  |
|
June 1, 2006
|
MANCHESTER: Southside grabs health award Back-to-back winners ? that?s what students at Southside Middle School are. For the second year in a row, the school snagged the award for the highest percentage of students active in Get Moving Manchester, a program for grades three through six designed to instill healthy lifestyle habits as a way to prevent obesity. The focus is on participation rather than competition and it?s meant to be more of a process than it is an event. While not every student has the ability or desire to be part of team sports, every student is invited to join Get Moving. Athletic equipment is donated by local sponsors. Former president of Catholic Medical Center and former Manchester mayor Dr. Sylvio L. Dupuis presented a trophy to students at a ceremony to mark the repeat accomplishment on May 26 at the school. ?It?s all about looking at obesity in children and trying to get them to understand that good health means that they?ll be more alert in school, they?ll get better grades, they?ll have a better lifestyle, and a better sense of well-being,? Dupuis said. Get Moving Manchester started as a volunteer effort and now is a collaboration by the school system and the Manchester Health Dept. Another aspect of the program includes a review of what?s offered in soft drink machines and the school cafeteria. Sue Sheehy, with the Manchester Health Dept. and the school district, said 327 Southside students completed journals describing eating habits, among other diet and exercise activities in the program, to win the traveling Get Moving trophy. ?This says a lot about the health and wellness of Southside Middle School,? said principal Mark Willis. Manchester School District Assistant Superintendent Frank Bass told students that they proved that healthy choices are realistic and that good habits are attainable. Sixth-grade students in the program get free pedometers. Students are also encouraged to limit time spent with television and video games. More than 9 million young Americans (16 percent) are considered to be overweight, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The percentage has tripled since 1980. About 15 percent of young people (6-11 years old) were overweight according to a study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2002. The figures were about the same for adolescents. For children and adolescents, there is no generally accepted difference between definitions for the terms ?obesity? and ?overweight.? The latest data show that 30 percent of adults ? more than 60 million people ? are obese.. Comments??Thoughts? Discuss this article and more at hippoflea.com |
|
Navigation