November LiveWell eLetter
LiveWell Colorado Communities
School Districts in LiveWell Colorado Communities Honored by Colorado Legacy Foundation
Across Colorado, school districts and schools are working hard to improve nutrition, get students moving and provide more comprehensive health services. They are putting in place effective workplace wellness programs that are getting results. And what’s not a surprise is that many of these districts are located in LiveWell Colorado communities.
On Monday, November 5, school districts located in seven LiveWell Colorado communities were honored at the 2009 Commissioner’s Choice Awards, hosted by the Colorado Legacy Foundation. The districts were chosen based on their development of best practices in health and wellness.
- Durango School District 9R was awarded the Commissioner’s Choice Award in the areas of Nutrition, Physical Education, Health Education and School Based Health. Durango School District has developed one of the most comprehensive wellness policies in the state.
- Denver Public Schools was awarded the Commissioner’s Choice Award in the areas of Nutrition, Physical Education and School Based Health. Their access to school meals, free breakfast to all students, and completion of nutrient analysis of all meals ensured that their offerings met USDA school-meal guidelines. They are also committed to high quality professional development and have a well-established network of school based health.
- Boulder Valley School District was awarded the Commissioner’s Choice Award in the area of Nutrition. BVSD has an entirely new framework for their food service department, which includes removing all processed food and high-fructose corn syrup products.
- Pueblo City Schools was awarded the Commissioner’s Choice Award in the area of Nutrition. Pueblo City Schools established one of the most successful Breakfast in the Classroom programs in the state.
- Las Animas RE-1 School District was awarded the Commissioner’s Choice Award in the area of Nutrition. They are in their first year of implementing healthy eating and active-living programs, policies and environmental changes.
- Poudre School District R-1 was awarded the Commissioner’s Choice Award in the area of Physical Education. Poudre has gone the extra distance to promote physical activity throughout the school district. In partnership with Poudre Valley Health System, opportunities for physical activity have increased before, during and after school.
- Adams County School District 14 was awarded the Commissioner’s Choice Award in the area of School Based Health. Adams County School District 14 has implemented a wellness policy that includes a wellness policy representative from each school, a wellness policy handbook for school site representatives, and an annual survey of implementation to determine what the focus will be for the next year.
Early Childhood Education
Rudd Center: The Least Healthy Breakfast Cereals are Those Most Aggressively Marketed to Young Children
The Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale University recently published its report, “Cereal FACTS: Evaluating the Nutrition Quality and Marketing of Children’s Cereals.”
According to Cereal FACTS, this research was conducted because “extensive marketing to children for foods of poor nutritional quality has been identified as a contributor to the obesity crisis. The food industry has responded, through the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) sponsored by the Council of Better Business Bureaus, with pledges by most of the largest food marketers to reduce unhealthy marketing to children. The question raised by health advocates is whether self-regulatory actions such as these do in fact reduce the harm associated with unhealthy food marketing to children.”
In the report, researchers present the nutrient quality of cereals, evaluate the products marketed to children as compared to those marketed to adults, quantify young people’s exposure to cereal marketing, and describe the marketing practices used to reach children and their parents.
The research finds that the least healthy breakfast cereals are those most frequently and aggressively marketed directly to children as young as age two. This unprecedented evaluation of cereal marketing shows pervasive targeting of children across all media platforms and in stores.
While the report is chock full of information, the following facts were pulled verbatim. Visit the entire document here: http://www.cerealfacts.org/media/Cereal_FACTS_Report.pdf.
- Ready-to-eat cereals are the largest category of packaged food marketed directly to children.
- In spite of their pledges to reduce unhealthy marketing to children, the large cereal companies continue to target children with their least healthy products.
- Child cereals contain 85 percent more sugar, 65 percent less fiber and 60 percent more sodium when compared to adult cereals.
- Not one cereal that is marketed directly to children in the United States would be allowed to advertise to children on television in the United Kingdom.
- All companies do have more nutritious cereals in their portfolios, but these cereals are marketed only to adults.
