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TEAM Health
See photos
of the local recipients of the TEAM HEALTH initiative grants.
See updates from the TEAM
HEALTH recipients.
Foundation Teams up
with Area Schools to Fight Obesity
Grants Awarded to Six Public School Districts and Six
Preschools
Today’s
parents are savvy when it comes to protecting their children, from
monitoring the internet to screening video games. But few realize that
the biggest threat may be where they least expect it… right in their own
refrigerators.
The
National Institutes of Health has warned that the current generation of
American children may be the first generation in two centuries to have
shorter life spans than their parents. The leading cause? Not drugs,
alcohol or even cancer. Researchers point to childhood obesity. With the
percentage of overweight children doubling over the past 20 years, and
tripling among adolescents, our nation is in the midst of a true
epidemic. An increased prevalence of childhood obesity is expediting the
onset of chronic disease and serious health risks, including Type 2
diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Without intervention, health experts
predict that obesity may steal up to 5 years from our children’s lives.
The
Mountainside Health Foundation is teaming up with local schools and
preschools to reverse these troubling trends with two innovative
programs designed to promote healthy eating and exercise among our
region’s youth: TEAM HEALTH, a coordinated partnership with public
school districts located throughout the West Essex region, and STARTING
OUT HEALTHY, a program for preschoolers. These are the first major
health initiatives sponsored by the Foundation under its new mission as
a public charity. In total, the Mountainside Health Foundation will
donate nearly $80,000 toward projects that will impact more than 2,500
children.
TEAM
HEALTH is a school-based program that offers a cooperative approach to
combating obesity through health education, nutrition and physical
activity. School districts in the 14 towns traditionally served by
Mountainside Hospital were invited to submit grant proposals, with
funding available for one school per district. Grants have been awarded
to the following schools/districts: Brookdale Elementary
School/Bloomfield School District; Forest Avenue School/Glen Ridge
School District; Grover Cleveland Middle School/Caldwell-West Caldwell
School District; Hillside School/Montclair School District; South End
School/Cedar Grove School District; and Edison Central 6 Middle
School/West Orange School District.
Each
participating school developed a multi-faceted program targeting
elementary and middle school students. The initiatives will launch this
Fall with an array of creative, age appropriate and results-oriented
strategies for inspiring healthier lifestyles for children and their
families.
Schools
were required to integrate a fitness component into the TEAM HEALTH
curriculum to get students on the move. Proposals included a variety of
physical activities and motivators, from pedometers to playground games
to Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) — an interactive video game that
involves dancing to fast-paced music. “DDR offers a great,
non-competitive way for kids to exercise and get their hearts pumping,”
said Marie Lanfrank, Caldwell-West Caldwell Education Foundation, which
secured the TEAM HEALTH grant for Grover Cleveland Middle School.
“Studies show that children playing this exer-game improve their
cardiovascular health.”
West
Orange’s Edison 6 Middle School will take a different approach by
creating individualized fitness plans. “Our population is so diverse
that we decided to assess each student’s needs and then gear activities
to that child’s interests and fitness level,” explained health/physical
education teacher Kristen O’Connell. “The idea is to make students
responsible for themselves, getting them to buy into the intrinsic
rewards of better health and nutrition.”
Another
strategy is the peaceful playground, which will promote cooperative play
within structured, safe school environments. While encouraging fitness,
games such as Frisbee and hopscotch also promise to reduce injuries,
conflict and disciplinary issues on the playground by as much as 50
percent.
Physical
activities in the schools will be complemented by nutrition education
through “Food Pyramid Bingo,” health fairs, assemblies and other
engaging initiatives. Brookdale Elementary School, for example, will
allow students to grow herbs and vegetables with AeroGardens. Planting
projects will be tailored to each grade level, giving children the
opportunity to harvest their “crops” and sample healthy recipes.
Recognizing the importance of early education, STARTING OUT HEALTHY is
an obesity prevention program designed especially for preschool
children. The initiative will be implemented by Programs for Parents,
Inc. in six child care centers located in Montclair, West Orange and
Bloomfield. The preschools were selected based on the diversity of the
populations they serve.
The
STARTING OUT HEALTHY project will feature “Color Me Healthy,” an
evidence-based curriculum recommended by the New Jersey Department of
Health and Senior Services. A host of fun, interactive activities, such
as cooking classes, menu-planning and dancing will promote a culture of
nutrition and exercise in the schools. “Our goal is to empower and
educate children, their parents and child center staff,” asserted
Beverly Lynn, Chief Executive Officer, Programs for Parents, Inc. “At
the end of the day, we hope to set a foundation for creating and
maintaining healthier lifestyles.”
All of
the grant recipients for both TEAM HEALTH and STARTING OUT HEALTHY
anticipate positive, measurable outcomes from their programs, including
reductions in the number of overweight children (as determined by body
mass index) and improvements in physical fitness, nutrition practices
and other health indicators.
“We’re
excited and optimistic about the impact these initiatives will have on
the health of children in our communities,” added Pam Scott, Chief
Foundation Officer, Mountainside Health Foundation. “We look forward to
reviewing the outcomes and involving more schools next year.” Those
interested in joining the fight again childhood obesity with a
tax-deductible donation toward TEAM HEALTH and STARTING OUT HEALTHY may
contact The Mountainside Health Foundation at (973) 746-6130.
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