Obesity Discussion Forums

[Obesity Discussion]

The Epidemic
59% of Maine adults are overweight or obese. (CDC BRFSS, 2002)
21% of non-Hispanic white adults, 20% of non-Hispanic black adults, and 12% of Hispanic adults in Maine are obese. (CDC BRFSS, 2002)
27% of Maine high school students and 30% of Maine middle school students are at risk for overweight or overweight. (Maine YRBSS, 2003)
36% of Maine kindergarten students are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. (Maine Child Health Survey, 2002)
32% of low-income children between two and five years of age in Maine are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. (CDC PedNSS, 2002)
The obesity rate among Maine adults increased by 70% from 1990 to 2002. (CDC BRFSS, 1990, 2002)

Program Priorities
Key stakeholders, including the Maine Physical Activity and Nutrition (PAN) Coordinating Council, are working to develop the state Physical Activity and Nutrition Plan. This effort is organized around four setting-specific workgroups:

Schools
Work sites
Health-care venues
Communities
All of the work groups are using the social-ecologic model to organize strategies in the state plan.

The state’s coordinated infrastructure for obesity prevention includes a group of key stakeholders, the Physical Activity and Nutrition (PAN) Coordinating Council, and the Physical Activity and Nutrition (PAN) Advisory Group. The PAN Coordinating Council is made up of state-level partners whose purpose is to communicate, coordinate, integrate, and leverage resources to promote optimal standards and practices in and across programs with physical activity and nutrition components. The PAN Advisory Group is made up of nongovernment members whose purpose is to organize key stakeholders with an interest in physical activity and nutrition issues in Maine. Their role is to inform, communicate, and advocate regarding the goals of the Physical Activity and Nutrition Program.

One intervention is currently being pilot tested:
The A la Carte and Vending Machine Policy intervention is intended to improve the availability of nutritious food selections in public schools. It is being pilot tested at the high school level. In the intervention schools, a committee that includes student representatives is formed to consider the need for change in policies that affect the kinds of foods that are offered in a la carte food service and vending machines. A major objective of the pilot study is to identify potential barriers that may limit the ability of the committee to change school policy.


Partners
Healthy Maine Partnerships
Maine Bureau of Elder and Adult Services
Maine Cardiovascular Health Program
Maine Center for Public Health
Maine Department of Agriculture
Maine Department of Education
Maine Diabetes Prevention and Control Program
Maine Harvard Prevention Research Center
Maine Maternal/Child Health Nutrition Program
Maine Nutrition Network
Maine Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program
University of Southern Maine Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service

Recent Accomplishments and Products
Established the Physical Activity and Nutrition (PAN) Coordinating Council

Upcoming Events and Products
A comprehensive state Physical Activity and Nutrition Plan
A logic model for the state Physical Activity and Nutrition Program
Project Period: 2003–2008
Year First Funded: 2003
Funding Stage: Capacity Building
Contact Person:
Lori A. Kaley, MS, RD, LD, MSB
Coordinator, Community Health Initiatives
Institute for Public Sector Innovation
University of Southern Maine
Telephone: 207-626-5258
Fax: 207-626-5210
E-mail: lori.kaley@Maine.gov


Data Sources
CDC BRFSS — CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
CDC PedNSS — CDC’s Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System
CDC YRBSS — CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System
ME YRBSS (etc.) — the individual state’s version of the named survey
ME CHS — Maine Chile Health Survey

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obes...rams/maine.htm

[Obesity Discussion]

Gym For Young Kids Aims To Fight Childhood Obesity
Web Editor: Aaron Roberts, Reporter
Last Updated: 10/12/2006 4:33:21 PM


One in 3 children in Maine is either overweight, or at risk of becoming overweight. That's according to Maine's top health official.
A new gym in Brewer is working to combat childhood obesity. My Gym Children's Fitness Center opened last month.

It gives kids from 6 weeks through 6 years old the chance to work out in their gym, doing exercises while interacting with kids their age. The kids also dance and swing.

Lauri Jacobs, a dietician at Eastern Maine Medical Center, says most kids don't get enough physical activity, and starting young is a good preventive approach.

Jacobs says in addition to exercise, it's important for parents to teach their kids about a healthy diet with lots of fiber, and plenty of fruits and vegetables.

Fight Childhood Obesity with Exercise

[Obesity Discussion]

Kittery fights student obesity
By Beth LaMontagne
blamontagne@seacoastonline.com

Complete Maine News Index

KITTERY, Maine -- According to a recent school department study, more than one-third of the town's students are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight.

Health coordinator Alethea Cariddi said the district has always monitored students' height and weight from kindergarten through 12th grade, but for the past four years, she has also charted students' body mass index. This figure has been added to the annual student exam to estimate the children's body fat based on height and weight.

To determine whether a child falls into the healthy or overweight categories, Cariddi said the district uses the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey standards. Children who are heavier than 84 percent to 94 percent of the kids their age are considered at risk for being overweight, while children who weigh more than 95 percent of the kids their age are considered overweight.

"There's a lot that we are doing, and there's more we could be doing," Cariddi said. At all of the town's schools, students learn about nutrition, getting exercise and staying healthy. There is also an effort ... to reduce the amount of junk food served at lunch.

Last year, the town passed a local wellness policy, which encourages physical activities throughout the day and implements a "healthy party policy," which asks parents to send in fruits and veggies, not just cupcakes and soda.

Cariddi said the study shows middle school can be a difficult time because children's bodies are changing so quickly. She also noted weight issues do not always develop later but that some children are entering the school system overweight or at risk. In 2006, 32 percent of kindergartners were at risk or overweight. Last year, 44 percent of kindergartners fell into this category.

"It is very difficult for kids to get all this (good nutrition) information and then eat a dinner that they don't have control over," said Cariddi.

That is why the school department is reaching out to parents to give them more information about healthy eating habits. It is offering free sessions with nutritionist Lisa Dinsmore the last Wednesday of each month.

Cariddi said these sessions have already provided parents with tools and strategies for better eating.

The November session was about how to feed a picky eater. The next session, in January, will be about how to cook nutritious foods on a budget.

Childhood Obesity Fight