Childhood obesity is a growing problem in the United States. In children and teenagers from 2 to 19 years old, the obesity rate is around 18.5%, meaning approximately 13.7 million children and adolescents suffer from obesity.
The CDC has reported that one in every five children and adolescents in America is now obese. Today, we’ll discuss some reasons for childhood obesity in the U.S. and how we can counter it by installing healthy vending machines in schools.
Causes of Childhood Obesity in America
The rate of obesity in America is continuing to increase. A significant factor of childhood obesity is unhealthy food provided to children in schools. The National Center on Education and the Economy states that children spend around 6.8 hours on average in school.
Hence, over 49.5 million public students in America spend the majority of their day in school, where they consume unhealthy food that leads to childhood obesity. There have been previous attempts by authorities to promote a culture of healthy eating in schools. For example, in 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture standardized food and drinks sold in schools according to their nutritional value.
The initiative is called Smart Snacks in School. It limits the amount of sugar, fat, sodium, and calories present in competitive foods, outside of food included in federal school meal programs.
Many schools banned junk foods from vending machines to persuade kids to eat healthy meals. However, a study conducted at the University of Illinois found that banning vending machine food simply encouraged students to find other unhealthy food options and increase their intake.
How Can Healthy Vending Machines Decrease Childhood Obesity?
The solution to decreasing childhood obesity is not to remove vending machines from schools but rather to provide healthy eating options. Healthy vending machines that stock organic and fresh foods will encourage school-going children to select nutritious food and eat healthily.
Children look for convenient and fast-food options. Installing eco-friendly food vending machines in schools will give them quick and easy access to meals they can eat as they walk to and from class.
This is where we come in! MeFit Vending is a vending machine service provider in San Jose. We offer delicious, nutrient-rich food, including perishables such as sandwiches, falafel bowls, low-calorie salads, regular and diet sodas, and snacks such as eggs, tacos, bagels, and burritos.
We’re committed to providing healthy food options to students in schools. Our smart vending machines have an energy-saving mode which saves school administration power and money. We also offer excellent customer service and ensure that our vending machines remain stocked and replenished at all times. Contact us to benefit from our vending services in San Jose schools.