Kids notice everything. Whether they are 5 or 15, you can’t slip anything by them. And the younger one’s have no filter. They call it like they see it and correct you when need be. They also model the behavior of their parents, teachers and other adults in their lives. Therefore, school personnel are more than just teachers and caretakers during the day. They are role models, whether they like it or not. But, are they healthy role models?
Researchers from Tulane University collected baseline data on elementary school employees in a parish (county) of southeastern Louisiana for ACTION, a school-based worksite wellness trial. They collected two 24-hour recalls on nonconsecutive days, height and weight and calculated BMI (BMI is often used to access population based rates of obesity).
The results showed that 31% and 40% of the 373 school personnel randomly selected for testing were overweight and obese respectively. Those rates are higher than both state and national estimates. The obese employees consumed too many calories, too much dietary fat, little fiber (9% of what they need, on average) and not enough fruits and vegetables.
Their baseline data shows that school employees in this part of Louisiana are, in general, not good role models for healthy eating. It will be interesting to see how their worksite wellness program fares and if it can make an impact on the school employees. It would be nice to see other states take a look at the health of their school employees and implement worksite wellness programs to make them both healthier and better role models for children.
Reference: J Am Diet Assoc 2009;109: 1548-1556.
Thanks for the feedback Lincoln! Keep up the great work!
This is so true and not just confined to the States. I am a fitness presenter and lectuer in the UK and I have witnessed this trend developing. I agree that we should be role models for our kids. It is really important for me that my son sees me as an active father as I want him to develop good habits early.