Another unique aspect of Project Healthy Schools is the relationship it builds with food and beverage vending machine companies and the school's food management services to implement heart-healthy nutrition changes for student lunches, says Theresa Han-Markey, MS, RD, in the Human Nutrition Program at the U-M School of Public Health. As a result, students will see improved vending options and healthier food offered in the a la carte line of the cafeteria. “We hope to find ways to build cardiovascular prevention into the students advisory time, health time and even science classes,” says Eagle. “This can help the students learn those disciplines and recognize behaviors in their lives that are likely to be long-lasting. It's a win-win situation.”

“Food and beverage vending machines contribute to overweight and obesity when children eat or drink too much,” she says. “So smaller portions, less frequency of eating these types of foods can help, and so can teaching children to eat in moderation or making better choices can improve their overall nutrition intake.”

By targeting middle school students, Project Healthy Schools hopes to encourage healthy adult behaviors during a time when pre-teens and teenagers begin to experience other changes in their lives and establish life-long habits.

“If we can take advantage of that moment to see them establish life-long behaviors, both toward what they eat and their physical activity, we're hoping it will last into their adult lives,” Eagle says.

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