- Cereal companies spent $156 million in 2008 to promote child cereals in the media. General Mills and Kellogg dominate cereal advertising to children, spending 94 percent of this total on just 11 brands.
- The average child in the U.S. continues to view 1.6 ads on television every day for products with cereal companies’ poorest quality nutrient profile.
- Cereal companies are in full compliance with their self-defined CFBAI pledges to reduce unhealthy marketing to children. And yet, we also found that that the amount of cereal marketing to children and the nutrition quality of children’s cereals remain at unacceptable levels and have not objectively or meaningfully improved.
- Based on these findings, current food industry self-regulation does not protect young people from the unhealthy influence of cereal marketing and much stronger action is needed.
View the rest of Cereal FACTS here: http://www.cerealfacts.org/media/Cereal_FACTS_Report.pdf.
K-12 Education
Working Out Where You Work: Teacher Boot Camp
Average days are busier than ever, but the fact remains – exercise and physical activity are vital. Therefore, people are taking the extra efforts to include some sort of physical activity in their daily activities. Whether you park further from the front door of the grocery store, take the stairs instead of an elevator, or walk the dog just a few blocks further than usual, each day can be capped off with a little extra physical activity that goes a long way.
The lucky teachers at Greenwood Elementary in Cherry Creek School District now have the opportunity to include some physical activity on location, and directly after school in a Teacher Boot Camp. For one hour after school, teachers participate in a program that incorporates bodyweight movements and the use of equipment for a cardio and strength training workout.
“Offering teachers the chance to work out immediately after school and without having to add travel to that plan help keeps the motivation and participation levels going,” explained Wendy Feiner, technology specialist at Greenwood Elementary, who coordinates the Boot Camp.
Feiner got the idea to incorporate a Teacher Boot Camp into the school environment from a group of four teachers who participated in the same program during the summer at a local park. Currently the Teacher Boot Camp is closed down for the winter months, but during the warmer school months it is held directly outside of the school building on the school’s field and playground. Feiner received coordination assistance from those teachers who had already participated in the boot camp during the summer, so planning and complete execution only took two weeks.
With any new idea, such as a worksite wellness program, resistance is always a risk. However, for Feiner and others at Greenwood Elementary, obstacles were easily overcome. The school district required the teachers sign a release for their participation in the Teacher Boot Camp. Feiner also found that some teachers were hesitant to take part, due to their fitness levels. However, with the ease of attendance and fellow teachers encouraging involvement, most were very excited about this opportunity.
“This was a great program. In the first year, we had five participants. Our trainer, Monica Hingst, came from Colorado Athletic Club. She was terrific; a very motivating instructor,” explains Feiner. “We only had two problems: teachers are so busy, many meeting with students well after contract time and the weather didn’t always cooperate!”
Higher Education
Five Healthy Indoor Activities Your Campus Can Provide Students When Snow Starts Falling
Whether they prefer to ski, snowshoe, mountain bike, rock-climb or enjoy any of a wide array of other outdoor sports, students in Colorado have easy access to world-renowned athletic adventure. But, while many eagerly await the first snowflakes, cold and snow can keep even the most active student indoors and bundled up. Decreased mobility combined with the distracting pressures of final exams and the temptations of pizza delivery makes for a season that may require students to make an extra to make healthy choices. Higher education professionals can assist students with the following ideas:
- Hold a health information fair to bring health information and resources from the community to the students. Events at the health fair can include massages, body fat analysis, door prizes, eye exams, AIDS testing, blood pressure services, osteoporosis evaluations and an opportunity to give blood. Community members will benefit from a stronger relationship with any local campus and students benefit from the knowledge and expertise of local service providers.
- Institute a monthly Health Information Table program in the dorms. Include campus-wide education regarding issues such as dental health, smoking cessation and safety issues.
- Distribute a monthly newsletter that delivers useful tips on staying healthy and fit. Students who are accustomed to getting their exercise from outdoor sports may not have considered fun forms of indoor physical activity like dance classes or yoga.
- Develop an incentive program for students who use the stairs instead of the elevator. Small lifestyle changes can make a significant positive difference over time.
