic Research and the Canadian Journal of Public Health. Act as support and catalyst to schools wishing to establish school milk programs and offer nutrition and health seminars and educational materials for parents. Offer recognition awards for teachers & schools to support quality nutrition education. Also offer periodic continuing education events in nutrition and health for those working within the school health sector (B.C. Manitoba, Ontario).

Several jurisdictions within DFC offer nutrition and health education resource materials and supports, including the Dairy Farmers of Canada – Ontario who offer a series of curriculum matched, evaluated resources and workshop opportunities for Ontario schools. Links to the other PT jurisdictions of DFC are available through ‘educational resources’ .

The Alberta Healthy Schools Initiative: Beyond an Apple a Day (2004) is background paper for health professionals and educators. Reality Check I: The Health of our Youth. Is a related literature review that includes an extensive reference list. Some jurisdictions also offer agriculture in the classroom support and classroom visits by Registered Dietitians.

Download "Healthy Ways - Healthy Weight" from Dairy Farmers of Canada. Dietitians of Canada is the nation-wide voice of dietitians. DC brings the knowledge and skills of its members together to inform decisions that affect food, nutrition and health, with impact at the local, regional/provincial, national and international levels.

Some relevant contributions to school health include: Eat Well Play Well – a place for educators, health intermediaries and parents to explore resources and strategies that will support healthy living for school age children and your where they live, learn and play. Mission Nutrition* Adventures in learning created by Canadian dietitians. This program supports teachers with credible curriculum-based resources, easy-to-use lesson plans, and fun student activities. Healthy Eating + Activity Tracker a web-based tool to help Canadians set personal goals and track progress towards achieving healthy eating, physical activity and healthy body weight.

A D.C. 2005 consumer research Speaking of Food and Healthy Living - Children and Healthy Weights: Parents' Perspective. Practice-based Evidence in Nutrition [PEN] - Dietitians of Canada is currently developing a new service for members and other health professionals that will provide ready access to evidence-based practice guidance, tools and resources designed around knowledge pathways. A priority topic for the initial launch will be on obesity prevention and management.

Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada is a national voluntary non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the health of Canadians by preventing and reducing disability and death from heart disease and stroke through research, health promotion and advocacy. The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada is a Federation of 10 independent Provincial Foundations and one National Office. Some relevant contributions to school health include: yearly report cards on health on hot issues including obesity (2002) and children’s health; The Growing Burden of Heart Disease and Stroke in Canada 2003;

School Nutrition Toolkit from HSF Saskatchewan. A follow up on their report "Nutrition in Saskatchewan Schools" this toolkit is for schools in helping them get started on making their school a healthier place; to assist Canadian parents in improving the lifestyle and eating habits of their children, the Foundation has implemented a number of programs. The Teachers Resource section offers curriculum resource materials for grades K-8. The HeartSmart Family Fun Pack™ incorporates games, tips and information for families on how to adopt a heart healthy lifestyle, including physical activity, proper nutrition and a tobacco-free environment.

The Foundation specifically designed its Health Check™ food labeling program to make healthy food choices at the grocery store easier for time-stressed families. For additional nutrition related resources and fact sheets click here. Healthy Lunches to Go Tour - This online tour from the Canadian Health Network is for busy lunch makers in search of simple, healthy and easy to assemble meals for themselves and their children. The online tour includes a healthy lunch checklist, nutrition information, and links to helpful resources.

In Alberta, BLAST (Building Leaders for Action in Schools Today) is an interactive program that educates junior high (grades 7-9) youth about tobacco. Sponsored by Alberta Lung Association and AADAC.
http://www.blastonline.com

September 16, 2008 Teleconference

cindyandrew — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:17:13 CDT

The agenda and minutes for this call are posted below. Also attached below is an additional item, a report from Dr. Gail McVey, related to a recently held meeting on obesity prevention and eating disorder prevention as is the current roster of school health webinars offered by the Canadian School Health Knowledge Network.

