FAQ

1. Advertising in Schools

Should there be healthy food advertisements?

Sure, as long as they are actually for healthy foods. We’d like to see student encouraged to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, and not just slightly healthier versions of processed snack foods.

What should financially-strapped schools do if they cannot accept corporate sponsorship from food companies?

A number of organizations detail ideas for revenue generation for schools. The Center for Science in the Public Interest has some great suggestions; visit their site at http://www.cspinet.org. Many schools have raised this concern. While we are sympathetic to the plight of under-funded districts, it is never acceptable to balance the budget to the detriment of the health of our children

2. BMI Reporting

What is the Rudd Center’s opinion of BMI report cards: good thing, or bad thing?

See the BMI section of this site.

I heard that BMI is only a useful tool for evaluating populations, not individuals. So how can we measure obesity in the individual?
Assessing whether or not a child has a weight problem is something that should be done by the child's pediatrician with parental input. Many factors should be taken into account, including the child's weight trajectory (i.e., BMI percentile over time), eating behaviors, physical activity level, and other medical indicators.

Is there a systematic way of distinguishing unhealthily overweight children that does not use BMI?

A child's BMI percentile is currently considered the most reliable screening tool for childhood obesity. Other measures may be useful, such as percent body fat, hip-to-waist ratio, and physical fitness measures, but these are less commonly used due to the fact that they are more complicated to measure.

3. Class Parties

I want to celebrate my child’s birthday by baking cupcakes for him and all his friends. It’s my child—what gives schools the right to forbid this?

It is understandable that you want to help celebrate you child's birthday, but it is important to recognize that the school is a public place and you are not the only parent who entrusts their child to the school's care. Schools need to meet the needs of all children, and sometimes that means setting limits to what individual children (or their parents) can do.

My child hates fruits and vegetables; how else can I give him a birthday treat without baking cupcakes or cookies?

For a birthday party in your home, you can probably think of ways to make every day foods more fun. You could make mini-pizza's and decorate them with toppings that make a smiley face or pattern, you could have a make-your-own taco bar or pasta bar and let everyone create their own dish.

For a school party, the best bet would be a non-food treat. Kids love small toys or even events, such as having you come in to read a book, sing a song, or play a game with the class. A friend of mine bought Chinese jumpropes into her daughter's class, gave one to each child and taught them how to play. It was a huge success and no one mentioned missing cupcakes at all!

If I bring a veggie plate to celebrate my child’s birthday, won’t he be mercilessly teased?

You would be surprised. I walked into my child's class with a cut up watermelon and the kids were absolutely thrilled to have it for a snack. Kids get excited about anything different or special; it's the parents who tend to worry too much.

What could possibly be a valid substitute for birthday cupcakes?

See our resource on non-food treats.

4. Communities

What is the built environment, and what does it have to do with obesity?

See section the Built Environment.

5. Food Rewards

What is the effect of using food as a reward?

When we reward with food, we increase liking for that particular food. The problem here is that we tend to reward with unhealthy foods (cookies, candy) for which children already have great liking, so we are further increasing preferences for foods children should be eating less of. Here’s a thought: try rewarding with broccoli!

What about withholding food as punishment? It seems to be a very effective disciplining method.

In general, using food to control behaviors is associated with an unhealthy relationship with food in later life, so we don’t recommend it.

See Food Rules in Home Environment.

6. Fundraising

What are some fundraising ideas that do not involve the sale of junk food?

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has a terrific handout on this topic, which can be downloaded at http://www.cspinet.org/schoolfoodkit/school_foods_kit_part2.pdf.

Here are some highlights:

Host a walk-a-thon, bike-a-thon, dance-a-thon… whatever kind of “thon” catches your fancy
Hold a raffle
Rent-a-teen helper (e.g., for yard work)
Craft sales
Car wash
Host a treasure hunt/scavenger hunt
Recycle cans/bottles/paper

What We Do

FAQ

Categories:

1. Advertising in Schools

2. BMI Reporting

3. Class Parties

5. Food Rewards

6. Fundraising

7. Physical Education

8. School Lunches

9. Wellness Policies