Kevin Spradlin
Cumberland Times-News
November 09, 2008 12:10 am
—
CUMBERLAND — A new grant will help health and wellness officials in Allegany County stem the tide of teen obesity and, in short, make the lives of infants, children and adults healthier through a multi-faceted approach to a better life by addressing diet and physical activity.
Maryland Physicians Care awarded the one-year grant for $145,000 to the Allegany County Health Department. Nancy Forlifer, of the Western Maryland Health System, applied for the grant and will serve as project coordinator.
Among the initiatives is to encourage more mothers to breastfeed their infants and measure and track elementary school students’ Body Mass Index (BMI). In partnership with Community Health Improvement Partners, the Cumberland YMCA and Life Fitness Management, teens will learn how to eat smart, be active and “get up and out.”
It’s part of the new “Energize Your Life!” slogan the partnership developed to focus on rewarding positive behavior instead of dwelling on the negative, Forlifer said.
“The goal is to prevent an increase in the percentage of overweight children in the area,” Forlifer said. “We’re going to prove that, hopefully, by tracking the BMIs of elementary students in the public schools starting with this grant.”
Elementary school nurses will receive a laptop computer and be trained on Health Office software, accounting for $50,000 of the grant amount. Another $40,000 will allow health officials to contract with a lactation specialist to improve outreach and education efforts of new mothers.
Forlifer’s grant application noted that approximately 14.7 percent of children ages 2 through 19 were overweight — that is, with a BMI of 95 percent or greater. The state average is 12.6 percent and the national average is 13.1 percent.
Karen Smith, wellness coordinator for the YMCA, said she and Life Fitness Management will provide a camp “that will give teens an opportunity to learn about health and wellness and experience a variety of fun activities.”
“We discussed doing the camp in the summer and including a variety of outdoor experiences as well as traditional personal training at (Life Fitness Management) with swimming, wall climbing and other sport activities at the Y” Smith said.
Forlifer said the goal is to stabilize or reduce the percentage of overweight children on a long-term basis and document an increase in activity through camp and challenges such as Win Big by Losing.
“With surveillance, awareness and engagement activities held during the year, this project will reach 5,000 children and adults,” Forlifer wrote in the grant application.
Forlifer said she is aware of potential resistance from parents who might not want their chidlren’s BMI measured and tracked. There is an opt-out program — permission slips will be sent home with students prior to anyone being measured — similar to the county’s fluoride program.
But focusing on the benefits of the program, Forlifer expected a high level of cooperation by concentrating on eating smart, being active and “getting up and out, all positive things. We’re not focusing on the fact that someone is overweight. These are things to make you feel better and have a better quality of life.”
Contact Kevin Spradln at kspradlin@times-news.com.
Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.