Nutrition education programs in BC schools: Policy alternatives to improve health outcomes

Canadian students are facing severe health implications stemming from increased disconnection with the food they consume and how it affects the physical body. This decade has brought recent increases in morbidity and mortality stemming primarily from modifiable factors that can be changed by choices and behaviour. Irregular eating habits and increased consumption of processed foods have contributed to an increase in Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, overweight and obesity. As a result, this generation’s children are expected to live a shorter life than their parents. Currently, BC schools are not mandated to include a nutrition education aspect to their health programs, which is one way of encouraging students to adopt healthier habits. Schools are an ideal intervention point for effective programming to reach a large percentage of the population. This study presents several policy options meant to increase student access to current, evidence-based nutritional information through school-based programs that will encourage them to develop healthier habits and relationships with food that will persist into their futures and decrease risk of morbidity and mortality.