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

Abstract #112471

Sylvia Stevens-Edouard, MA and Vanessa Cavallaro, MS, RD, LDN. 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 (BCBSMA) nutrition and physical activity community outreach program, is focused on the prevention and control of overweight in children and youth. Healthy Choices, a component of Jump Up & Go!, is a public middle school-based nutrition and physical activity program developed in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and supported exclusively by BCBSMA. While programs are customized to meet the unique needs of a school, all programs must include four components: a plan for school-wide promotion of the 5-2-1 message (Each day eat at least five fruits and vegetables, limit screen time to two hours and participate in at least one hour of physical activity), work towards a school policy change, implement the Planet Health curriculum and a before and/or afterschool program. Grant requirements have been added based on evidence-based research. Methods: Statewide implementation of Healthy Choices began in Spring 2004 with recruitment through a grant application process. In September 2005 seventy public middle schools started implementing Healthy Choices, reaching 39,368 students. We will discuss the stages of implementation on a statewide level, specifically the recruitment and application processes, infrastructure building to create capacity for implementation, training and development for school staff, and evaluation. Conclusions: To date, Jump Up & Go! Healthy Choices has been brought to scale and is now operating in seventy schools in fifty five Massachusetts cities and towns.

Learning Objectives:

• Attendess will understand the program components of the Jump Up & Go! Healthy Choices middle school based nutrition and physical activity grant program,
• Attendees will become familiar with how to create and implement an evidence-based school nutrition and physical activity program
• Attendees will better understand how to implement a pilot nutrition and physical activity program on a large scale.

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.