UNMC obesity expert develops school design guidelines to promote
healthy eatingRecommendations could become part of national
strategy to reduce childhood obesity Recommendations could
become part of national strategy to reduce childhood obesity
Since kids spend much of their day at school, obesity experts
think school design can impact student health. A University of
Nebraska Medical Center obesity expert is the main author of a
report – Healthy Eating Design Guidelines for School
Architecture (HEDG) – which was released today in the journal
Preventing Chronic Disease published by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. Merging architecture with public health,
it details how cafeterias, water fountains, gardens and signage
play a key role in establishing a healthy environment. “We know
there is a direct link between student performance and student
health. What we want to do is develop evidence-based principles
of school design that optimize healthy eating and health
practices,” said Terry Huang, Ph.D.