Legal interventions to prevent childhood obesity: school nutrition environment policies

Abstract

background: Obesity and overweight is 1 of the most serious health problems facing Canadian children and adolescents. Schools have been identified as an ideal platform for obesity prevention initiatives, as they are the only social institutions that can reach nearly all youth. However, policies to prevent obesity implemented on a school-by-school basis—or even district-by-district basis—will have minimal impact in addressing the nationwide problem of childhood obesity. In order to use schools effectively in obesity prevention, consistent and comprehensive nutrition environment policies are required in all Canadian schools. The logistics concerning the implementation of nationwide/province-wide policies have not been the focus of significant discourse in Canada. Moreover, school policies to prevent obesity are novel and lack substantive analysis and research from a legal perspective. The purpose of this project is to address this gap by (1) examining the rationale for and logistics of using school policies; (2) identifying appropriate nutrition environment policies for schools; and (3) identifying the role of law in the implementation of said policies.