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County of Orange
Public Health Services |
Juliette A. Poulson, RN, MN Mark B. Horton, MD, MSPH Mailing Address: |
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For Immediate Release |
Contact: Leigh-Anne Rice, MPH, RD |
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(Santa Ana) – While the Surgeon General of the United States recently added his voice to the call for action against childhood obesity, several Orange County school districts and community organizations are already actively involved in the fight. Today’s schools are filled with more overweight children than ever, some at risk for — if not already suffering from — high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, and early signs of cardiovascular disease. In the 69th Assembly District, which includes Santa Ana, 36% of children are overweight. Because most overweight kids become overweight adults, experts have recognized that stopping the problem early represents the best hope for success in saving both lives and health-care dollars. The Health Care Agency’s (HCA) Nutrition Services has received California Nutrition Network (CNN) funds to assist other agencies, schools, and organizations in Orange County in tackling the problems associated with childhood obesity, and solutions are already emerging. Schools in the Santa Ana Unified School District and the Anaheim City School District have been awarded CNN mini-grant funds by HCA to conduct on-site taste tests, organize physical activity games and conduct cooking classes. Several Boys and Girls Clubs in Orange County have also been awarded funds to create healthy cooking classes for children and their parents while adding nutrition education to their fitness programs. Observing the current nationwide rise in childhood obesity, the Newport-Mesa Unified School District has received CNN funding to assist their Nutrition Services Department in promoting healthy eating through increased nutrition education for children and families. They currently provide teacher training, parent classes, and student lessons about nutrition, as well as physical education. Special activities teach youngsters about eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and how to prepare healthy snacks during after school programs. Nutrition Services also launched the “Breakfast Club” at several schools to promote their National School Breakfast Program. All of the programs receiving CNN funds promote the same messages and are responsible for evaluating their success. The information gained will be used in developing future programs to fight childhood obesity. The California Nutrition Network and the U.S. Department of Agriculture provide funds to local agencies to promote better health by encouraging Californians to:
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