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| Westchester County’s Fit Kids Program: a Partnership with Local Schools to Fight Childhood Obesity |
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| Healthy Schools | |||
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by Toby Miller, RD, MA, MBA, Fit Kids Coordinator February 2010 Did you know that about 1 in 3 children in the United States is overweight or obese? Westchester is no different. In addition to statistics showing increasing levels of childhood overweight and obesity, it’s been observed that American children consume processed foods and sugary drinks in excessive quantities and are not as physically active as they should be. As many of you are no doubt aware, the Surgeon General, as well as other health authorities, has said that health problems resulting from overweight and obesity could reverse many of the health gains achieved in recent decades. For the first time in two centuries, the current generation of children in America may have shorter life expectancies than their parents. The CDC reported that 70% of obese children in a sample of 5-17 year olds had at least one risk factor for heart disease while 39% had two or more risk factors. Diseases that were once considered to be adult maladies, for example type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, are now being diagnosed in children.Because schools play such a prominent role in a) promoting healthy eating and physical activity habits among students, and b) establishing positive practices for the future, the Westchester County Fit Kids Program was developed to partner with local schools to improve the quality of food offered in school cafeterias and vending machines; to create opportunities for regular physical activity among students before, during, and after school; to encourage the development of policies and environments that support good nutrition and physical activity. Fit Kids has been offering schools technical assistance in developing wellness programs, as well as providing access to resources, incentive prizes for participating students, and information about grant funding opportunities to enhance school programs. Fit Kids has had many successes: As part of their wellness policy, nine districts adopted nutrition standards and guidelines clearly defining those foods and beverages that can be sold at school a la carte in the cafeteria, in vending machines, and at fundraisers. Many districts dramatically improved the nutritional quality of the school lunches being served through the National School Lunch Program by renegotiating their contracts with food service providers. Ten schools implemented walking programs and several built outdoor hiking trails or designated indoor walking paths. Three schools now have weekly “Walk to School” days. Five school districts are working with their communities to explore the Safe Routes to School initiative and three districts have received New York State Department of Transportation funding to enhance their students’ ability to walk to school. School gardens have become a popular means of integrating nutrition education into hands-on experiences for students. Several schools have started school gardens as a year-round activity. Westchester County also organizes some county-wide activities for all of its schools: Since 2004, the Department of Health has sponsored No Junk Food Week to coincide with National Nutrition Month. “Contracts” have been provided for students to sign, indicating that they have selected only healthy snacks for the week designated by their school. Guidelines for selecting healthy snacks have been provided as well and, in 2009, 53 schools in 20 school districts with approximately 31,000 students participated in No Junk Food Week . Fit Kids also provided schools with TV-Turnoff Week materials for this national initiative promoting reduced screen time. In 2006, Westchester County worked with Kids Xpress magazine on its Fit Kids edition. The magazine was filled with games, puzzles, stories and interviews on health, nutrition and physical activity. 30,000 copies of the edition, written “by kids for kids,” were delivered to schools and libraries for distribution. In 2009, Westchester County partnered with Apogee Pilates and Wellness Center to introduce the Fit Kids Challenge, an activity which rewarded students with points for practicing healthy lifestyle behaviors, including healthy eating, physical activity, and limiting screen time. For more information about Fit Kids and how it works with the county’s schools, including materials to download, please visit the Westchester County Department of Health website.
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