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By Mariya Ilyas & Cassie Rasmussen Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors’

Obesity is a pervasive issue in the United States, especially in Michigan where 31.2% of adults and approximately 14% of children are obese. School-based policies are an integral part in addressing childhood obesity as children spend the majority of their time at school.

The United States’ image as the land of opportunity stubbornly persists despite mounting evidence to the contrary: American children’s prospects of earning more than their parents have fallen from 90% to 50% over the last century. According to Stanford University economist Raj Chetty, “It’s basically a coin flip whether you’ll do better than your parents.” The shock value of these facts masks a far more subtle and pervasive problem in our country—the way inequality, mobility, poverty, and success is measured in the United States is ineffective and incomplete.