Category: Health & Wellness

Quincy & Mission Hill Schools Win National Healthy School Awards

The Josiah Quincy Elementary School and the Mission Hill K-8 School have just been named recipients of bronze level National Recognition Awards from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a partnership between the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation. The Healthy Schools Program National Recognition Award is an honor given to acknowledge schools that have implemented changes in order to create healthier school environments.

With one in three US children or teens overweight or obese, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation is working reduce the nationwide prevalence of childhood obesity by 2015.  The Alliance aims to empower kids to make healthy lifestyle choices and to positively affect the places that can make a difference to a child’s health: homes, schools, doctor’s offices, and communities.

Seven Boston Public Schools were recognized. In response to the award, BPS Superintendent Carol R. Johnson said:

“The health and wellness of students in the Boston Public Schools is among our top priorities, and we are pleased to see our schools receiving national recognition for their efforts to fight childhood obesity . These awards reflect the results of an innovative collaboration among the schools, central departments, and partner organizations to increase physical activity and promote good nutrition among students.”

Congratulations to the Quincy and Mission Hill schools!

Mass in Motion grants $85,000 to Boston & Brockton

Mass in MotionThe Mass in Motion campaign, sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), this week awarded $25,000 in wellness grants to Boston and $60,000 to Brockton to improve community health and reduce chronic disease.

DPH says the funding will support community efforts to initiate policy and environmental changes to support healthy eating and active living. Boston and Brockton plan to create or expand existing partnerships among local government, community leaders, faith-based organizations, councils on aging, health care providers, businesses, and others to lead this effort. These two Mass in Motion grants  in addition to the more than $1 million in grants distributed to 12 other communities last year.

“As we kick off the second year of the Mass in Motion campaign, I am thrilled that we are able to continue to help cities and towns make an investment in creating healthier communities,” said Governor Deval Patrick. “We look forward to supporting Boston and Brockton as they bring Mass in Motion to life by successfully and creatively helping city residents make healthy choices and build a stronger Commonwealth.”

Youth Summit in the Allston-Brighton TAB

The Allston-Brighton Task Force on Substance Abuse Youth Summit, held on June 3 at Boston College, was recently featured on the front page of the Allston-Brighton TAB. Check out the story, as well as photos from the event, here!

22% of Children Will Live in Poverty, New Study Shows

More than one in five American children will live in poverty in 2010, according to projections from a new report by the Foundation for Child Development. The 2010 Child and Youth Well-Being Index (CWI) shows that the estimated rate of children living below the poverty line in 2010–22%– is the highest in 20 years.

The CWI used 28 indicators of quality of life ranging from economic to emotional well-being; based on data through 2008, the report extrapolates that the “family economic well-being” measure will sink to its lowest point since 1975. This can be attributed to the effects of the global recession, which began in 2008, and illustrates the lag time that typically occurs between the beginning of a recession and its subsequent impact on families. Six of the seven quality of life domains in the study are predicted to reach their lowest points this year.

“Research shows that children who slip into poverty, even for a short time, suffer long-term setbacks even when their families regain their economic footing,” says Ruby Takanishi, president of the Foundation for Child Development. “This is especially true for children during their first decade of life. This means that, even if the recession subsides soon, the effects on these children will not. Unfortunately, we fear the worst is yet to come.”

  • The full CWI report is available here.

800 Boston Students Pledge to Make Positive Choices

Allston-Brighton Substance Abuse Task ForceFor the seventh year running, the Allston-Brighton Substance Abuse Task Force is gathering 800 fourth through sixth graders from Boston public schools at a Youth Summit at Boston College. The summit culminates the substance abuse unit in the City Connects-New Balance Foundation health and wellness program, which is conducted by CCNX health coordinators.

The Youth Summit, developed in partnership with the Task Force, CCNX, and the Boston Police Department, aims to arm students with the necessary information and skills that will empower them to make positive choices about drugs and alcohol. The students will hear first-hand about the perils of substance abuse from other youth in recovery and engage in interactive activities to learn more about the effects of drug and alcohol abuse.

