According to the CDC for children aged 2-19 years old, 18.5% (roughly 13.7 million) children and adolescents are considered to be obese.  Broken down by ages, 2-5 year olds had a 13.9% obesity prevalence, 6-11 year olds have an 18.4% obesity prevalence and 20.6% of 12-19 year olds are considered to be obese.  These frightening statistics led faculty at the Tollesboro Elementary School to invite the Lewis County Extension Office Nutrition Education Program (NEP) Assistant to come into the classroom and present nutrition education programming to the students in kindergarten, first and third grade classes.  In conjunction with the nutrition education program, the school initiated a step challenge for the students to participate in as well.  

Throughout the year, the NEP Assistant visited each of the classrooms individually, and using a combination of Discover MyPlate curriculum for K1 classes and Professor Popcorn for 3rd grade, presented the students with information on how to choose healthy foods, identifying “sometimes” foods and played games with the students to get them up and moving.  Included with each visit was a tasting party where students had the opportunity to try a healthy food.  Foods like Pasta Salad, Veggie Kabobs, Friendship Wraps and Fruit Parfaits were on the menu for the students.  Prior to these tasting parties, a school food service employee stated “They’re picky – we throw so much food away it’s pitiful.”  As the year progressed, the same food service employee expressed shock at the fact that students were eating many of the things they once refused.  “We made parfaits for breakfast and ran out before we were finished serving!” stated the employee.  More impressive than parfaits being eaten was the fact that out of the students in the nutrition program, 87% improved their ability to select foods that were more nutritious for them.  56% of students in the 3rd-5th grade reporting they began eating vegetables as a snack while 44% reported a decrease in consumption of soda.  In addition to their improved eating habits, students reported a 47% increase in their understanding of the importance of physical activity and actually getting more physical activity each day.  All of these improvements point to a group of elementary students who stepped towards 100,000 steps and better health overall – and they had fun doing it!