 Area school districts are using Foundation funds matched by the proceeds of the Run, Pedal Paddle Race to expand student physical activity and improve student nutrition. Snowshoeing was a popular choice this year for students in the York School District. |
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Targeted Health Initiative: Preventing Childhood ObesityThe rising rate of obesity among children in America has been the focus of much attention in the media and the medical community. This is clearly not just a national problem. The NH Healthy Schools Coalition reported that 18% of all school aged girls and 22% of school-aged boys in NH were overweight or obese as defined by the Centers for Disease Control. In 2004, the Foundation for Seacoast Health Trustees approved a matching fund program to call to action other funders and health care providers to create a community campaign on preventing obesity in children. Studies show obesity to be one of our society's most serious health problems, ranking just behind tobacco as a leading cause of death in the United States. Worse, perhaps has been the recognition that, increasingly, it's a problem for children. Although a national problem, we know obesity requires local solutions.
Portsmouth Regional Hospital and the Foundation for Healthy Communities matched Foundation funding to create Step It Up Seacoast - a coalition of school folks, health care providers, and public relations volunteers to address the obesity problem. Step It Up Seacoast created Seacoast Passports, which included safety tips and maps of area walking trails that were distributed in the fall of 2005. The passports were meant to help families and neighborhoods to walk together. With Foundation funding, local schools have trained their physical education teachers in the Physical Best program to promote more and sustained physical activity for children. Schools began collecting data on children and tracked their progress toward better health through increased physical activity and improved nutrition. The Physician's Resource Guide to Local Physical Fitness Programs, a project of the Step it Up Seacoast coalition, has been disbributed to all Portsmouth physician's offices, town halls, Chambers, hospitals, libraries, etc. from Kittery to Exeter. This guide, endorsed by pediatrician Dr. Dixon Turner, MD, Internist Marni Nicholson, MD and Foundation President Susan Bunting, is also available at the Foundation's offices. To download this Guide, visit www.stepitupseacoast.org. UNH Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies CourseThe Foundation provided Physical Best Training and matched school district costs for teachers to take the Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies course offered through the University of New Hampshire. This course guides school folks in developing the federally legislated school district wellness policy and three-year plan for changing behavior, focused on nutrition education, physical activity, and the school food environment. Finally, local families have stepped up to contribute the proceeds from the annual Run, Pedal, Paddle race in the fall of 2005 to match a Foundation challenge to help schools implement their three-year plans.Please see the attached report outlining the successes of the program. The Foundation's 2006 Annual Report includes photos and highlights of the school districts" efforts.
UNH Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies CourseThe Foundation provided Physical Best Training and matched school district costs for teachers to take the Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies course offered through the University of New Hampshire. This course guides school folks in developing the federally legislated school district wellness policy and three-year plan for changing behavior, focused on nutrition education, physical activity, and the school food environment. Finally, local families have stepped up to contribute the proceeds from the annual Run, Pedal, Paddle race in the fall of 2005 to match a Foundation challenge to help schools implement their three-year plans.Please see the attached report outlining the successes of the program. The Foundation's 2006 Annual Report includes photos and highlights of the school districts" efforts.
With Foundation funding, local schools have trained their physical education teachers in the Physical Best program to promote more and sustained physical activity for children. Schools began collecting data on children and tracked their progress toward better health through increased physical activity and improved nutrition. The Physician's Resource Guide to Local Physical Fitness Programs, a project of the Step it Up Seacoast coalition, has been disbributed to all Portsmouth physician's offices, town halls, Chambers, hospitals, libraries, etc. from Kittery to Exeter. This guide, endorsed by pediatrician Dr. Dixon Turner, MD, Internist Marni Nicholson, MD and Foundation President Susan Bunting, is also available at the Foundation's offices. To download this Guide, visit www.stepitupseacoast.org. UNH Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies CourseThe Foundation provided Physical Best Training and matched school district costs for teachers to take the Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies course offered through the University of New Hampshire. This course guides school folks in developing the federally legislated school district wellness policy and three-year plan for changing behavior, focused on nutrition education, physical activity, and the school food environment. Finally, local families have stepped up to contribute the proceeds from the annual Run, Pedal, Paddle race in the fall of 2005 to match a Foundation challenge to help schools implement their three-year plans. Please see the attached report outlining the successes of the program. The Foundation's 2006 Annual Report includes photos and highlights of the school districts" efforts.
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About The Foundation :: Initiatives :: Resource Center :: Contact Us :: Home © 2005 Foundation for Seacoast Health |
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 | The Foundation reviews health needs in the Seacoast on an annual basis and develops 3-5 year strategic plans for addressing those needs. |
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