Effective partnership: how school nurses and physical education teachers can combat childhood obesity

School systems face many challenges in attempting to address the childhood overweight and obesity epidemic. Given the accumulated nature of the required physical activity and the likelihood that only one meal will be delivered while on school grounds, the potential for impactful change in obese or overweight children through school policy is limited. From this vantage point, it is easy to see that physical education programs alone cannot ensure that children participate in 60 minutes of daily physical activity. The necessary multifaceted approach requires opportunities for physical activity to be obtained throughout the school day. The school nurse and physical education teachers are the school personnel most likely to be involved in efforts to curtail the childhood overweight and obesity epidemic at the school level. These individuals are in critical roles of assisting both parents and children when it comes to understanding the devastating effects of being overweight and obese and in helping children identify positive health behaviors that may help reverse this condition. The purpose of this article is to describe the ways in which the school nurse and physical education teacher can work collaboratively to better address the childhood overweight and obesity epidemic.