Obesity among students in city public schools shrinks, according to Health officials
CORINNE LESTCH
The push to provide healthy meals in city schools has apparently paid off.
Severe obesity among city public school students in Kindergarten to 8th grade dipped nearly 10%, to 5.7% in the 2010-11 school year from 6.3% in the 2006-07 school year, the city Health Department announced Thursday.
Officials attributed the reduction to Education Department initiatives like replacing traditional school lunches with healthier choices, increasing access to physical education and planting school gardens with edible plants.
"This report is promising in that it shows a decrease in the number of severely obese children in New York City, but there is still much work to be done," said Health Commissioner Mary Bassett. "We will continue to look for new ways to reduce and prevent childhood obesity."
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/obesity-students-city-public-schools-shrinks-health-officials-blog-entry-1.1862051
