Nationally, approximately 17% of people under the age of 20, approximately 12.5 million, are considered obese. School districts that serve students food that is high in calories and fat are responsible for the growing number of obese children. Although school meals provide food to students at minimal cost, the poor quality of food served provides inadequate nutrition and is responsible for the growing number of obese children in the United States. To combat this growing problem, school districts must limit students' choices in the cafeteria and provide healthier food nationwide. While some school districts may support this, it is necessary to do so as school districts in Pennsylvania and Mississippi and university studies support this claim. Despite the evidence provided by university studies, there are people who argue that school lunches are not directly associated with childhood. obesity. Jennifer Van Hook, a sociology professor at Pennsylvania State University, says that "schools represent only a small part of children's food environment." Van Hook argues that the obesity problem emerges with poor foot-wearing choices outside of school (Radford). This is especially true for teens who are more dependent and have more disposable income. Minors can obtain high-calorie, high-fat foods from home, fast food restaurants, and from other people. Van Hook also said that "kids are actually very busy in school... There aren't as many opportunities for kids to eat while they're at school, or at least to eat endlessly, compared to when they're at home." .” During the school term, students are not allowed to consume food except at certain times of the day. However, children consume the most calories outside of the classroom f... middle of paper... in both school districts. Overall, school districts that have implemented more stringent food policies have seen a decrease in childhood obesity, supported by numerous studies. Healthier lunch options in schools are on the rise, but it's a slow progression. Obesity is still a rapidly growing problem in the United States. One of the best and easiest things people can do is bring their own lunch to school. Brown bag lunches have been shown to be much healthier than eating them in school canteens. Although healthy school lunch options are slowly rolling out across the country, the results are stellar with school districts reporting a decrease in childhood obesity. With more information about this issue and more support for schools to offer healthier lunch options, America may be able to get rid of this epidemic that America has faced for years..