Richard J. George, Ph.D.

Battle of West Virginia vs. U.K. Being Weighed Across U.S.

April 12, 2010

FROM RETAILWIRE:
Viewers not yet in agreement with chef Jamie Oliver's efforts on ABC's Food Revolution TV program may be interested to know about improvements to children's behavior, academic achievements and school attendance that coincide with the campaign he launched in the U.K. Will America's kids be responsive to chef Jamie Oliver's views and recommendations?      [more...]

It is not surprising that parents are not overwhelmingly supportive of Jamie Oliver's efforts. I view the initial response as one of denial. Parents need to step up and support this or similar efforts to help our children at risk. The risks have been well documented.

In research that I co-authored on school day eating behavior, almost 70% of parents or guardians know very little about their adolescent's eating habits during the school day. In this same survey, students reported eating energy dense foods on almost twice as many occasions (27.13) as nutrient dense foods (14.82) during the previous five school days. Source: "Adolescents and Food Attitudes and Behaviors during the School Day: Implications for Food Marketers," Journal of Food Products Marketing, Vol. 14, Issue 1, 2008 (with Dr. Thomas McDuffie).

The high calorie American diet and lethargic lifestyle is reflected in the percentage of overweight and obese adolescents. Given the central role of schools in providing food and nutrition education, the food choices of youths during the school day should be well known. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Much is known about what is served and should be eaten, health issues related to being overweight, and government food policies. In stark contrast, little is known about what adolescents actually eat.

Jamie Oliver is shining the spotlight on a previously dark area. His efforts should be applauded.