"Obesity? Not in my school." Cafeteria workers misguidedly believe that children in their own lunch lines do not suffer from obesity. A recent survey of Pennsylvania food service personnel found that many do not think school meals play a role in the expanding waistlines of schoolchildren.
"They perceived obesity as a problem nationally," says study author Claudia Probart, at Penn State University, "but when asked about their particular school, they were much less apt to agree." Survey participants saw parental attitudes, peer pressure and popular culture as the top influences on unhealthy behavior. According to the American Obesity Association, 15 percent of adolescents are obese.
The survey is part of Project PA, a collaborative effort of Penn State's Department of Nutritional Sciences and the Pennsylvania Department of Education designed to enlist schools in the effort against childhood obesity. Along with the survey, the program offers an obesity workshop to train school employees to promote better health.
