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news release |
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ANDREW J. SPANO, Westchester County Executive JOSHUA LIPSMAN, M.D., M.P.H., Commissioner of Health SUSAN TOLCHIN, Director
of Communications |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 19, 2005
WESTCHESTER COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO
RECEIVE
NEW FUNDING FOR HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
PROMOTION
What do you get when you combine good nutrition
practices, fun fitness activities and enthusiastic school children? You get Westchester’s Fit Kids program which has been implemented at 42 schools in 18
school districts throughout the County.
Using innovative and creative ideas, such as healthy recipe contests and
tae kwon do demonstrations, the program has been so successful in motivating
kids to get moving and eat healthier that the Westchester County Department of
Health has been awarded a grant of $110,000 from the State of New York to
support programs that help reduce obesity, physical inactivity and other
preventable causes of cardiovascular disease.
“In Westchester, we have strong support from the
County Executive and a good track record of creating successful programs like Fit Kids to address these critical
issues related to cardiovascular health,” said Joshua Lipsman, M.D., M.P.H.,
Commissioner of Health for Westchester County.
“I’m sure our ongoing activities helped in securing this grant from the
State.”
The Fit Kids
program, established two years ago by County Executive Spano, works directly
with local schools to implement programs that encourage physical activity and
healthy eating. Since its inception, Fit Kids has reached over 22,000
children, which represents 15% of the County’s public school students. Many examples of the exciting and creative
activities schools have developed to accomplish the aims of Fit Kids have been posted on the
Westchester County Health Department website at www.westchestergov.com/health/FitKids.htm These include:
o
Walkathons using
pedometers
o
Health fairs
o
Wellness Wednesdays
o
A Dairy Day when students
learned to milk cows
MORE
Healthy
Lifestyle Promotion P.2
o
Tae kwon do
demonstrations
o
Yoga and walking clubs
o
Recipe contests
o
Taste tests
o
Performances by the Food
Play theatrical group
The program has also encouraged schools to make
healthy changes to cafeteria menus and vending machine items. A Fit
Kids Resource Guide was developed
to help schools plan and implement programs and activities. A Fit Kids webpage (www.westchestergov.com/health/FitKids.htm)
was also created to assist schools with program implementation and to offer
educators, parents, and students a variety of resources.
“Many health problems
are associated with overweight and obesity,” said Dr. Lipsman. “These include
an increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, such as high blood
pressure, stroke and heart disease. We feel it is important to encourage
healthy habits at a young age.”
In addition to Fit Kids, County Executive Spano
recently issued a challenge to all County residents to take part in BeFit Westchester, a newly launched
county-wide fitness initiative. The
program, which is a joint effort of the Westchester County Departments of
Health; Parks, Recreation and Conservation; Senior Programs and Services; as
well as the Youth Bureau and Cornell Cooperative Extension, offers a website, www.westchestergov.com/fitness
for information about health and fitness.
Mall walking clubs, healthy cooking demonstrations, fitness competitions
and activities throughout the County’s parks are some of the events planned for
this year.
According to State officials, cardiovascular disease
is the number one cause of death in New York, claiming nearly 700,000 lives
each year. In addition, more than a million other New York residents are living
with a cardiovascular condition.
The Westchester County Health Department is one of
three county health departments among the nine organizations in New York State
to receive the grant, which is intended to support policies and practices
within schools and communities that create opportunities for adults and
children to be more active, make healthier food choices and quit or avoid
smoking.
Recently, Westchester County also received a grant
from the National Dairy Council to work with White Plains Middle and High
School students to increase awareness of the importance of calcium in their
diet.
For additional
information on these and other health initiatives, call the Westchester County
Health Department at (914) 813-5000 or visit our website at www.westchestergov.com/health.
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