release of its study showing that the closer children live to fast food restaurants, the more likely they are to be overweight, even after adjusting for the family’s socioeconomic status. The study has added to the national debate as
I
federal policymakers and local PTAs alike grapple with the issue of childhood obesity and its danger to health. Researchers say the problem has reached epidemic proportions, with young people consuming steady diets of video games and high-fat foods. As President Barack Obama created the
White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity, First Lady MichelleObama rolled out her “Let’s Move!” campaign and engaged a group of youngsters to help plant a vegetable garden on the South Lawn of the White House. In the Williamsburg area, the Schroeder
Center and its director, Jennifer M. Mellor, who is also a professor of economics at William & Mary, joined forces in 2005 with the local school system and a nonprofit community health foundation to help evaluate a newly created wellness pro- gram within the Williamsburg–James City County Public School System.
ILLUSTRATIONS: ROBERT MEGANCK, COMMUNICATION DESIGN INC. FEATURES / President’s Report 2010 / The College of William & Mary 41
N THE NATIONAL BATTLE AGAINST OBESITY, William & Mary’s Schroeder Center for Health Policy is weighing in. The center garnered headlines in May with the
The School Health Initiative Program, or SHIP, educates
students, teachers and parents about healthy habits and lifestyles. With a broad reach and range of activities, SHIP is helping to change school culture by using everything from physical activity to teaching pupils about the phases of the moon to replacing every cafeteria’s deep fryer with a convection oven. Because of SHIP, students are learning yoga and
healthy cooking techniques in after-school clubs, teachers are incorporating movement in daily lessons, and parents are substituting cupcake parties in classrooms with celebrations featuring yogurt smoothies and carrot sticks with low-fat dip. Since the start of this collaborative effort between
the local school system and the Williamsburg Community Health Foundation, the Schroeder Center has helped evaluate this program that touches the lives of 10,000- plus public school students. In 2006, the center released a lengthy report on baseline health and wellness surveys conducted prior to SHIP’s implementation. Earlier this year, the center conducted a study on the amount of physical activity SHIP is introducing into the classroom through newly adopted teaching techniques. And starting this fall, the Schroeder Center assumed an increased role in the evaluation of SHIP’s effectiveness under a year-long contract with the Health Foundation. The goal of evaluation activities, which include survey
design and analysis, is to track how well the program is working. “Are students participating in more healthy behaviors?
William & Mary joins the fight to address childhood obesity
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