CBSE to Put Up Oil Boards in School after Sugar Boards

With child obesity and lifestyle diseases becoming a major problem in India, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued a new directive to all its affiliated schools in India to install so-called Oil Boards, which were designed to help students adopt more healthy eating habits. This new campaign will be the second after the success of the last year sugar campaign dubbed as the Sugar Boards where a national campaign was rolled out last year on reducing the consumption of sugary foods in the country by raising awareness in the school setting. What this would really mean to students, schools and parents is really explained here.

Oil Boards After Sugar Boards In Schools

The implementation of the idea of the Oil Boards is because of the shocking numbers on the health of the Indian youth. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5, 2019-21) shows that over a fifth of adults in urban regions of India are obese or overweight with rapidly increasing levels among children. A study in Lancet predicts that overweight and obese adults already currently stand  at 18 crore in India and may reach 45 crore by 2050. In addition, the consumption of food that is rich in unhealthy oils and fats by students with a low level of physical activity is known to be one of the factors that have contributed to this trend. Schools are the logical places where to promote awareness and transformation of lifelong eating habits.

What are the oil boards of CBSE?

The concept of Oil Boards is a visual display on a poster or digital screen in strategic locations in CBSE affiliated schools like cafeteria, hall ways, class rooms, staff rooms, and other popular places where students spend time. These boards will have:

• Facts and warnings of the health hazards of using foods containing high fats and oil.
• Student-friendly graphs indicating the level of oil in the snacks that people often eat.
• Advice on healthier diet (e.g. selecting snacks that are baked rather than fried).
• Positive messages on the diets that strike a balance between fruits, vegetables and low-oil foods

CBSE Healthy Eating Campaign instructions for schools

The campaign by CBSE is for the welfare of students. The Board has requested schools to be holistic:

• Install Oil Boards: Put visual displays with warnings and health information at points of heavy traffic.
• Health Messages in School Stationery: Print advice and reminders on eating healthy on paper stationery items, such as notebooks, letterhead, and other school material and maintain the message all through the time, during school days.
• Healthy Menus: Advertise to have healthier foods in canteens such as fruits, vegetables and low-fat foods. Restrict or eliminate the consumption of deep fried snacks and sugary drinks. 
• Promotion of Physical Activity: It is recommended that the schools should have brief physical activity breaks, encourage stair use and enable walking paths to counter the sedentary trends.
• Experiential Learning: The students will be able to participate in creating their own oil boards and posters and even create a research project connected with the topic of healthy eating.

The Road to 'Oil Boards' Success': Sugar Boards

This Oil Board project is based on the previous program of the use of Sugar Boards that informed students on the presence of hidden sugar in common snacks and beverages. Good results were seen in many schools and they included:

• More student knowledge of the sugar in food. 
• More healthy meals in canteens and fewer sugar items are available. 
• Regular workshops and classroom experiences to emphasize on the importance of mindful eating.

Given that CBSE will implement this strategy in many more areas, it will result in a much higher change in kids' awareness and choices of food, including rather poor decision making that are caused by unhealthy oils and fats.

Why does this matter? 

A long-term effect of making healthy food the convenient choice in schools is the motivation of this campaign of CBSE:

• Children shall Learn about Healthy Lifestyle: Introducing children to nutrition recommendations early in life helps them to improve their choices in the house and invigorates other family members to reconsider their lifestyle.
• Benefits Community Wide: Given that the parents and teachers are also included in the conversation, the word is spread about the wellness way beyond the school gates.
• Potential Impact: Research also demonstrates that projects of this kind, namely health education, may decrease childhood obesity rates as much as 20% in particular.

With the launch of 'Oil Boards', this is a significant initiation towards the battle against lifestyle disease in the upcoming generation of Indians. With education, environmental interventions, and the involvement of family combined, CBSE is optimistic to develop sustainable healthy breakthrough eating habits building outwards to the classroom.

Schools and school going children can do much to assure a brighter, fitter future of India as they become a central source of support in the creation of lifelong fitness and maintaining proper diets.