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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Penny Leake, PhD, RN, Department of Nursing, Luther College, 700 College Drive, Decorah, IA 52101, 563-387-1451, leakepen@luther.edu and Julie Goedken, BSN, RN, Winneshiek County Public Health Nursing Service, 305 Montgomery Street Suite # 2, Decorah, IA 52101.

Senior students in the Luther College nursing program, Public Health Nurses from the Winneshiek County Public Health Nursing Service, family educators from the Iowa State University Extension Service, and teachers in four parochial schools in the county collaborated to provide an intensive nutrition and fitness education project during the 2004-05 school year. All children, kindergarten through eighth grade, enrolled at the four parochial schools in northeast Iowa participated. The goals of the project focused on an improved awareness of the food pyramid, what constituted healthy serving sizes, and an identification of healthy snacks and alternatives to junk food. Routine height and weight measurements completed in fall of 2003 were used to determine the Body Mass Index (BMI) for each child enrolled at the parochial schools. Twelve to twenty percent of all children enrolled in these schools were overweight or obese. Plans were made to provide an interactive and unique nutrition and fitness education program for children with two or three days a month devoted to nutrition education across the curriculum. Activities and lessons were individually developed for each school and each grade level. Information from the year-long project will be shared with participants including demonstrations of actual activities implemented. This presentation will focus on several of the activities and games implemented in the classroom. Pick a Better Snack BINGO card, Mileage Club information, and samples of classroom activities will be demonstrated. A list of computerized resources will also be provided so a similar project can be implemented in other locations.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe a collaborative project between nursing students, the public health agency, state extension service and the school districts to promote child health in the schools.
• Present a summary of an intensive, interactive nutrition and fitness educational program implemented in four parochial schools in northeast Iowa.
• Share educational activities used with children Kindergarten through eighth grade in the classroom to learn about the various components of the food pyramid, portion control, and healthy fitness activity choices.
• Demonstrate use of activities and games (i.e. Pick a Better Snack BINGO, Mileage Club, etc.) used in the classrooms, and share supporting materials developed for families.
• Share the findings of an ongoing research study to determine the results of an intensive educational project implemented with school children.

Keywords: School Health, Public Health Education and Health Promotion

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No