Instructional programs

cindyandrew — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:26:51 CDT

Curricula and instruction should address all aspects of nutrition and healthy eating as noted in our discussion of the prevalence and nature of this problem. This page lists a variety of resources related to curriculum, instruction and teaching/learning about nutrition.

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Posted Items:

Children with Food Preferences: a fact sheet for early childhood educators but could also be used to support caregivers/parent's efforts: Saskatchewan Ministry of Education's Early Learning and Child Care Program (Sept. 08) http://www.learning.gov.sk.ca/Default.aspx?DN=6de8ae7a-dcba-44f7-a440-f007102d9e3e.

HEALTH CANADA: Ready-to-Use presentation for educators on Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide - First Nations, Inuit and Métis
The presentation explains the messages found in the food guide, and
contains many attractive images, as well as a few interactive teaching
activities to help keep audiences engaged. The speaking notes are there to
assist the nutrition educator in delivering the presentation, as well as
provide more detailed information on this food guide. Available in both English and French:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/educ-comm/_fnim_pnim/ppt_e.html

For a list of some of the nutrition education programs available to students and teachers in BC see Nutrition Education Resources BC Ministry of Education's Integrated Resource Packages for Personal Planning K to 7 (1999), Health and Career Education 8 and 9 (2005) and Planning 10 (2004)
Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Learning Resource … For Grades 8, 9 and 10 classroom resources intended to support teachers to help students gain the knowledge and skills to support lifelong healthy habits in healthy eating and physical activity. The lesson plans meet the minimum mandated expectations of Health Career and Education in Grade eight and nine, as well as Planning Ten. Now available online at: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/health/health_publications.htm

Manitoba government through its Healthy Schools Program offers resources for school staff and other professionals on a variety of health issues including healthy eating and nutrition. See: http://www.gov.mb.ca/healthyschools/resources/schoolstaff/healthyeating/index.html

CASH and several other organizations have published a lesson plan gateway and student webquests on nutrition education.

The [Mission Nutrition] program from the Dietitains of Canada supports teachers with credible curriculum-based resources, easy-to-use lesson plans, and fun student activities. Freggie Tales (Bilingual): Provides children with the opportunity to learn about fruits and vegetables in a fun and exciting manner Virtual grocery store Canadian Diabetes Association The Teach Nutrition web site, published by the Dairy Farmers of Ontario has several nutrition education programs, each with several lesson plans, for teachers.
Discover Healthy Eating! A Teacher's Resource for Grades 1-8 (http://www.peelregion.ca/health/eating/htmfiles/healthy-eating.htm) Is an elementary school teacher targeted resource that supports the (ON) healthy eating component of the Healthy Living Strand in the Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8: Health and Physical Education (1998). It contains background information, glossaries, activities and handouts specific to each grade level. It was developed in cooperation with three southern ON Health Departments.

Virtual Kitchen The Dietitians of Canada have published a A virtual kitchen revealing interesting nutrition facts about the foods.

Healthy Eating Resources for Yukon Schools -, the Recreation and Parks Association for the Yukon is offering teachers healthy eating resources as well as training and support by a registered dietitian.

Teacher training workshops on a new healthy eating curriculum resource package Alberta Healthy Eating Resources for Teachers ; Amazing Little Cookbook for Kids and Moving Towards a Healthy U — a personal Logbook (a tool for parents and teachers).

The Menu of Choices Secondary School Resource was developed as part of an OPHEA Initiative. Two additional curriculum supplements for Ophea's School Nutrition Initiative Menu of Choices Secondary School Resource have been developed for Family Studies and Business Studies and are nowavailable for free download.

Discover Healthy Eatingis a Grade 1-8 curriculum support resource developed by Toronto Public Health, York Region Health Services and Region of Peel Health Department This curriculum support resource offers a choice of teaching activities that correspond to the Health and Physical Education Curriculum (1998).

Smiling Within: a curriculum linked resource created by local nutritionists and the Nutrition Education Resource Centre at Acadia University in Nova Scotia, is intended for teachers and peer educators working with students between grades primary to 6. This user-friendly guide allows teachers to introduce/supplement body image and healthy lifestyle information (i.e. healthy eating and physically active living) in class without additional searching for information and lesson planning.

