Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #112446

Sylvia Stevens-Edouard, MA, Corporate Affairs Community Relations, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Landmark Center, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA 02215, 617-246-4843, sylvia.stevens-edouard@bcbsma.com

Background: Thirty percent of U.S. youth are overweight or at-risk, Jump Up & Go!, a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts nutrition and physical activity community outreach program, is focused on the prevention and control of overweight in children and youth by promoting healthy eating and increasing physical activity. Methods: Jump Up & Go! is a multidimensional health and wellness initiative designed to help children, their families, and their communities become more physically active and develop lifelong healthy behaviors. This program initiated in 1998, supports school-based and community-based programs, as well as clinical interventions and educational materials, which were developed and evaluated based on sound scientific research. For seven years, this Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts program has partnered with both public and private institutions such as the Harvard Prevention Research Center and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health among others. Jump Up & Go! is a $10 million dollar investment which supports a 10 year corporate wide commitment. We will discuss the development and statewide implementation of the Jump Up & Go! program and its components with special emphasis on the clinical and public awareness initiatives. Conclusions: To date, Jump Up & Go! has inaugurated significant changes in clinical practice, school policies, and public understanding of the importance of nutrition and physical activity for youth development.

Learning Objectives:

• Attendess will understand a statewide multidimensional nutrition and physical activity program,
• Attendees will become familiar with how to create and implement an evidence-based statewide multidimensional nutrition and physical activity program
• Attendees will become familiar with methods for evaluating an evidence-based statewide multidimensional nutrition and physical activity program

Keywords: Obesity, Physical Activity

Related Web page: www.bcbsma.com

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.