Secretary of Health Highlights New Health Initiatives Aimed to Improve the Health of Children in Centre County

HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Secretary of Health Everette James today visited two elementary schools in Centre County to highlight innovative programs the schools are implementing in order to improve children's health.

At Park Forest Elementary School, James was joined by Penn State President Dr. Graham Spanier for a discussion about school nutrition education. The school is one of 200 across the state participating in a new project to help kids make healthier food choices by providing nutrition information to students and parents, and increasing the offerings of healthy foods in school settings.

"The goal of our discussion was to seek input from students, parents, teachers and community leaders on the best ways to provide nutrition information to children, ensuring they have the tools they need to make smarter, healthier food choices," said James.

The project works to provide greater access to healthy foods/beverages, pricing and nutrition education through the following actions:

• identifying locally grown and produced foods that meet or exceed nutrition standards;
• offering healthy foods and beverages in school cafeterias and vending machines, and tracking sales data to determine student preferences and the impact of price on healthy food choices in schools;
• developing simple, curriculum-based food labeling systems to be used at point of sale in school cafeterias and vending machines; and
• designing school menus to include nutrition information and providing this information to parents.

"For this program to work, it is important to make certain we are educating students in the classroom about the fundamentals of nutrition and how it impacts their health," said James. "With this knowledge as a base, these schools will ensure that students are able to practice what they are learning when they go to the school cafeteria."

This project is collaboration among Pennsylvania's departments of Health, Education, and Agriculture; Pennsylvania State University; Pennsylvania food manufacturers and food distributors; and school districts across the state. Funding for this project has been made available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "Communities Putting Prevention to Work" grant.

Secretary James also visited Bellefonte Elementary School today to kick-off the school's year-long efforts to boost physical activity among students.

The elementary school received one of 40 Active School grants awarded by the Department of Health through the federal Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant. This is the second year of the Active Schools Grant Program, which was designed to increase daily physical activity for students during the school day. Last year, the program was launched in middle schools and for the 2010-11 school year was made available to elementary schools.

"Schools like Bellefonte Elementary are demonstrating that when the health of the kids is made a top priority, scheduling at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day is not only achievable, it can be fun," said James.

Schools that participate in the Active Schools Grant Program assess student fitness at the beginning and end of the year, and implement evidence-based physical activity programs. Schools may select programs from a preapproved list provided by the departments, or design and offer their own program that provides students with at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every school day.

Funding for Active Schools is made available through a public-private partnership between the departments of Health and Education and six foundations and health insurers. Schools receive a $5,000 grant from the department and an additional $10,000 from a match-funding organization in their region. The program requires schools to assess all participating students and to implement evidence-based physical activities.

Capital BlueCross provided funding to Bellefonte Elementary School and is also providing funds for nine other participating schools in the state.

"We're very grateful for the financial support of Capital Blue Cross and the other organizations that have joined this important effort," said James.

For more information on the Active Schools Grant Program, visit the Department of Health web site at www.health.state.pa.us//activeschools

Media contact: Holli Senior, 717-787-1783

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Health