Healthy Eating Alliance of PEI produces a list of curriculum resource and school-based materials and ideas to promote healthy eating in school.

The Student Body: a teacher training module designed to help alert teachers (and parents) to the factors that can trigger unhealthy dieting among children, and ways to prevent it.
www.aboutkidshealth.ca/thestudentbody.

From the Body Image Coalition of Peel (www.bodyimagecoalition.org): Every Body is a Somebody: Facilitator's Guide (or Bien dans TA peau in French) was designed to promote healthy body image, positive self-esteem, and a non-dieting approach to eating. This active learning program provides background information for the facilitator and activities to be used with adolescents. The effectiveness of this program has been evaluated with middle school girls using a classroom format and a nurse-led peer support format, and has been shown to improve global self-esteem, body satisfaction, and eating attitudes and behaviours.

Teleconference and Meetings

cindyandrew — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:37:22 CDT

This page contains minutes and related items of interest shared with the CoP membership.

Teaching to Prevent Eating Disorders

cindyandrew — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 12:56:15 CST

This page lists instructional programs aimed at preventing or managing eating disorders.

If you would like to change this page or other pages in this wiki by adding additional references and links, you will need to join this wiki (no charge, no spam) To do so, click on the "Join this Wiki" button from the Home Page or contact info@cash-aces.ca (Please add such additional content at the top of the page)

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According to a review of the effectiveness of primary prevention of eating disorders (Ciliska,D., Beyers,J., Vohra,J., McVey,G., 2001 posted at http://health-evidence.ca/article.aspx?id=16138) "school curricula can have at least a short-term positive effect on increasing knowledge, changing attitudes and decreasing some behaviours that are associated with eating disorders. Interventions need to be tested that include booster sessions, more environmental support, "healthy schools" approach or community-wide interventions".

As was noted on the above site (and while likely well known among most of you, but not necessarily others, including educators) public health messages about healthy eating and active living, while key to health promotion initiatives, can be misinterpreted by some children. Studies show 30% of girls and 25% of boys, aged 10-14 years were dieting to lose weight despite being within a healthy weight range.

From the Body Image Coalition of Peel (www.bodyimagecoalition.org): Every Body is a Somebody: Facilitator's Guide (or Bien dans TA peau in French) was designed to promote healthy body image, positive self-esteem, and a non-dieting approach to eating. This active learning program provides background information for the facilitator and activities to be used with adolescents. The effectiveness of this program has been evaluated with middle school girls using a classroom format² and a nurse-led peer support format, and has been shown to improve global self-esteem, body satisfaction, and eating attitudes and behaviours.

About this wiki

dmccall — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 16:01:10 CST

This wiki is being developed and maintained by a number of organizations, local agencies and individuals that are concerned with promoting healthy eating and nutrition through and with schools.

The wiki has been started by the Canadian Association for School Health as part of its efforts to maintain the Canadian School Health Knowledge Network.

If you would like to change this page or other pages in this wiki by adding additional references and links, you will need to join this wiki (no charge, no spam) To do so, click on the "Join this Wiki" button from the Home Page or contact info@cash-aces.ca (Please add such additional content at the top of the page)

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Alignment with education mandate, constraints

dmccall — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 15:56:17 CST

This page lists resources and examples of how healthy heating and nutrition programs can be aligned with the educational mandate (educational achievement-school effectiveness) of the school.

If you would like to change this page or other pages in this wiki by adding additional references and links, you will need to join this wiki (no charge, no spam) To do so, click on the "Join this Wiki" button from the Home Page or contact info@cash-aces.ca (Please add such additional content at the top of the page)

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Posted Items:

Consideration of System/Organization Characteristics

dmccall — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 15:55:57 CST

This page lists resources and examples of how system, organizational and professional characteristics (such as loosely-coupled control, open to external influences and bureaucratic structures) can be considered strategically when implementing school nutrition programs.

