Schools of Wellness Initiative Helps Broward and Palm Beach County Elementary Students Make Healthier Choices
Better Health for Ruben
Ruben is thrilled that he lost 15 pounds after participating in the Schools of Wellness initiative at Eagle Point Elementary School in Weston.
Why Kids Must Bite Back
- Approximately 15.5 percent of youths are age 12 through 19 are overweight, an increase of 258 percent since 1974
- Poor diet and physical inactivity account for more than 300,000 premature deaths each year in the U.S.
- One in every three children born after the year 2000 will become diabetic unless more people start eating healthier and exercising more
- Children now have a shorter life expectancy than their parents for the first time in 100 years
Source: Centers for Disease Control, Baylor College of Medicine
September 2005 — By the time Ruben reached 5th grade at Eagle Point Elementary School in Weston, he had fallen into the same routine as many children — eating fast food three or four times a week, drinking soda and exercising infrequently. At 5'2", he weighed 145 pounds.
After participating in the Schools of Wellness Initiative, a program designed to teach nutrition and exercise to 4th and 5th graders at Broward and Palm Beach County public schools, Ruben began drinking more water and substituting fast food with grilled meat, vegetables and fruit. Rather than sit at a computer or TV after school, he started swimming and playing football and kickball. His new routine, which helped him lose 15 pounds, continued through the summer with a healthy diet, self-defense classes and hiking the Grand Canyon with his family. Ruben’s mom, Evelyn, is thrilled that her son now says NO to fried chicken nuggets.
Three-Pronged Approach
The Schools of Wellness Initiative, developed by Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, North Broward Hospital District, YMCA of Palm Beach County, and Broward and Palm Beach County school boards, uses a three-pronged approach to improve students’ well-being, grades and attendance by teaching them to make healthier choices. SPARK (Sports Play and Active Recreation for Kids) Lifelong Wellness Program prompts them to incorporate more daily physical activity, while another component, South Florida Moves, encourages them to use pedometers to track their steps. At a summit held in Davie last February, 40 student representatives watched and learned how fast-food companies use advertising to lure people to their drive-through windows. They also helped form Kidz Bite Back, a social aspect of the Initiative which includes a website that encourages children to write fast-food companies to ask how much exercise it takes to burn off burgers, fries and sodas.
The Schools of Wellness Initiative was implemented in 16 schools last year. The program, funded locally by Children’s Services Council of South Florida, Health Foundation of South Florida and the Quantum Foundation, with a matching grant from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, includes another 18 schools this year and 16 more in the 2006-2007 school year.
Health Benefits
Cathy Whitt, Broward County Coordinator of the Schools of Wellness Initiative at Memorial Healthcare System, reports that FCAT scores went up when the Initiative was piloted at Fairway Elementary School. “The principal noted that once the students became involved in the walking program, they were more attentive and started performing better,” Whitt says.
The Initiative should prove even more successful this year, Whitt says, since teachers will integrate nutrition and exercise lessons into FCAT preparations. Also, rather than student representatives attending one summit, each school will host its own presentation in game-show fashion with new bicycles as incentives.
For Ruben, who entered middle school last month, the program’s continued results are reward enough. “He’s so proud of himself,” Evelyn says. “When everyone praises him, you can just see that smile, like ‘I did it.’ I am so pleased he’s doing so wonderfully.”
If you are concerned about your child’s health and fitness and would like a referral to a physician, call
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Physician Referral Service toll-free at (866) JDCH-DOC. We’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.