Many schools are now required to implement school wellness programs to help improve the health and fitness of students. BikeWithMe has been designed and is being offered to aid schools as they implement their Wellness Policies.
Moreover, the BikeWithMe school contests program are free and represent a new approach to helping people develop active lifestyles.
The Obesity Crises
"The nation is currently facing a major long-term public health crisis. In recent years, unprecedented numbers of Americans of all ages have become either overweight or obese. This trend toward overweight and obesity has accelerated during the past decade and is well documented by numerous scientific analyses. ... Unfortunately, this trend towards obesity shows no signs of abating. If it is not reversed, the gains in life expectancy and quality of life resulting from modern medicine's advances on disease will erode, and more health-related costs will burden the nation's healthcare systems. For these reasons, the trend toward obesity must be reversed." US FDA
Federal Government Mandate
Congress recognizes that schools play a critical role in promoting student health, preventing childhood obesity, and combating problems associated with poor nutrition and physical inactivity. To formalize and encourage this role, Congress passed a law (P.L. 108 - 265). Each local educational agency participating in a program authorized by the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq) or the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq) shall establish a local school wellness policy by School Year 2006."
This legislation supports President George W. Bush's HealthierUS initiative. This Initiative helps Americans take steps to improve personal health and fitness and encourages all Americans, including children, to be physically active every day; eat a nutritious diet; get preventive screening; and make healthy choices.
The legislation also places the responsibility of developing a wellness policy at the local level, so that the individual needs of each district can be addressed. According to the requirements for the Local Wellness Policy, school districts must set goals for nutrition education, physical activity, campus food provision, and other school-based activities designed to promote student wellness. Additionally, districts are required to involve a broad group of individuals in policy development and to have a plan for measuring policy implementation.
USDA - National Wellness Policy