If you would like to change this page or other pages in this wiki by adding additional references and links, you will need to join this wiki (no charge, no spam) To do so, click on the "Join this Wiki" button from the Home Page or contact info@cash-aces.ca (Please add such additional content at the top of the page)

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Posted Items:

Tools, Examples of Building Capacity

dmccall — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 15:53:40 CST

This page lists planning, assessment and educational resources related to building sysyem, agency and professional capacity to promote healthy eating through schools.

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Posted Items:

1. Coordinated policy and leadership
Several provinces have benefited from the coalitions and policy work done by the Breakfast for Learning programs that have started with school nourishment programs and have expanded into comprehensive school nutrition programs.

2. Formal and informal mechanisms for cooperation/coordination

3. Staffing & infrastructure to support cooperation

4. Ongoing workforce development

Feeding the Minds and Bodies of BC Students is an initiative led by the Dietitians of Canada (BC Region) with a grant from the BC Ministry of Health. It is aimed at increasing awareness and understanding of best practices than can assist BC schools and school districts support healthy eating among children and youth.

Creating a Healthy School Nutrition Environment (CHSNE) Health Unit Collaboration - Nutrition Tools for Schools: A group of registered dietitians from ten Ontario public health units have partnered to form the Creating a Healthy School Nutrition Environment (CHSNE) Health Unit Collaboration. The Collaboration has developed Nutrition Tools for Schools, a toolkit to assist elementary school communities to create healthier nutrition environments based on the nine essential elements presented in the document, Call to Action: Creating a Healthy School Nutrition Environment (Ontario Society of Nutrition Professionals in Public Health School Nutrition Workgroup, 2004).

The state of Georgia in the United States has a Pre-service Requirement: SBOE Rule 160-5-6-.01 (2002) that requires all new Food Service employees to complete, within the first year of employment, an employment training program. As well, in that state, Professional Development: SBOE Rule 160-5-6-.01 (2002) requires school districts to make in-services available annually for school food service personnel.

5. Strategic management of issues and trends

6. Organized knowledge transfer & exchange

The Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes (INMD) is one of the 13 virtual institutes that make up the CIHR.INMD was designed to link researchers, scientists, community groups, and individuals from around the world who share an interest in enhancing health in relation to diet, digestion, excretion, and metabolism.

Effectiveness of Physical Activity Enhancement and Obesity Prevention Programs in Children and Youth The purpose of this Health Canada funded systematic literature review is to provide some national policy direction related to the effectiveness of interventions for promoting healthy weight, preventing overweight/obesity and increasing physical activity among school aged children and youth.

Health Canada coordinated the development of a special supplement to the Canadian Journal of Public Health (CJPH), Understanding the Forces That Influence Our Eating Habits: What We Know and Need to Know,which was released in June 2005. One of the topics focused on the determinants of healthy eating related to “children and youth”, providing a synthesis of the literature and recommendations on appropriate research needed to fill evidence gaps.

7. Regular monitoring and reporting

The Newfoundland survey on active healthy schools: an assessment tool covering physical activity and nutrition in schools. See: www.lsb.ca/PR/Healthy%20Schools%20Needs%20Assessment.pdf Manitoba recently conducted a 2006 survey of school nutrition policies.

British Columbia The School Food Sales and Policies Provincial Report [127KB] examines the status of food sales in BC schools;

The Department of Health and PEI Healthy Eating Alliance are currently finalizing success indicators for the policy development work including such indicators as: - % schools adhering to specific elements in regulations (e.g. providing 20 minutes for lunch); - % schools providing only foods from “Foods to Serve Most Often” or “Foods to Serve Sometimes” lists in policy regulations. - % students consuming healthy/less healthy choices at lunch. - Use of CCHS data to assess changes in BMI; - Qualitative assessment of policy acceptance and adherence.

The Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) Cycle 2.2 on Nutrition, a joint initiative between Statistics Canada and Health Canada, will provide population level nutrition data on Canadians of all ages.

The Canadian Institute of Health Research is funding an initiative to provide an enhanced opportunity for expert analysis of CCHS data, including one theme focused on the analysis of nutrient and food intake of Canadian children in relation to chronic disease.

