OBESITY IN MISSISSIPPI

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WHAT IS MISSISSIPPI DOING - Implementation EffortsIn response to the Mississippi Healthy Students Act, the Mississippi Department of Education,aided by local and federal funding has implemented many strategies to meet updated regulationsand to support student health. Some of the most prominent strategies are listed below:Five Star Food GrantNUTRITION INTEGRITYGrantCOMMITTED TO MOVEGRANTHEALTH IN ACTIONThrough funding fromThe Bower Foundation,schools are awarded aFive Star Food Grant toincrease consumption offruits and vegetables inMississippi public schools.This initiative awardsschools monies to purchasesectionizers and slicersfor making food attractivein service lines and forfocusing on healthful foodchoices for children in theschool setting. In addition,the food service managersattend a chef-led trainingsession on how to usethe equipment, includinghands-on demonstrations.Training is disseminatedto other food service staffthrough a partnership withMississippi State ExtensionService professionals.During the 2007-2008 schoolyear, over 46,000 studentswere reached through thisinitiative in 80 schools from25 school districts. Thirtythreeschools from 11 schooldistricts participated in thesecond year of the programduring the 2008-2009school year.The Nutrition IntegrityGrant initiative wasdesigned to remove fryersfrom school kitchensand replace them withcombination ovensteamers. Other goalswere to promote andshare information onthe feasibility and costof removing fryers andinstalling combinationoven steamers, to eliminatefried foods in a period offive years, and to providehealthier school meals byreducing the amount ofcalories, fat, saturated fatand trans fat served. A jointproject of the MississippiDepartment of Education’sOffice of Healthy Schoolsand The Bower Foundation,this grant also includesthe development of astep-by-step guide to asuccessful implementation.Since 2006, the beginning ofthe Nutrition Integrity Project,a total of 104 combinationoven steamers have beenpurchased in 41 districts,impacting approximately64,900 children. Because ofthe project’s tremendous success,schools throughout Mississippiare electing to replace fryerswith combination ovensteamers, even without thebenefit of grant funding.The Committed to MoveGrant project providesschool districts curriculum,training, and up to $9,400to purchase physicaleducation equipmentand resources to assistin complying with theMississippi HealthyStudents Act. The grant,funded by The BowerFoundation, enablesschool districts to purchaseapproved equipment andsupplemental materials tosupport the implementationof a quality physicaleducation programbased on the MississippiStandards for PhysicalEducation. Granteesparticipate in Physical Bestand FITNESSGRAMtraining and conductbiannual fitness assessmentsof their students.Twenty-five schoolsparticipated in the grantduring the 2007-2008school year, and 21 schoolsparticipated during the2008-2009 school year,reaching a total of 13,500students. The evaluationof this program is a componentof the comprehensiveevaluation of the MississippiHealthy Students Act beingconducted by the Center forMississippi Health Policy.Through the Health inAction initiative, teachersnow have free access toan online database of1,300 health educationand physical educationlesson plans. The plans aredeveloped by Mississippiteachers and are aligned tonational and state standardsfor health and physicaleducation and other corecontent areas to providecross-curricula instruction.There are also lesson plansavailable to promote saferoutes to school. The Officeof Healthy Schools has thecapability to communicatewith all Health in Actionregistered guests viamass e-mail.As of June 2009, there were1,900 registered individualsrepresenting 36 states.The lesson plans found onHealth in Action are basedon monthly themes thatsupport the eight componentsof coordinated school health.The Office of Healthy Schoolshas developed sample pressreleases based on these themesto provide school districts withmonthly guides and healthfacts for communicatinglocal school successes.10
A project funded by the POWER initiativeHealth Is Academic–John D. Bower, M.D.School Health NetworkExcellence inPhysical EducationCertification Program2007 Team NutritionGrantsTEAM Mississippi:A Partnership forHealthy FamiliesThe John D. Bower, M.D.School Health Networkis a joint endeavor of theMississippi Departmentof Education’s Office ofHealthy Schools and TheBower Foundation. Itspurpose is to providein-depth preparation tolocal school districts forthe implementation of theCoordinated School HealthProgram model. The intentis to enable participants tostrengthen the role of healthcoordinators, establishlocal school health councils,improve school healthinstruction programs for allstudents, reconfigure the useof existing school resources,and nurture broad-basedschool and communitysupport for a coordinatedschool health program.Network participantsare selected through acompetitive process.Since 2005, 20 schooldistricts have received fundsto implement the eightcomponents of coordinatedschool health.The Excellence in PhysicalEducation CertificationProgram is a joint programbetween the Governor’sCommission on PhysicalFitness and Sports andMississippi Departmentof Education’s Office ofHealthy Schools. It is theCommission’s desire tomake this program anincentive for school districts,administrators, andteachers to offer “excellent”physical educationprograms. Presented as anannual award available topublic and private schools,the certification officiallyrecognizes a school’scommitment to a qualityphysical education program.Qualified schools arerecognized with a certificate,web posting on MDE’s site,and press releases sent tolocal publications. Selectedschools are also invited to areception at the Governor’smansion. Recognizedschools serve as examplesto other schools andschool districts throughoutMississippi to inspire othersto strive towards meeting“excellent” standards inquality physical educationprograms.Since 2002, there havebeen 116 gold awards,112 silver, and 32 bronzehave been awarded toschools across the state.The Team Nutrition Grantfocused on the followingstrategies: establishing andmaintaining school healthcouncils, conducting apre- and post-assessmentto determine baselinedata and impact of projectimplementation, developingnutrition and physicalactivity policies to promotestudent and staff wellness,taking the Healthier USSchool Challenge, andconducting nutritionand physical activitiesthat reinforce the TeamNutrition messages.In 2007, The Office ofHealthy Schools’ ChildNutrition Program awarded20 Mississippi schools withTeam Nutrition Grants. Theseschools are expected to promotestudent and staff wellness byinvolving parents, students,school board members, schooladministrators, and thecommunity in the developmentof nutrition and physicalwellness policies.The Mississippi Departmentof Education’s Office ofHealthy Schools and TheUniversity of MississippiMedical Center’s Centerof Excellence partnered toform TEAM Mississippi:A Partnership for HealthyFamilies to promotehealthy eating and physicalactivity in families. Theproject was made possibleby the National Centerof Excellence in Women’sHealth at the University ofCalifornia, San Francisco,and Johnson & Johnson.This partnership is basedon the understanding ofthe relationship betweenthe health of students andacademic achievement andthe role the parent playsin promoting a healthyenvironment in the home.Five hundred 1st-4th gradersfrom two schools participatedin a year-long campaignto promote healthy eatinghabits and physical activityamong families. Resultsproved that students receivinghealth information hadimprovements in the measuredhealth categories comparedto worsening conditions ofstudents not being educated inhealth matters.11
Page 1 and 2: OBESITY IN MISSISSIPPIa report comp
Page 3 and 4: TABLE OF CONTENTS4 | Introduction &
Page 5 and 6: Finding an AnswerOverweight adolesc
Page 7 and 8: A GROWING PROBLEMNationally, childh
Page 9: What is Mississippi Doing?Thanks to
Page 13 and 14: A project funded by the POWER initi
Page 15 and 16: Moving forwardWith the measurements
Page 39 and 40: SEEKING ACTIONEach of Mississippi
Page 41 and 42: A project funded by the POWER grant
Page 48: Report compiled by theMississippi D

OBESITY IN MISSISSIPPI

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