Eating Good and Moving Like We Should: A Consideration for Registered Dietitians in Schools

Abstract

Background: While teachers and school nurses may not be able to provide nutrition education to students because of their other duties, registered dietitians have the necessary training in counseling, nutrition education, nutrition therapy, and food service management to be effective at childhood obesity prevention. Objectives: The purpose of eating good and moving like we should (EGMLWS), a school-based intervention, was to create a successful program to prevent and reduce childhood obesity in the Mississippi Delta by providing nutrition education by a registered dietitian. Methods: The subjects were 1,891 third (school year 2012 - 2013) and fourth graders (2013 - 2014) in 7 Mississippi schools in the north Mississippi River Delta region. The school-based nutrition and physical activity education program was designed to address overweight and obesity in the Mississippi Delta and north Mississippi regions by helping children make healthier nutrition and physical activity choices. The registered dietitian provided nutrition education and consulted to make school menus healthier and more appealing. Pre-and post-school year heights and weights were measured. Results: Paired t-tests showed significantly lowered mean BMI in 5 schools (P < 0.05); no change in 2 schools and no change over all schools, although all schools had individuals with decreased BMI. Conclusions: School-based nutrition interventions that feature a registered dietitian can make an impact. The EGMLWS program improved the nutrition knowledge and nutrition-related attitudes of north Mississippi Delta third and fourth graders and significantly improved BMI in 5 of 7 schools.