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Community Forums:
Food,
Fitness, and Our Kids
Project Description
The Problem:
Childhood
obesity is now reported as an epidemic in our state and nation.
The percentage of young people who are overweight has
more than doubled in the last 20 years in the United States.
In our own state, by 1999, about one in five youth in
grades nine through 12 were overweight or at risk of being
overweight.
The
health consequences for our children are enormous.
Overweight and obese children are at higher risk for
developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood
pressure, and certain cancers.
Overweight and obese children are also often affected
by discrimination, psychological stress, and low self-esteem.
Our
Response:
In
response to this serious problem, the Washington State Board
of Health convened a number of organizations including the
Washington
State School Directors' Association (WSSDA), the
Washington
State Department of Health (WSDOH), the Office of
Superintendent of Public Instruction
(OSPI), the UW
Center for Public Health Nutrition,
the Washington
State Parent Teacher Association
(WSPTA), the Washington School
Food Service Association
(WSFSA) and local health jurisdictions in six counties
(Benton-Franklin, Clark, Island, King, Pierce, and Thurston)
to organize a series of community meetings.
These meetings will provide an opportunity to discuss
the far-reaching consequences of childrens inactivity and
poor nutrition and share ways schools can help address this
serious problem.
Ultimately
we would like to make it easier for children to choose
health-promoting foods, be physically active, and be ready to
learn at school.
Who
and When:
Benton
Franklin County Scheduled for June 14,
2004.
Brooke
Dubois, Executive Director of Benton Franklin Community Health
Alliance
509-735-2988
Clark
County Scheduled
for May 27, 2004
Kay
Koontz (ED for
Clark County Health Department)
and Barbe West (ED
for Community Choices 2010)
Kay
Koontz: 360-397-8215
Island
County Scheduled for May 3, 2004
Carol
McNeil, Nursing Director Island County Public Health
360-679-7351
Seattle
and King County To be announced
Lynn
Kidder, Community Based Public Health Epidemiologist at Public
Health Seattle King County
206-296-9795
Tacoma/Pierce
County To be announced
Eileen
Finnigan, Public Health Educator at Tacoma Pierce County
Health Department
253
798 6549
Thurston
County To be announced
Julie
Miller, Director of Prevention Services at Thurston County
Health Department
360-786-5581
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