A healthy lifestyle program: promoting child health in schools.

The problem of overweight children is an increasing public health concern in the United States. Many children today consume diets that are high in fat, lack regular physical activity, and receive minimal amounts of nutrition education at school. School-based education about nutrition and healthy lifestyles provides an opportunity for intervention with all children. A program for 4th- and 5th-grade students was designed to increase the student's knowledge about nutrition and healthy lifestyles. After implementation of the program, there was a significant increase in student knowledge of nutrition and healthy lifestyles as determined by a pretest and posttest evaluation. The results have implications for school nurses because childhood behaviors have such a profound impact on future adult lifestyle choices.