- Encourage student organized healthy cooking clubs to swap healthy recipes. Clubs foster creativity and fellowship. Cooking is a skill that will serve any student long after graduation.
Adopting one or more of these ideas will help the student body to be focused, productive, and better able to take advantage of the myriad sporting experiences in Colorado. Winter weather is not a reason to ignore health. In fact, winter can be an opportunity for students to become well rounded as they make decisions about their futures. Knowledge about a variety of healthy options during the winter will prevent monotony and make a healthy lifestyle interesting. Students will benefit from healthy habits during their college life and beyond.
For more information about implementing a higher education wellness initiative, please visit the LiveWell Colorado Higher Education Community: http://www.livewellcolorado.org/partners-in-action/higher-education.
Worksites & Businesses
Breastfeeding Support in the Workplace in Summit County
Article contributed by Susan Westhof, LiveWell Summit County Community Coordinator The Colorado Workplace Accommodations for Nursing Mothers Act went into effect on August 7, 2008. The act requires that Colorado employers provide reasonable break time, make reasonable efforts to provide suitable, private space for mothers to express breast milk in the workplace, and not discriminate against them for doing so. LiveWell Summit County worked closely with several local businesses to raise awareness of the new law and assist them in their efforts to accommodate breastfeeding employees. Along with creating a physical space that employees could use to express breast milk, the businesses were encouraged to revise their employee handbooks to include verbiage about breastfeeding policies in order to support sustainable change. The Carriage House Preschool in Breckenridge and Early Childhood Options (a local non-profit) in Dillon edited their handbooks so that breastfeeding mothers would feel supported and encouraged in the workplace. The Carriage House included the following verbiage in their employee handbook: The Carriage House supports and encourages breastfeeding mothers. If you are a nursing mother, Carriage House will work with you to have two 15 minute breaks to breastfeed your infant during your shift. We provide a quiet, private space in the break room to accommodate you and your baby. Early Childhood Options added the following text to their handbook: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Guide to Breastfeeding Interventions, “Mothers are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. labor force.” 70 percent of mothers with children under the age of three are working full time. The guide also reports that lactation support at work can improve staff productivity and loy¬alty, enhance the employer’s public image, and decrease absenteeism, health care costs, and employee turnover. Accommodating breastfeeding mothers provides clear benefits for both the employer and the employee. For more information regarding LiveWell Summit County’s efforts to support breastfeeding efforts in the workplace, please contact Susan Westhof at 970-453-9333 or susan@summitpreventionalliance.org.
Electrical outlet for a breast pump
Table and comfortable chair with armrests
Healthcare
Health Care Costs for Employees with Cardiac Risk Factors Reduced by Web-Based Nutrition Program In response to burdens caused by rising health insurance premiums, researchers recently launched a study to determine whether an employer sponsored diet and exercise program would have an effect on health care costs. Prior to the study, strong evidence showed that healthy diet and exercise improve employee health and productivity, but there was very little research to indicate that employer driven health initiatives reduced healthcare costs. Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) analyzed the effect of a nutrition and exercise behavior modification program called Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH). BUSPH studied the EMC Corporation’s implementation of DASH. Of the 15,237 EMC employees who were included in the group the researchers studied, 1,967 participated in DASH. Working in conjunction with the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), BUSPH designed DASH to address poor nutrition and the diseases associated with it. DASH provided participants with tools to monitor weight, blood pressure, eating habits and exercise habits, as well as nutrition advice, recipes and articles about proper exercise. Based on a National Heart Lung and Blood Institute diet, DASH was developed to lower blood pressure. Randomized trials showed that DASH also lowered cholesterol levels and beneficially heightened insulin sensitivity. As expected, EMC employees who enrolled in the DASH program reported significant weight loss, lower blood pressure and improved healthy eating habits. To determine whether EMC’s introduction of DASH had an effect on healthcare costs, BUSPH analyzed the healthcare costs in the year preceding EMC’s DASH program and compared them to costs in the year during which DASH was available. Researchers analyzed healthcare costs for all of the EMC employee test subjects and performed a more focused analysis of the subjects suffering from the health problems DASH had been designed to improve. Overall, the average healthcare cost of those EMC employees who participated in DASH was $827 lower than those who did not. The researchers could not conclusively state that an employee-initiated nutrition and exercise program like DASH would reduce healthcare costs for all employees because the employees who participated in DASH were, for the most part, relatively young and healthy. It is likely that the DASH participants would have had lower than average healthcare expenses regardless of the DASH program. Significantly however, the DASH participants with hypertension, hyperlipidemia and diabetes showed improvement after the DASH program. Therefore, the researchers found that healthcare costs for high-risk employees may be reduced by employer initiated health programs targeted at hypertension and related illnesses. Read the full article at: http://www.jmir.org/2009/4/e43/HTML.
