Part of the function of education is to show students, by example, the path to achieving future success. And although the public schools' emphasis remains on academics, as it should, one mission of the state Department of Education surely must be guiding students toward healthful habits.

Consider the urgency of the situation: Health measures now suggest that our youth could grow up to be the first generation of adults who will die younger than their parents did. That's due to diseases linked with obesity and inactivity — heart disease and diabetes among them.

At last, our education officials at federal and state levels are taking steps to reverse the trend. Because of a 2004 federal law and a subsequent Board of Education policy, Hawai'i schools are now implementing Wellness Guidelines. Principals and staff have until the end of the 2010 school year to meet all the criteria in the food served and sold on campus and in the schools' promotion of fitness.

Some food companies have moved to tailor their products to meet healthier ingredients and serving-size criteria in order to pass. That's the value of a national campaign: It creates a demand for products that, to their credit, businesses already are filling.

Granted, the job of shaping the physical well-being of children still rests largely with parents. But at least government should work to support families in meeting that goal.