In this era of increasing accountability and high-stakes testing in schools, a serious paradox has surfaced. Children are becoming overweight at an alarming rate, and mounting evidence points to a relationship between obesity and poor school performance. Ironically, pressure to improve children's academic achievement has led many schools to adopt certain policies, such as eliminating recess or reducing the number of physical education (PE) classes, that put children at greater risk of obesity (Cook, 2005). Critics have characterized schools as "obesogenic" environments that promote obesity through sedentary academic work, limited physical activity, and cafeteria fare of low nutritional value (Davidson, 2007). Furthermore, obesity is thought to be particularly of concern for children of minorities and those in poverty, who are already at high risk for underachievement (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2008b; Mirza et al., 2004). Teachers and schools can provide powerful leadership to help reverse the worldwide epidemic of childhood obesity while they endeavor to improve children's academic success. This article describes five strategies to guide teachers and schools in the fight against childhood obesity.
