Survey: Americans Expect Schools to Lead in Preventing Childhood Obesity

School nutrition and physical activity seen boosting academic performance

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Jun 19, 2013, 08:00 ET

OAKLAND, Calif., June 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans view obesity as a serious problem among both the overall public and among children and teens, and most people believe that local K-12 schools need to take a leading role in combating the epidemic, according to a recent survey conducted by Field Research Corp.

Nationwide, 78 percent of parents think that healthier food in schools will increase academic performance and a similar percentage say that regular physical activity during the school day will also boost school achievement.

More than eight in 10 Americans endorse new national school nutrition standards established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that include more fruits, vegetables and whole grains and less sodium, saturated and trans fats in meals. They also voice strong support for extending USDA standards to foods that children can buy at school outside of meal times.

Survey results also indicated that Americans believe their local K-12 schools should play the biggest community role in fighting obesity, with 90 percent endorsing a school role on this issue. The public also expresses a high degree of willingness to take actions to reduce obesity in their own lives, in the lives of family members and in their own communities.

These are the findings from a survey conducted by Field Research Corp. on behalf of Kaiser Permanente from March 5 to April 14, 2013. Conducted by telephone in English and Spanish among 2,104 adults nationwide and across four major states and regions of the country, the survey sought to take the public's pulse to assess views on childhood obesity, and actions schools and communities could take to combat the epidemic.

"These findings confirm there is widespread support for school and community involvement in combating childhood obesity," said Mark DiCamillo, senior vice president of Field Research Corp. and director of the non-partisan Field Poll. "The results show a strong desire on the part of Americans to take actions to reduce obesity in their own lives, the lives of their families and in local communities."

Survey respondents also offer broad-based support for policies aimed at building more sidewalks, paths, trails and bike lanes to enable more children to walk and bike to school.

As part of a commitment to the total health and well-being of children and communities, Kaiser Permanente is engaged in a wide array of clinical and community-based efforts to combat the childhood obesity epidemic. The organization supports more than 40 community health initiatives, a major element of Kaiser Permanente's multifaceted Healthy Eating/Active Living program, designed to address the obesity epidemic and other health issues that can result from poor nutrition and lack of exercise.

"Kaiser Permanente is committed to working with schools to improve the health of children, staff and the broader community," said Raymond J. Baxter, PhD, Kaiser Permanente's senior vice president for Community Benefit, Research and Health Policy. "These survey results underscore the importance of taking action now to improve the environments in which we live, work, learn and play."

In February, Kaiser Permanente announced the launch of Thriving Schools, a comprehensive, national effort for K-12 school students, staff and teachers focused on creating a culture of health in school. The organization is also a partner of Let's Move! Active Schools and a founding member of the Partnership for a Healthier America, the nonpartisan non-profit charged with acting on the goals and vision of Let's Move!. As a health care organization, Kaiser Permanente delivers care to an estimated 2 million students, parents, staff and teachers across nine states and the District of Columbia. In 2012, Kaiser Permanente partnered with HBO (Home Box Office), the Institute of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation to launch The Weight of the Nation, one of the most ambitious public health campaigns addressing America's obesity epidemic to date. In May 2013, this group launched The Weight of the Nation for Kids, a three-part film series focused on youth.

Additional details of the survey findings include:

Strong support for community groups and organizations to be involved in reducing obesity

Three in four Americans (74 percent) believe that community groups and organizations should be involved in reducing obesity, and that it's not a family or personal issue only. However, most people gave their own community poor grades on efforts to reduce obesity. Nine in 10 respondents say local K-12 schools should play a role in reducing obesity in their community, of whom 64 percent say the schools should take a major role.

New USDA school nutrition standards broadly endorsed

Eighty-three percent of Americans favor the new USDA school nutrition standards for meals served to students and 71 percent endorse extending new standards to foods kids can buy in school other than mealtime.

Differences across ethnic populations

Larger proportions of African Americans (84 percent) and Latinos (82 percent) than others believe community groups and organizations should be involved in reducing obesity. Latinos (93 percent) and African Americans (87 percent) are also more likely to endorse the new USDA school nutrition standards than other ethnic populations.

Differences across selected states and regions

The views of residents in California, Colorado, the Greater Washington D.C. Area and the Pacific Northwest are generally similar to those of the overall U.S. public on most of the issues polled. Some areas where differences are found across these states and regions include the following:

Californians are somewhat more likely than others to describe obesity as a very serious problem and to say that community groups and organizations outside the family should be involved in combating the problem.
Californians, along with residents of the Pacific Northwest, are also somewhat more apt to think it is highly important for schools to increase opportunities for kids to walk and bike to school.
Both California adults and residents of the Greater Washington D.C. Area are more likely than others to strongly endorse the new USDA school nutrition standards for meals served in school.
While Coloradans are just as likely to believe that K-12 schools should be involved in obesity-reduction efforts, fewer believe employers and government should be playing a major role in these efforts.

About the Survey

The survey was conducted by telephone in English and Spanish among a random sample of U.S. adults nationwide, with over-samples in California, Colorado, the Greater Washington D.C. Area and the Pacific Northwest. A total of 2,104 interviews were completed overall, 801 with adults nationwide, 500 in California, 326 in Colorado, 326 in the Greater D.C. Area and 325 in the Pacific Northwest. In each area the survey employed a dual-frame landline/cellphone telephone design to sample adult residents. The study was commissioned by Kaiser Permanente and its agency, Cause Communications, and conducted by Field Research Corp. All interviews were completed by professionally trained interviewers March 5 to April 14, 2013 from Field Research's central location call center in San Diego.

About Field Research Corporation

Field Research Corporation is a national, full service consumer marketing and public opinion research firm headquartered in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1945 by Mervin Field, Field Research has been serving the survey research needs of business, industry and government for more than 60 years. It was one of the nation's first survey research organizations and today ranks among the most respected.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. The company is recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente's mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. It currently serves approximately 9.1 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Kaiser Permanente experts and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. The company is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to kp.org/newscenter.

For more information, contact:
Susannah Patton, Kaiser Permanente
510-421-1479, [email protected]

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente