“Let’s Go” is a community-based program in Maine. I had not heard of this program until I read about it in Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal, dated April 26. According to the article, CDC-Center for Disease Control awarded 39 US communities 257 million to make environmental and policy changes regarding childhood obesity. In the United States, the childhood obesity rate appears to have leveled off after tripling since the 1980s. Currently, about a third of children and teens are overweight and 12.5 million children and teens or 16.9% of that age group remains obese. Here is an example of the federal and local government , and local communities working together to confront and change this major problem. It seems that people left to their own devices do not always carry the ball without fumbling. One might think that parents want to do right with their children or maybe they are unable to do so for multiple reasons. It is important for parents to look at their behavior as it affects their children. The statistics don’t lie as overweight children are a major problem and this has negative implications for all of us.
So Maine, spent 3.7 million in the schools and other sites to combat this problem. Simply put, the families adopted a program referred to as 5-2-1-0. Translated, this meant at least five servings of fruits and vegetables, two hours or less of screen time, one hour of exercise, and zero sugary drinks. How well did this program work? One independent telephone survey in the Portland area familiar with the program reported 28% of the children had adopted the 5-2-1-0 program in 2009 compared with 22% in 2007. In Maine, this Let’s Go program expanded to 345 schools, childcare centers, and after school programs. Maine Health, a nonprofit hospital group, invested $ 500,000 and committed another $ 500,000 over the next five years.
Let’s Go is one way to begin dealing with this major health problem. I am pleased to read about this program and hope that a program like this is not cut out of the budget. Employing psychological learning theory is a concept called modeling. In other words, one way of learning is to imitate what we see from our parents. It is not necessarily what they say that is important but their behavior and what they do. It is important for parents to eat healthy or at least five servings of fruit and vegetables daily. It is important for parents to limit TV, computer, and other screen time to less than two hours a day. It is important for parents to exercise at least one hour per day and to reduce or eliminate sugar drinks. If you can’t do it on your own, then find someone to help you. Maybe a personal trainer might help to change behavior?
This is where my book comes into play. I provide examples of sport activities and the benefits related. Although, my stories are about extreme sports, non-of us started out this way. We all began as kids through play. It is true that none of us had the benefit or detriment of the onslaught of video games, computer, TV programs, fast food restaurants, giant meal portions, and the elimination or reduction of PE in schools. I also read in the same paper about the Tea Party in Pennsylvania that wants to curtail property taxes so that the schools can reduce their budgets. I am not sure if that is the best policy.
It is clear, people in this country need to change behavior and become healthier and for the youth to follow. Do your part and change those behaviors that can benefit us all. There many ways to do that. Join the fun and get out doors or go to the gym to improve. Keep on doing it and think about eating better. I hope that Kirstie Alley continues her success on Dancing with the Stars. If you read her web page you know that she’s concerned about weight gain. Kirstie, keep on dancing as it’s a great aerobic activity. Dancing is fun and I should do more of it. I call dancing cross training.
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