Thursday, October 26, 3:30
p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Moderator
Janet Collins, Ph.D.
Director, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health
Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Presentations
ALHAMBRA UNITED SCHOOL DISTRICT NUTRITION PROGRAM
Judy Huffaker, M.A., R.D.
Alhambra Unified School District Nutrition Network, Alhambra, CA
Alhambra Unified School District Nutrition Network supports students and adults in building healthy
lifestyle habits. The goal and objectives of the program are to increase students' and adults' awareness
of making healthy eating choices, primarily fruit and vegetable consumption, and the promotion of physical
activity. Nutrition education is provided through interactive learning, classroom instruction and cooking,
increasing physical activity, and strategies to overcoming barriers to a healthy diet, empowering students
to make behavior changes. It is the commitment by all involved that makes the program a success.
The strength of collaborative partnerships has made the difference, as noted by the impact of
program components on student behavioral changes toward selection of alternative food choices,
including increased fruit and vegetable consumption, as well as healthier classroom parties. In a
pilot study among fourth graders, student behavioral changes were measured. Students were provided
with nutrition education interventions that included nutrition education/awareness, introduction
and sampling of fruits and vegetables, cooking demonstrations, and student-led fruit and vegetable
promotions.
Results indicated a statistically significant increase in preferences for
fruit and vegetable consumption and an increase in student self-efficacy skills.
Behavioral changes included increased ability of students to ask their families
to provide healthy food choices for home, that is, fruits, vegetables, 100
percent juice, and water. In addition, there was an increase in students helping
to prepare a salad or vegetable dish at home, as well as selecting fruits and/or
vegetable options for a snack.
MAKING HEALTHY AND NUTRITIOUS CHOICES: RESULTS OF A PILOT PROGRAM IN
MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS
Alicia M. Moag-Stahlberg, M.S., R.D.
Action for Healthy Kids, Skokie, IL
The U.S. Department of Agriculture provided financial support to Action for Healthy Kids to
pursue a project working directly with school food service directors for the 2005–2006 school
year. This project involved three Illinois school districts to educate students and school personnel
about healthy food choices and ways to improve student nutrition. With the passage of the Child
Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, schools are now required to address the childhood
obesity epidemic with renewed attention to nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools,
nutrition education, and increasing physical activity. In a climate of competing educational
priorities, schools need ready access to information, tools, and best practices for efficiently
integrating nutrition education into their current curricula and school activities, as well as
for successfully introducing healthier foods into school meal programs.
There were three separate promotions at five schools, each focusing on a different food group
(dairy, grains, and fruits and vegetables). The promotions consisted of food demonstrations offering
students samples of healthful foods and nutrition education through promotional materials posted in
the cafeteria and throughout the school.
Results indicated that most of the food promotions seemed to succeed in making students aware
of the more nutritious foods offered. However, even though the students appeared to enjoy many of
the samples as indicated by their feedback, most of the schools did not continue to offer those
products. In addition, students seemed to enjoy healthy food, but when they had a choice, the
majority of the time they would choose a less nutrient-dense food. Students reported liking the
opportunity to taste new and healthful foods, but indicated that samples alone would not cause
them to eat healthier food. This session will address the lessons learned from the project and
will include recommendations for greater success.
THE ACTIVE CLASSROOM: INCREASING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN SCHOOL-AGED
CHILDREN
Carrie Steindorff, M.A.
Rockland County Department of Health, Pomona, NY
Using physical activity to teach academic subjects is a best practice for reaching academic
as well as public health goals. The
3 Rs in Motion project, in Rockland County, New York, consists of two courses—a
1-credit in-service and a 3-credit graduate course—that train teachers to use physical
activity to teach academic subjects. The courses, developed by Rockland County Steps and the
Rockland Teachers' Center Institute, have trained a total of 56 elementary teachers in 15
Rockland County elementary schools.
The model was developed in Rockland County, New York, and is grounded in several
evidence-based approaches in the areas of brain research, physical fitness, and differentiated
instruction. In both
3 Rs in Motion courses, teachers learn the risk factors for childhood obesity, how
movement influences brain development, and how physical activity enhances differentiated
instruction. After the courses, teachers build physical activity into their daily instruction
by adapting or creating new lessons or by using
"Take 10," a grade-specific curriculum that uses physical activity to teach and
reinforce academic concepts. The materials used are widely available, and the format of the
course is adaptable. As such, the course can be replicated in other communities with technical support.
Currently, the project planning committee is working to broaden the reach of
3 Rs in Motion through distance learning technology, alternative formats, and integration
into district wellness policies. After implementing the 3Rs techniques, teachers have reported
fewer classroom disruptions, faster learning times, and a more engaging learning process.
Several school principals have requested training for all their staff. To insure its success,
several components need to be in place from local district
"buy-in," to higher education partnerships, to school and community-related
organizations. This presentation will address these issues and offer a model for encouraging
physical activity in the academic classroom.
STARTSMART: STUDENTS MAKING ADVERTISEMENTS TO REDUCE
TOBACCO
Sharon L. Zack, M.S.1; Y. Henry Wong, Ph.D.1; Jeffrey Hoffman,
Ph.D.1; Jennifer Jones1; Kelly Munly, M.A.1;
Susanna Nemes, Ph.D.2;
Jennifer Weil, M.A.2
1Danya International, Inc., Silver Spring, MD;
2Social Solutions International,
Inc., Olney, MD
Students Making Advertisements To Reduce Smoking (StartSMART) is an innovative school-based
tobacco prevention curriculum funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The program was
developed in response to overwhelming evidence that youth as young as 12 years old are experimenting
with tobacco. Although the Nation's schools are providing tobacco education, there is still a need
to improve their current tobacco awareness and prevention programs. With the assistance of agencies
such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), specific recommendations have been
established to assist school systems in delivering tobacco prevention messages to both children
and adolescents.
Despite these recommendations, few schools are implementing programs that meet each of CDC's
criteria. Throughout the eight-session curriculum, StartSMART follows the guidelines, utilizing
a social marketing approach to deliver tobacco prevention education and inform youth of the
tobacco industry's tactics targeting them to smoke. Using a strong theoretical framework to
guide skill development, StartSMART enables students to observe, learn, and participate in
delivering positive tobacco prevention messages. The program culminates with the production
of student-developed counter-marketing advertisements through the use of a video camera with
in-camera editing.
This presentation includes results from the post-test of an outcome evaluation conducted
in six middle schools in the 2006 school year. In addition, final scripts and storyboards
used to create anti-tobacco ads and other completed activities from students participating
in the study will be displayed. Other components developed for this program, including the
parent support guide, administrator's implementation guide, and support Web site, also will
be presented.
For questions or more information, please contact
summit@hhs.gov.
