Schools share ideas to reduce obesity in children

By Al Edwards
Reporter - American Journal
Keepmecurrent.com

SCARBOROUGH: Judy Campbell has been the Scarborough School Department’s director of school nutrition for 22 years, and she says during that time she has seen obesity among students rise, forcing her and school officials to try and make a change.

Last year, Campbell and other school officials established the Back Pack Program, which allows lower-income students to take home nutritious foods such as fruits and vegetables during school vacation.

She said school officials came up with the idea as a way to promote healthy eating for kids, who she says are more obese on average because of easy-to-grab fast foods and a less active society.

“We hope through the Back Pack Program that we will be able to teach kids to make healthier choices and lessen their chances for obesity,” Campbell said. “We hope that by teaching them about the benefits of living healthier at a younger age, this will allow them to teach their own children about the benefits of healthier living.”

Campbell’s idea came to light at the first annual 5-2-1-0 School Symposium on April 2 at Hannaford’s Communications Center at the company's headquarters on Pleasant Hill Road in Scarborough.

Nearly 140 educators from across Maine attended the symposium to discuss topics such as eating healthy, offering a greater variety of food choices in schools and using more physical activity to foster better learning.

The 5-2-1-0 program endorses a four-part message of five or more servings of fruits and vegetables, two hours or less of recreational screen time such as playing computer games or watching television, one hour or more of physical activity and zero sugary drinks.

The program is the brainchild of Victoria Rogers, a medical doctor in charge of the Kids Clinical Outcomes and Outreach Program at the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center.

“I noticed that kids in our schools weren’t eating healthy enough and were spending less time being active," Rogers said. “I want this to be a tool, a guidance for schools to incorporate healthier aspects of living into their curriculum.”

The program is working with 114 schools across Maine, including Scarborough and Cape Elizabeth..

At the Wentworth Intermediate School in Scarborough, physical education teacher Keith Kitchin has spent the last year working with Rogers and trying to incorporate the 5-2-1-0, also known as the Let’s Go program, into his classes.

“We have the posters on the wall informing the kids to make healthier decisions in their daily lives,” Kitchin said. “I am also trying to talk less during my classes and give the kids more time for physical activity.”

In Cape Elizabeth, the school department in 2007 formed a district wellness committee comprised of a health teacher, school nurse, physical education teacher and a food service director to identify nutrition goals for the school.

Since then, Cape school officials have worked to raise awareness of healthy eating such as establishing a Fall Harvest lunch program that is tied into the schools’ gardens, and had a faculty weight-loss challenge program with 15 middle school staff participating.

“Let’s Go has a great support network and is a wonderful initiative,” said Karen Burke, Cape Elizabeth School Board member. “It allows us to better learn about healthy living and prepare our children to lead healthier lifestyles.”

Schools in the Greater Portland region are eligible for small minigrants provided by Let's Go to support their 5-2-1-0 Goes To School efforts. 5-2-1-0 School mini grants and programatic
funds come from significant contributions from Harvard Pilgram Health Care Foundation and the seven Founding Partners of Let's Go. The seven Founding Partners of Let's Go are Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine, Hannaford Brothers,
Maine Health, Maine Medical Center, TD Banknorth, Unum and United Way of Greater Portland.

"The program's coordinators are trying to increase school participation in Maine from 114 schools to 180," Rogers said. Recently, the program has expanded nationally with schools in the South and Midwest participating, Rogers said.

Karen Voci, executive director of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation, who attended the symposium, said Maine schools and organizations should be proud of the work accomplished so far.

“Maine really is leading the pack with its efforts,” Voci said. “The rest of the nation is just starting to catch up.”