Students in Mason County, West Virginia, are able to begin their school day with a healthy, nutritious breakfast. They eat with their fellow classmates and prepare their brains for a day of learning. The success of school breakfasts for all students in Mason County has lead to the passing of a bill that will require all schools in West Virginia to provide a school breakfast to every student before the day's lesson's begin. The goal of this program is to improve achievement in the state and reduce childhood obesity, which is extremely important in this state with 29% of high school students being obese. Along with requiring breakfast, this bill requires every county to set up a fund to collect private donations that will go toward other healthy initiatives like buying more fresh produce ...
A new pubcast, "Obesity Control in Latin American and United States Latinos: A Systematic Review," examines research programs that combined physical activity and healthy eating to address obesity can help guide efforts to tackle the epidemic in the United States and Latin America. The pubcast, published by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, is from the Institute for Behavioral and Community Health at San Diego State University. Read more about this research ...
Unhealthy drinks are the source of many extra calories in kids' diets, especially among Latino children. Unfortunately sodas and other sugary drinks are easy to find in almost every community---even in hospitals! Let's be real: hospitals and sugary drinks just don't mix! In order to encourage patients and their families to make healthy beverage options, Indiana University Heath has begun removing all sugary drinks from cafeterias, vending machines and gift shops. Starting with their downtown Indianapolis and Fishers hospitals, the hospital system plans to eventually move sugary drinks out of its about a dozen other hospitals around the state. This sort of internal policy helps patients and families make healthier choices in a place that should serve as a role model for healthy ...
Parent role models from the Chicago area are getting involved at schools to improve the health of their children, through the Healthy Schools Campaign (HSC). According to HSC parents United for Healthy Schools (PUHS)/ Padres Unidos para Escuelas Saludables is a Coalition of parents and community members who work to create healthy school environments for the city’s children, particularly those in low-income minority communities. In this video Karina, a mother and member of PUHS, talks about how PUHS gave her the tools she needed to become an active parent leader: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-ON9Ffl3Z0 In March of 2012, PUHS decided to form a school wellness team at the Greene Elementary School in Chicago to improve the heath of their children. The school hosted their first ...
Interested in trying to make your community healthier? Be sure to check out the new Healthy Community Design Toolkit, which spells out steps for Arizona residents to get involved in community planning to contribute to changes that can result in the creation of healthy physical environments. The guide was developed by the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) in collaboration with the ADHS Healthy Community Design Collaborative. But even if you're not from Arizona, the plan can serve as a model for local efforts in your neck of the woods. Check out the plan ...
Let's Move--the comprehensive obesity prevention campaign led by first lady Michelle Obama--has launched its Let's Move Active School initiative. According to the new website site, an active school is one that seeks to increase opportunities for: (1) physical education; (2) physical activity during school; (3) physical activity before and after school; (4) staff involvement; and (5) family and community engagement. Visit the Let's Move!, Active Schools website for more information on how to make your school more ...
When focus groups were conducted among parents, the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity found that parents are often unaware of the ploys used by food marketing companies to entice children to consume unhealthy foods. The qualitative research presented in this report demonstrates the need to enlist support from parents in order to limit food marketing to ...
Follow the Y Street teens on Twitter to see learn about their latest efforts to reduce childhood obesity in Virginia. Recently Y Street volunteers worked with the ActOut campaign to conduct a survey, to learn about physical activity in the ...
Food companies launch marketing campaigns disguised as charities to schools. Experts agree that too much sugar, salt, and fat, in food marketed to children, is contributing to the childhood ...
