Walk fights obesity
By MONICA KRAUTH/Democrat staff Writer
In the war on obesity, the Yolo County Health Department in collaboration with Freeman Elementary School will hold its first Walk to School Day on Monday.
This event is simple: Students, parents, guardians and school staff will walk to school, said organizer Aide Silva of the Yolo County Health Department.
Walk-to-School, Silva said, is an international movement that aims to increase the number of children who walk to school.
The goal is to have children engage in regular physical activity, reinforce children's traffic safety skills, identify ways to make the community more pedestrian-friendly and encourage families to have fun and spend time together.
Silva also hopes the event will help raise awareness about the need to: Remind adults to drive safely in school zones, create and maintain safe places to walk within our neighborhood, especially on trips to and from school, identify steps people can take to make the community more pedestrian-friendly and promote the fact that children need regular physical activity to stay strong and healthy.
Encouraging families to have fun and spend time together simply by walking is the easiest way to stay healthy, health officials say.
"Let's all work together to make our community a more child-friendly place to walk," Silva said.
Silva also encourages having parents teach their children about traffic safety. "If you and your children do not walk to school, you will become more familiar with the route to school," she said. "You can talk about the hazards and the pleasant things along your child's route, said Silva.
For those who live too far to walk or if there are hazards along the way, Silva suggests splitting the trip into two parts.
"First drive or take a bus part way to school. Then walk the rest of the way with your children," she said.
This event is sponsored by the Yolo County Health Department, Raley's, Super Saver, the Food Bank, Wal-Mart, Maloof Sports & Entertainment, 5-a-Day California Nutrition Network and the 5-a-Day Power Play program.
Reach Monica Krauth at 406-6231 or
mkrauth@dailydemocrat.com.
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