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| navigate: home: magazine: fall 2003: article | |
| Cooperative Extension takes a healthy approach to youth education By Karen Tuohey Wing | ||||||
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The American proverb “You are what you eat” has become all too true for Americans. More Americans than ever are “supersized,” and the results are alarming increases in the rate of type 2 diabetes among children and adults, obesity and other chronic illnesses. School nurses, health professionals and teachers are very familiar with these trends, but faced with their own shrinking budgets, they have had little recourse. Penn State Cooperative Extension is working to change that by providing educational information and materials that can be used effectively in schools, day care and after-school programs. In June, Capital Region extension family living agents Sandra Parker Hall and Nina Redding reached out to key representatives of school districts, hospitals and other organizations at the 16th Annual Keystone Health Promotion Conference, held at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pa. The conference provided valuable insights from nationally recognized keynote speakers and others, as well as the opportunity to earn the continuing education units required for the teaching and medical professions. Hall and Redding held two workshops: “Health—It’s Your Choice Curriculum” and “Preventing Diabetes: You Have the Power,” which is based on Penn State Public Broadcasting’s Creating Health program. Almost 30 conference participants attended the sessions, which were both well received. “Health—It’s Your Choice” was developed by University of Minnesota Cooperative Extension and has been used as part of Cooperative Extension’s 4-H curriculum for the past four years. It is designed for children 8 to 15, although it can be adapted for use for youth up to age 18. According to Hall, this experiential learning-based curriculum focuses on six wellness factors: body motion (exercise), circle of friends, brain power, expressing oneself (emotional wellness), spiritual wellness and care of natural resources (environmental wellness.) “I believe this hands-on curriculum is so successful, because it gets people involved in the decision-making process,” Hall said. “They do the exercises, reflect, share, process and discuss how they viewed the activity. Then the students look at the general lessons and see how they can apply them to their own life situations. We want youth to think about making healthy choices and total wellness.” Teachers can use this curriculum for a full semester, although it has enough activities and projects to last for up to two years.“ This is a good developmental curriculum that works well in many settings,” Hall said. “Ultimately, it can help us be role models and support the youth in so many ways.” The “Preventing Diabetes: You Have the Power” workshop led by Redding brought this year’s Creating Health diabetes program to the conference participants. This program is an effort to educate and inform the general population about things they can do to lower their risk of developing diabetes. “Statistics show that approximately 17 million people in the United States have the disease,” Redding said. “A person’s risk for diabetes goes up as they get older, gain too much weight or if they do not stay active. Other risk factors include having high blood pressure, having a family history of diabetes and having diabetes during pregnancy or having a baby weighing more than nine pounds at birth. Type 2 diabetes traditionally has been an adult disease, but has recently become more prevalent in children and youth, and that’s a big concern. The health risk and related societal costs are enormous.” She added, “When I do the Preventing Diabetes community programs, I consider myself a cheerleader. After teaching the basics about diabetes, I focus on encouraging people to begin taking small steps to increasing their physical activity and improving their eating habits. We offer lots of tips on how to get started on the road to a healthier lifestyle.” Penn State’s Creating Health program involves faculty from five different colleges who have expertise in health and wellness. It uses a number of delivery systems to address serious health issues for Pennsylvania communities. On each selected topic, a television show is simulcast on Penn State’s public television and public radio stations, with opportunities for audience call-in. A video or DVD of the TV show also is made available to Cooperative Extension educators to use at other times throughout the year. A related database on the topic is available through the Web to serve both the general public and health-care providers. Cooperative Extension follows up with community-based awareness activities.“ We’re able to reach out to the community and make them aware of how they can reduce their risk for these serious health concerns,” Hall said. “We have the program available on video, along with other materials that discuss choices. We’ve presented this program to the Farm Women in Lebanon County, Career Links, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and through the Cooperative Extension offices.” Hall noted, “Teachers and others in the schools are seeing these trends, but they’re so overwhelmed right now they’re just not sure what to do. That’s where Penn State Cooperative Extension is helping to fill the gap. Creating Health will continue next year with programming related to another alarming health problem: childhood obesity. Dr. Marilyn Corbin, associate director of Cooperative Extension and state program leader for children, youth and families, said, “Families and communities lie at the foundation of the solution to health problems. Family members can improve their own knowledge and habits regarding a healthy diet and physical activity with their children, friends and community. Cooperative Extension, in partnership with community coalitions, will be increasing opportunities for consumers to learn more about healthful diets and physical activity.” | |||||
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