Illinois School Wellness Policy Task Force - Report on Recommendations for Statewide School Nutrition Standards

Oct 10, 2026

Uploaded by Elsa

Illinois School Wellness Policy Task Force report presenting statewide school nutrition standards and related recommendations. It explains the federal and state legislative basis for local wellness policies, the creation and reporting duties of the Task Force, and the rationale for action. The background reviews children’s health trends, especially childhood overweight and obesity, identifies risk factors linked to poor diet and physical inactivity, and highlights nutritional inadequacies observed among children and adolescents.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Background

Trends in Children’s Health: Causes for Concern

Illinois School Wellness Policy Task Force Report on Recommendations for Statewide School Nutrition Standards January 2007 Illinois School Wellness Policy Task Force Report Background Recognizing that schools can play a critical role in supporting children’s health and preventing problems associated with poor nutrition and physical inactivity, Congress passed a law (P. L. 108-265) that requires local education authorities participating in U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Child Nutrition Programs to establish local wellness policies by school year 2006– 2007. This federal law and the growing concern about childhood obesity led to the passage of state legislation (Public Act 94-0199) . This act modifies the Illinois School Code (105 ILCS 5/2- 3/137) and requires the Illinois State Board of Education to establish a goal that all school districts have a wellness policy consistent with recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is responsible for ensuring the implementation of this Act. Public Act 94-0199 also establishes an Illinois School Wellness Policy Task Force consisting of members representing 19 organizations with a vested interest in children’s health. This Public Act requires the Task Force to submit the following reports to the General Assembly and the Governor: 1) identification of barriers to developing and implementing school wellness policies and recommendations to reduce those barriers by January 1, 2006; 2) recommendations on statewide school nutrition standards by January 1, 2007; and 3) evaluation of five to ten school districts on the effectiveness of school wellness policies by January 1, 2008. The first report on the barriers to implementing school wellness policies has been submitted and [is available at](is available at www.isbe.net/nutrition/htmls/wellness_policy.htm. This)[ www.isbe.net/nutrition/htmls/wellness_policy.htm](is available at www.isbe.net/nutrition/htmls/wellness_policy.htm. This)[. This](is available at www.isbe.net/nutrition/htmls/wellness_policy.htm. This) document is the second report on recommendations for statewide school nutrition standards. Trends in Children’s Health: Causes for Concern Currently one-third of children and youth nationwide are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. Over the past 30 years the childhood obesity rate has nearly tripled forchildren ages 2–5 years (from 5 to 14 percent) and for youth ages 12–19 years (from 5 to 17 percent) and quadrupled for children ages 6–11 years (from 4 to 19 percent) (CDC, 2005; Ogden et al. , 2002, 2006) . This is a concern because overweight children and teens are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and have risk factors for cardiovascular disease (Freedman et al, 1999; DHHS and CDC, 2006) . Overweight children are also much more likely to become overweight adults with increased risk for chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some forms of cancer (DHHS, 2001; DHHS/CDC, 2006) . Illinois children appear to be at greater risk for being overweight. (Ariza et al. , 2004; CDC, 1996, 2006b ; CLOCC, 2004; Whitman et al. , 2004; IDPH, 2004; Wang et al. , 2005) . Data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (1988–1994) revealed that Illinois children, 6-to 10-years-old, were 1.5 times more likely to be overweight and children 11-to 16-years-old were 2.5 times more likely to be overweight when compared to the national average (CDC, 1996; CLOCC, 2004) . One study of 2½-year-old children in six different Chicago communities revealed that 13 to 53 percent were overweight (Whitman et al. , 2004) . The Healthy Smiles, Healthy Growth survey, conducted by the Illinois Department of Public Health, reported that 39 percent of children surveyed were either overweight or at risk for becoming overweight, as compared to 33 percent nationally (IDPH, 2004; Ogden et al. , 2006) . Th

FAQs

Why were statewide school nutrition standards recommended?

Schools are described as playing a critical role in supporting children’s health and preventing problems linked to poor nutrition and physical inactivity. Childhood obesity trends and childhood health risks are used to justify statewide nutrition standards and wellness policies.

What legal framework led to the creation of Illinois school wellness policies?

A federal law requires local education authorities in USDA Child Nutrition Programs to establish local wellness policies by the 2006–2007 school year. Illinois state legislation then modifies the Illinois School Code and directs the State Board of Education to ensure district wellness policies align with CDC recommendations.

How does the report describe children’s health trends and main contributing factors?

The report states that a large proportion of children and youth are overweight or at risk, with obesity rates rising over decades. It links increased overweight to modifiable factors such as poor diet and physical inactivity, and notes inadequate nutrient intakes such as calcium, fiber, and magnesium.

Oct 10, 2026

Uploaded by Elsa