The Columbia-based Horizon Foundation announced Wednesday it was awarding $300,000 in grants to address childhood obesity in Howard County.
The grants were awarded to three local organizations that can directly impact child obesity—the Howard County Health Department, the Howard County Public School System and FIRN, an organization that works with immigrants to help them access community resources and opportunities.
One in four children in the county is overweight or obese, according to the Horizon Foundation.
"We really want to tackle major public health issues," said Horizon's president and CEO Nicolette Highsmith Vernick.
The health department was awarded $86,000 per year over two years to aid pediatricians and family physicians with obesity prevention measures. According to the statement, the training will encourage physicians to discuss sugary drink consumption and calculate body mass index.
The public schools received $125,000 to fund a Web-based student fitness assessment program for grades 4-9, which will allow physical education teachers to assess students' fitness and collect fitness data. All 74 county schools will participate in the program, according to Horizon.
"The use of technology will allow teachers more flexibility, create faster data analysis and allow them to send information to parents in a more streamlined way," said Highsmith Vernick.
FIRN received $90,000 to develop a community health worker to promote healthy lifestyles among Latino families. Horizon noted that Latino populations have a significantly higher rate of childhood obesity than the general population.
Highsmith Vernick said the grants were awarded through a competitive grant process.
The Horizon Foundation is an independent philanthropy focused on improving health and wellness in Howard County, according to the organization's website.
Darliene Howell
12:10 am on Friday, September 14, 2012
I would like to recommend the free NAAFA Child Advocacy ToolkitSM (CATK) and other written guidelines/resources to assist you looking at programs. The total health of our nation's children is a serious responsibility.
The NAAFA Child Advocacy Toolkit shows how Health At Every Size® takes the focus off weight and directs it to healthful eating and enjoyable movement. It addresses the bullying, building positive self-image and eliminating stigmatization of large children. Additionally, the CATK lists resources available to parents and educators or caregivers for educational materials, curriculum and programming that is beneficial for all children. It can be found at:
http://issuu.com/naafa/docs/naafa_childadvocacy2011combined_v04?viewMode=magazine&mode=embed
Jack
1:38 am on Friday, September 14, 2012
That is exactly the kind of involvement the hcpss heeds. Great post.
Jack
1:37 am on Friday, September 14, 2012
"he public schools received $125,000 to fund a web-based student fitness assessment program for grades 4-9, which will allow physical education teachers to assess students' fitness and collect fitness data. All 74 county schools will participate in the program, according to Horizon."
"The use of technology will allow teachers more flexibility, create faster data analysis and allow them to send information to parents in a more streamlined way," said Highsmith Vernick.
O.K. now tell us exactly what the money is to be spent on and what we get for it?
Now I am real curious, what information will they send the parents real quick? Are they going to convey their findings our children are overweight or obese like we as parents don't already know this?
So what you really want is to educate parents on obesity. Create a healthy parent partnership. Maybe we could fire Klatco and discuss with our food service workers what needs to be done in oue cafeterias. How about bringing recess and PE back to our schools. Middle schools sports are desperately needed. We need freshman sports. Make all children eligible for high school sports. Kick out Siddiqui who just happens to be a pediatrician and has yet to do anything about this problem.
With community participation all of this is free