Research has shown, over the past several decades, how obesity has turned into a growing health epidemic in modern society. Obesity is linked to cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, strokes, certain forms of cancers, as well as other leading causes of preventable death. According to the Center for Disease Control, more than one-third of Americans are obese, including about one in five school-aged children (CDC, 2016). Moreover, obesity has been found to be more prevalent among people from a lower socioeconomic status. Finally, the rise in obesity rates is burdening the national health care system and contributing to the billions of dollars Americans spend each year on medical costs. The residents of Tennessee are not …show more content…
The plan includes three proposed strategies which the main objectives are: to educate school-age children on the importance of good health and the dangers of poor nutrition, increase consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, and promote physical activity. These public health approaches will make more healthy options available and accessible to the children in the PSSD and community as a …show more content…
And although schools in the PSSD offer general health education classes, there is a need to introduce a more relative program into the school system in order to educate school-aged children on the importance of obtaining good health and the negative effects of a poor diet. Therefore I propose implementing the Greenhouse Project to the schools in our municipality which will give students both a classroom and hands-on learning experience, where they will be educated on the food system and healthy eating. Children will be taught the method of planting vegetables, learn firsthand how to tend a garden and harvest their crops. This program will help students better understand where food comes from and develop a sense of