Free from the scrutiny of their school's fruit and vegetable police, Rian Hoover and Michael Dodge are trying to make healthy choices over the holiday break.

Four days in, Rian, a seventh-grader, said she was resisting temptation.

"We got caramel popcorn last night and I said 'No,' " she said.

Dodge has been exercising regularly, but the eighth-grader admitted, "I eat a lot of candy."

At his health-conscious school, he said, "I'd get in trouble if I ate it."

Schools such as Creative Connections Arts Academy in North Highlands are hammering home the importance of developing healthy eating and exercise habits as part of the curriculum, and some teachers assigned homework over the holidays.

There's good reason.

Over the past three decades, the proportion of overweight children in the United States has nearly tripled. In California, approximately one in three children and one in four teens is estimated to be overweight, increasing their risk for Type 2 diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other life-threatening conditions.

And according to a report released this month by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, obesity among the state's low-income teenagers is nearly triple that of more affluent peers.

Thuy Pham assigned sixth-graders at Creative Connections to do 300 push-ups, with their parents as witnesses, during the holiday break.

Besides helping the kids stay in shape, Pham said, "Hopefully it will empower parents to get involved also."

Other school districts in the Sacramento region have sent out messages warning students not to overindulge during the holidays.

Anne Gaffney, dietitian and nutrition specialist with the Elk Grove Unified School District, encouraged "healthy parties" where fruits and vegetables are served instead of desserts.

In the Folsom Cordova Unified School District, Mary Ann Delleney, health programs coordinator, said her advice to students is "like preaching to myself: eat better and exercise more."

During December, the West Sacramento-based Health Education Council sent out a brochure to teachers in its 14-county Gold Country region encouraging them to "finish the year off strong with fruits, vegetables, and physical activity."

Among their advice: Have students draw their favorite winter activity and have them create a healthy side dish focused around fruits and vegetables.

Lisa Liss, a fifth-grade teacher at Hazel Strauch Elementary School in North Sacramento, uses materials from the Health Education Council in her classroom.

About 70 percent of the students there are eligible for subsidized lunches, and more vulnerable to obesity, according to studies. Liss encourages students to go outside rather than play video games during the holidays. As for snacking, she tells them, "Make sure you're munching something healthy."

Creative Connections Arts Academy has an open fruits and vegetables policy, Pham said. Students can eat them anytime.

On a recent rainy day, when the weather forced his class to stay inside, Pham ran his students through a succession of jumping jacks and push-ups. In between, they ate carrots, bananas and carrot sticks stored on their desks.

When it comes to teaching healthy eating, Pham said his biggest challenges are home and societal habits.

"It's cooler to eat hot Cheetos," he said.

Despite his best efforts, Pham is aware many of his former and current students still eat less-than-healthy food at school.

"When they walk down the hall and see me they hide it," he said.

But Pham's message appears to be reaching at least some of its intended audience this holiday.

Rian, who was in Pham's class last year, said her dinner earlier this week included a salad and chicken without the skin.

"I'm not eating bad. I watch what I eat," she said.

Call The Bee's Walter Yost, (916) 321-1146.