The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Organization of American States (OAS) have launched new guidelines to help countries across the Americas develop policies that promote healthy eating and physical activity in schools. The initiative comes as childhood overweight, obesity, and physical inactivity continue to increase, creating long-term health risks for younger generations.
More than 30% of children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 in the Americas are currently living with overweight, while obesity rates have more than tripled over the past three decades. At the same time, more than 80% of adolescents do not meet the recommended levels of daily physical activity, increasing their risk of developing noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers later in life.
The new Regional Guidelines on Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Policies in School Settings (PASAFE) provide a framework for governments to design, implement, monitor, and evaluate school-based policies that encourage healthier lifestyles. The guidelines emphasize the importance of creating supportive school environments where healthy choices become easier for children and adolescents.
The recommendations include improving access to nutritious foods, strengthening school meal programs, adopting healthier food procurement policies, limiting the availability and marketing of ultra-processed products and sugary drinks in schools, and expanding opportunities for physical activity through quality physical education, active play, and community-based initiatives.
PAHO and OAS highlighted that schools play a critical role in shaping lifelong habits. By integrating health promotion into education systems, schools can support children’s physical well-being, emotional development, learning outcomes, and overall quality of life.
Vanessa Garcia Larsen, Chief of PAHO’s Risk Factors Unit, said the guidelines provide evidence-based tools to help countries create school environments that encourage healthier decisions and improve the well-being of children and adolescents. OAS representatives also emphasized that health and education are closely connected, with healthier students better positioned to participate, learn, and succeed.
The guidelines were developed through scientific research and consultations with ministries of health and education across the Americas. They also incorporate lessons from national experiences in countries including The Bahamas, Belize, and Colombia.
The initiative forms part of the joint PAHO–OAS Hemispheric Program on Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Policies in School Settings, which aims to strengthen national efforts to promote healthy behaviors from an early age and reduce the future burden of noncommunicable diseases.
