NEW HAVEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Fact: Studies show overweight children are more likely to become overweight adults, and people of color are at greatest risk.

Solution: Increase physical activity among elementary school children to help reduce obesity and the risks associated with it, such as diabetes.

Sounds simple enough. But where do you begin?

In New Haven, where about 88 percent of public school enrollment is minority students, it started in October 2006 with six pilot public schools as part of a 26-month program, supported by a $400,000 grant from the Connecticut Health Foundation (CT Health).

Concern grew from several troubling results of a 2002 American Obesity Association nationwide study:

The number of overweight/obese children and adolescents more than doubled in the past 20 years
30.3 percent of children ages 6-11 are overweight and 15.3 percent are obese
30.4 percent of adolescents ages 12-19 are overweight and 15.5 percent are obese
Obesity is strongly associated with at least 15 life-threatening or debilitating conditions, including Type 2 diabetes

Today, the New Haven Public School (NHPS) program, Physical Activity & Wellness (PAW), is in 18 K-8 schools and includes:

Daily classroom-based physical activity
School wellness teams led by a designated staff facilitator
Development of a health promoting school culture.

PAW schools receive intensive training, support, materials and resources from the district wellness committee and community partners, making it possible to implement and sustain health-promoting initiatives at the school and district levels.

"The PAW program complements and broadens the existing health education curriculum, increases daily physical activity among young students and enables schools to prioritize and address health issues effectively with broad participation of staff and, increasingly, parents," says Sue Peters, director of the PAW project for NHPS.

"Over the past three years in our pilot schools, we have witnessed a three-fold increase in health-promoting activities, programs and school-wide campaigns, with broader participation from staff and parents each year." These efforts, along with the positive changes already made in school nutrition, will help reduce several risk factors for obesity and encourage early adoption of health behaviors and attitudes, while diminishing the health disparities attributable to a lack of physical activity.

Website: www.nhps.net