Local Health Agencies
LiveWell Colorado White Paper Addresses Building and Sustaining Community Coalitions Applicable Resource Discusses How to Sustain Coalitions Focused on Healthy Eating, Active Living Strategies LiveWell Colorado today released a white paper, “Understanding Your Community: The Key to Building an Impactful, Sustainable Coalition.” The white paper, which complements LiveWell Colorado's October webinar, is available for free download at http://www.livewellcolorado.org/resources/white-papers. “Understanding Your Community: The Key to Building an Impactful, Sustainable Coalition” focuses on the importance of understanding a community’s population and circumstances when building a coalition to implement healthy eating, active living strategies. The white paper outlines steps that should be taken when preparing to build a coalition, understanding community members’ needs, and recognizing potential sources of resistance. It also offers tips, tools and best practices LiveWell Colorado has identified to effectively recruit and sustain a coalition. The comprehensive white paper discusses: The two LiveWell Colorado community case studies offered in the white paper demonstrate how coalitions can be effectively built and sustained in different environments with varied strategic goals. LiveWell Westwood demonstrates how comprehensive research and thoughtful planning lead to effective strategy implementation, while LiveWell Longmont illustrates how a powerful coalition structure and patience when recruiting coalition members drives strong community engagement. To access a recording of the webinar, visit http://www.livewellcolorado.org/resources/webinars; to download the white paper, visit http://www.livewellcolorado.org/resources/white-papers.
Community Planning, Recreation & Transportation
Department of Transportation Passes Bike/Pedestrian Policy
Article contributed by Betsy Jacobsen, Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator, Colorado Department of Transportation
With a title such as, “Bike and Pedestrian Number 1602.0," it doesn’t sound very thrilling; but in reality, this is one of the most exciting and important policies for bicycling and walking in the Department of Transportation.
On October 15, 2009, the Transportation Commission of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) unanimously adopted a new statewide policy that says, “… the needs of bicyclists and pedestrians shall be included in the planning, design, and operation of transportation facilities, as a matter of routine …”
In other words, this policy requires CDOT to include bicyclist and pedestrian needs in all aspects of transportation planning, project design, construction, maintenance, education and enforcement. By enhancing safety and mobility for bicyclists and pedestrians, the Department is promoting choices in transportation modes.
With the public’s increasing interest in the environment, personal health, and energy conservation, bicycling and walking offer viable alternatives to driving alone – particularly for local trips or for those that are combined with another mode such as transit. User safety and mobility on the roadway system needs to be an integral part of CDOT’s project development process.
There is an inherent challenge for transportation planners and highway engineers to balance the needs of all roadway users. This policy is also a reminder that providing connectivity and access for all, opportunity for modal choice, and safety for each mode of travel also equates to more capacity without adding more cars to the road.
Developing a policy like this takes time. More than two years ago, the Transportation Commission asked to have a review of existing policies and to make recommendations on enhancing bicycling and walking. In addition to talking with internal divisions of the Department, CDOT also gathered input from numerous bicycle and pedestrian advocates, representatives from health, schools, State Parks, local governments and planning organizations, etc., to identify needs and prepare recommendations. These groups and individuals worked together to draft language that would eventually become the policy. A special thank you goes out to all who were involved.