8. Explicit planning for sustainability

School Nutrition Programs on Disadvantage

dmccall — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 15:33:14 CST

This page lists resources on school nutrition programs that seek to alleviate disadvantaged caused by socio-economic status, geography or cultural isolation.

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Child nourishment programs run to varying degrees in all P/T jurisdictions, more often in partnership and with the financial support of Breakfast For Learning. The following provides highlights:

Nutritional Grants in British Columbia are available for breakfast and snack programs. DASH, in partnership with Breakfast for Learning, administers these grants.
The BC School Fruit and Vegetable Snack Pilot Program was launched in September 2005. The goal of the program is to provide twice-weekly BC fruit or vegetable snacks to elementary school students, as well as information to teachers, students and their families to increase awareness and consumption of BC fruits and vegetables. Currently, ten schools receive free fruit and vegetables. An evaluation team is conducting a full evaluation of the pilot.
Yukon Food for Learning in partnership with Breakfast for Learning and the YK Department of Health and Social Services provides child nourishment programs in all Yukon schools.
Breakfast for Learning program in Alberta currently funds 243 schools for breakfast, lunch and/or snack programs which help feed over 10 000 Alberta children healthy meals and snacks daily.
The NWT Food First Foundation (FFF) is the territorial coalition that works closely with, and funds a part time coordinator through Breakfast for Learning. This group is currently working on the development of a website, and uses an allocation of funding from Breakfast for Learning to fund schools in the NWT and Nunavut. The NWT FFF consists of representatives such as nutritionists, Parent Advisory Councils, the Salvation Army and the Women’s Centre. Most of the members are located in Yellowknife at this time. This group is also interested in supporting schools in the development of school food policies. The NWT FFF currently funds schools for breakfast, lunch and/or snack programs, fundraises, and conducts advocacy work with Members of the Legislative Assembly to raise awareness of the nutritional needs of children.
In Manitoba child nourishment related activities include: Breakfast for Learning encourages and funds breakfast clubs (MB has a part- time provincial coordinator). Kids in the Kitchen programs run in some local schools (http://www.youville.ca/english/links.html); workshops are offered in the early stages of the programs and manuals available for participants. There is no official host for the program now and information can be accessed on line. Schools throughout Manitoba organize School Milk Programs. The school organizes milk delivery with a local dairy driver and a teacher or often parent volunteer co-ordinate activities in the school. Dairy Farmers provides a School Milk kit with activity ideas and incentives that make milk drinking fun. Approximately 75% of schools in MB offer their students milk programs.
The Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services (MCYS) funds the Student Nutrition Programs. In October 2005, the MCYS announced that the investment in student nutrition programs would increase from $4.5 million to an investment of $8.5 million annually. It has also moved to a decentralized program model. In 2005 a Nutrition Guidelines Working Group developed nutritional guidelines for the student nourishment program to assist program providers in planning and delivering healthy snacks and meals.
5-10 a day – It’s the Healthy Way looks at promoting consumption of vegetables and fruit within communities and includes a healthy food grant program in middle schools in New Brunswick. In addition, the New Brunswick Healthy Minds School Nutritional Partnership Program provides funding to elementary schools to use for a variety of child nourishment related initiatives. A related report of interest on the Healthy Minds Program: a review of the pilot program Oct 1999 - March 2000. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture, New Brunswick Farm Products commission runs a subsidized milk program that is available to all NB schools.
In Nova Scotia there is new breakfast program funding that will ensure that all children at the elementary level will have access to breakfast before they start their school day. Nova Scotia Health Promotion and the Department of Education are working together with other partners including the Breakfast for Learning Advisory Council to determine the most effective way to offer this program. New funding is intended to assist, not replace, existing support.
Kids Eat Smart Foundation Newfoundland and Labrador is a non profit charitable organization established to foster the development of sustainable nutritious food programs for school children throughout the province. The government provides financial support to school feeding programs so too does Breakfast for Learning. Newfoundland and Labrador School Milk Foundation offers a school milk program
Club des petit dejeuners du Quebec’s (en anglais: Quebec Breakfast Clubs) runs breakfast programs in elementary schools in Quebec.