According to the Health of Massachusetts report from the Massachusetts Office of Health and Human Services, alcohol abuse in children and teens is a strong predictor for addiction problems in adulthood. The prevalence rates of alcohol use, binge drinking, and illicit drug use are all higher in Massachusetts than the national average. Learning positive choices early is essential; the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that children who began drinking before the age of 15 are four times more likely to become dependent on alcohol at some point in their lives.

City Connects Hosts Community Agency Breakfast

More than 30 community-based agencies and nonprofit organizations who partner with City Connects gathered today to discuss efforts to improve students’ health and wellness.

“It takes a whole child approach to teaching and learning,” said Pat DiNatale, director of implementation at CCNX, “and together we can align our resources to best address students’ strengths and needs, as well as their health and well-being.”

The meeting kicked off with a “Jammin’ Minute,” 60 seconds of choreographed light exercise that is performed in CCNX schools every morning. Representatives from partner agencies like Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay and Tenacity shared updates and conferred with CCNX’s site and health coordinators about ways to build and maintain the most effective partnerships. Suggestions about student referrals, transportation, and follow-up were sought, leading to sharing of best practices between organizations.

To wrap up the gathering, CCNX health coordinator Carey Jacobs, certified child yoga instructor, demonstrated yoga and meditation practices she leads at the Gardner Pilot Academy, complete with breathing exercises designed to promote awareness of the mind-body connection.

Health is integral to a child’s academic success. Our data show that the City Connects-New Balance Foundation Health and Wellness program significantly improves students’ key indicators of thriving: classroom behavior, work habits, and effort. After the program, students demonstrated greater knowledge and reported making healthier decisions about nutrition and well-being. Ninety-one percent of teachers in CCNX schools believe that the health curriculum has a positive impact on their students’ health choices outside of the classroom.

Childhood Obesity Task Force Unveils Action Plan

From the White House: Today, First Lady Michelle Obama joined members of the Childhood Obesity Task Force to unveil the Task Force action plan: Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation.

“For the first time, the nation will have goals, benchmarks, and measurable outcomes that will help us tackle the childhood obesity epidemic one child, one family, and one community at a time,” Mrs. Obama said.

In February, the First Lady launched the Let’s Move! campaign to solve the childhood obesity epidemic within a generation.  As part of this effort, the President established the Task Force on Childhood Obesity to develop and implement an inter-agency plan that details a coordinated strategy, identifies key benchmarks, and outlines an action plan to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation.

The action plan defines solving the problem of childhood obesity in a generation as returning to a childhood obesity rate of just 5% by 2030, which was the rate before childhood obesity first began to rise in the late 1970s.  In total, the report presents a series of 70 specific recommendations, many of which can be implemented right away.  Summarizing them broadly, they include:

  • Giving children a healthy start on life
  • Empowering parents and caregivers with simpler actionable messages about nutrition
  • Providing healthy food in schools
  • Improving access to healthy, affordable food
  • Getting children more physically active

The Boston Globe recently reported that Massachusetts’ rate of childhood obesity was 13.3% and the overweight rate was 30%. While the obesity rate is lower than the national average of 16.4%, the overweight rate is almost par at 31.6%.

CDC Analysis Shows PE Benefits Academic Performance

Be Fit! Visit www.cdc.govThe Curriculum Matters blog covered an analysis conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today, which found a positive association between physical activity and academic performance. Published this past April, the CDC analyzed 50 studies that contained 251 associations between activity and academic performance; more than half of the associations were found to be positive. The analysis concluded that:

  • Physical activity can help improve academic achievement, including grades and standardized test scores
  • Physical activity can have an impact on cognitive skills, attitudes, and academic behavior, such as enhanced concentration and attention
  • Increasing or maintaining time dedicated to PE may help–and not does appear to adversely impact–academic performance

Based on this evidence, the CDC encourages schools to continue and encourage school-based PE, recess, classroom-based physical activity, and extracurricular physical activities.

This study comes on the heels of the House passing the FIT Kids Act (Fitness Integrated with Teaching) that mandates schools report on how they promote healthy lifestyles and implement their PE curriculum.

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