There is still much work to be done. Now that the policy is approved and adopted, a new set of instructions, or “procedural directives” are being developed. These directives define the actions needed to implement the policy. As examples, a bicycle and pedestrian chapter will be developed and added to the CDOT Engineering Design Manual, so designers will better understand how to accommodate the needs and requirements of bicyclists and pedestrians. Bicycling and walking will be incorporated into the overall statewide transportation planning process, so projects and funding can be programmed for the future. Additionally, there will be an exemption process developed for cases where it’s simply not possible to make accommodations. In those cases, the process will include documentation and approvals before they can be accepted.
As one person said, “This is an evolution of design. We’re designing to accommodate all users, regardless of their modal choice.” It’s also an exciting time.
For more information about this policy, please contact Betsy Jacobsen, CDOT’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator at 303-757-9982, or betsy.jacobsen@dot.state.co.us.
Food Systems & Retailers
Healthy Lifestyle La Plata Collaborates on Farm-to-School Grant
Healthy Lifestyle La Plata serves as the LiveWell Colorado community in Durango, Colo., and La Plata County. The community is highly involved with moving healthy foods from local producers to the schools with a down-home branch of the National Farm to School Network. Twenty schools in two school districts across the state of Colorado take part in this program.
Farm to School is a mutually beneficial program that teaches students, from the pre-kindergarten level to the college level, about the path from farm to fork. Helping these students better understand where the food they eat comes from, the path it takes, they appreciate it far more. Furthermore, the program instills healthy eating habits that can last a lifetime. At the same time, use of local produce in school meals and educational activities provides a new direct market for farmers in the area and mitigates environmental impacts of transporting food long distances. Healthy Community Food Systems, a partner of Healthy Lifestyle La Plata, recently received a grant along with the Center for Systems Integration; a organization known for partnering with communities, policymakers, leaders and the general public to find solutions to complex policy problems. The collaboration through this particular grant will promote the Farm to School Network and be integral in the model development of a Farm to School program in southwest Colorado. “Our main goal with receiving this grant is to make sure all school districts in Colorado know of the Farm to School opportunities,” explained Jim Dyer, Colorado liaison with the Southwest Marketing Network. “It’s important for the schools to know how to connect with local producers and how to support them.” With this grant, Healthy Community Food Systems will be able to share its successes, advice and suggestions with other communities and school districts looking to implement Farm to School programs. By instituting a Farm to School program, schools are not simply utilizing their local producers, but also offering various benefits to teachers, students and their families. Farm to School provides healthier schools meals throughout the day – breakfasts, lunches and snacks. This opportunity all keeps the students educated on where the food comes from with farmer visits, farm field trips and cooking classes, and participation in school gardens. Jim Dyer of Healthy Lifestyle La Plata and Healthy Community Food Systems collaborated with Lynn Kathleen and others of the Center for Systems Integration throughout the grant process for a teamed effort. Working together, they were able to accurately portray a three-year plan regarding the grant and its use with the Farm to School Network. “I was able to help in developing the proposal, but Lynn did the bulk of the work with submission of the application and consistently maintaining our vision,” explained Dyer. The Center for Systems Integration expects to begin receiving the grant funds as of January 1, 2010. The grant itself is a one-year funding program for which the group hopes to reapply for in the following years.
Legislators & Policymakers
LiveWell Colorado Webinar, "Access to Healthy Foods: Addressing the Complex Issue of Food Access in the State of Colorado," Available Online
“Access to Healthy Foods: Addressing the Complex Issue of Food Access in the State of Colorado” features a discussion among distinguished panelists including Lonna Lindsay, Vice President of Policy, LiveWell Colorado, Wendy Peters Moschetti, Consultant, WPM Consulting; Hillary Fulton, Program Officer - Healthy Living, The Colorado Health Foundation; Monica M. Buhlig, MPH, Community & Local Government Relations, Kaiser Permanente; and Kathy Underhill, Executive Director, Colorado Coalition to End Hunger.
The presenters discuss ways different organizations are partnering together to build a blueprint for food policy efforts statewide, methods to ensure access to healthy foods, techniques for leveraging food assistance programs and other related issues and solutions.
The webinar is now available for download at http://www.livewellcolorado.org/resources/webinars.
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