Healthy eating active living: A school and community initiative

The New York Academy of Medicine, Office of School Health Programs is implementing Healthy Eating Active Living: A School and Community Initiative a pilot program with a series of educational experiences and school-wide health promotion activities for New York City public elementary schools that involve the school staff, parents, and children.

The goals of the comprehensive program are to engage, motivate and build the capacity of the school staff including parent coordinators to implement schoolwide health promotion activities using promising evidence-based obesity prevention strategies, and to build the capacity of parents and caregivers to help them make better food choices and increase activity patterns in the home for themselves and their families. The components of the program include: curriculum development; the establishment and nurturing of an interdisciplinary school-community action team; professional development for teachers and school staff; a workshop series for parents and families; school-wide health promotion activities; ongoing consultation and technical assistance; and evaluation.

The interdisciplinary school-community team is responsible for making school policy and environmental changes and implementing locally developed school-wide health promotion and obesity prevention activities. Workshops for parents and caregivers integrate nutrition and fitness activities with other relevant physical, mental and emotional health topics such as stress management, asthma, and disease prevention to address issues that parents and caregivers grapple with and are often associated with obesity and diabetes. Professional development for teachers provides skills and strategies for classroom based health education obesity prevention activities.

Capacity building handouts will be provided.