Empowering Healthy Kids Blog

Interesting interactive exhibit at the Merrimack Valley YMCA:

Nearly 30 kids excitedly hopped along floppy, foldable grids laid out along the gym floor as an image of NBA star Jason Kidd boomed instructions on a digital projector stretching along the back wall.

This is exercise for children in the 21st century.

The children were demonstrating the Merrimack Valley YMCA’s new multimedia training system, called HOPSports. The interactive workout plan for kids, which became part of the after-school program at the Y a few months ago, was as fun as all the hype, said Jordan Clements of Andover, an 8-year-old in a hurry.

“Go, go, go,” Clements told the kids in front of her on the hopscotch grid. “I love to hop.”

Royal Philips Electronics of Andover recently partnered with HOPSports, a company that makes gym equipment with digitally recorded instruction by professional athletes, to provide the $18,000 training system to the YMCA free of charge. The companies donated the training system to promote good health in the community.

The training system, which the Merrimack Valley YMCA plans to eventually share with other area YMCAs, comes equipped with 90 pre-recorded interactive lessons by professional athletes that incorporate the hopscotch squares, stability balls, jump ropes and stretch bands to promote physical activity, nutrition and wellness.

“This drill works on their agility as well as their cardio,” said Amy Quinlan, a trainer at the YMCA, referring to the hopscotch workout. “It’s a foot drill that helps their coordination.”

Customized for today’s new media-savvy and often sedentary kids, the system, released in 2003, is visually interactive yet intensive, focusing on the importance of skills-based activity while providing valuable information on nutrition, anti-smoking and other topics.

Photo here.

Via eSchools:

Some $20 billion for school modernization and $1 billion for educational technology are among nearly $150 billion in funding targeted toward education in the House version of the new economic stimulus package, which lawmakers introduced Jan. 15.

Specifically the education portion includes:

• $41 billion to boost learning in local K-12 school districts through Title I ($13 billion), IDEA ($13 billion), a new School Modernization and Repair Program ($14 billion), and the Education Technology block-grant program ($1 billion);

• $79 billion in state fiscal relief to prevent cutbacks to key services, including $39 billion to local school districts and public colleges and universities using existing formulas, $15 billion to states as bonus grants for meeting key performance measures, and $25 billion to states for other high-priority needs, such as preventing the layoffs of public safety and other critical employees, including teachers;

• $6 billion in school modernization funds for colleges and universities; and

• Funding to make college more affordable, including $15.6 billion to increase the maximum Pell Grant amount by $500, from $4,850 to $5,350, and tax credits for up to $2,500 per year spent in college tuition.

Democratic leaders in Congress have pledged to have a bill ready for Obama to sign by mid-February.

Great programme that brings together video gaming and fitness.

One evening last week, [Mike] Walker [City of Brooksville parks and recreation director] invited community members and the center’s after-school program enrollees to see firsthand the newest addition to the center’s activity list: the Fit-N-Fun 4 Kids program.

With a $2,500 grant from the Community Foundation of Hernando County, Walker and his team invested in two GameBikes and a few PlayStation 2 video games. They have also developed a program that gets kids ages 6 to 13 moving and shaking.

The Fit-N-Fun 4 Kids program begins with jumping jacks, stretching and jogging in place. For the participants last week, it seemed this moderate exercise worked like an elixir.

Read on.

It will be interesting if participation rates are maintained… good luck to them!

I thought I’d better start posting some of our progress with the Zippeddy technology. For more background information on Zippeddy please click here.

Below is a part screen shot of our Zippedy software. I put our Zippeddy pedometer into the pocket of my backpack. So basically we measured the amount of activity when I had the backpack on my back walking in the city. Next we downloaded the data on the pedometer using our software to produce this chart.

Note that the high bars before work and after work. The middle one that occurs between 2pm and 3pm is when I walking to a client site.

The axis on the left hand side is “Activity Points” where the more activity you do the higher the score.

UPDATE: if you would like to follow Zippeddy’s progress, please see the Zippeddy category and XML feed.

10 year research from the Department of Genomic Medicine at Imperial College London found three genetic variants that can go some way to explain the biological reasons for obesity:

The gene variant most strongly associated with childhood obesity and adult morbid obesity in the study is located near the PTER gene, the function of which is not known. This variant is estimated to account for up to a third of all childhood obesity, and a fifth of all cases of adult obesity.

The second variant associated with child and adult obesity is found in the NPC1 gene. Previous studies in mice have suggested that this gene has a role in controlling appetite, as mice with a non-functioning NPC1 gene suffer late-onset weight loss and have poor food intake. This gene variant accounts for around 10 per cent of all childhood obesity and about 14 per cent of adult morbid obesity cases.

The final variant is found near the MAF gene, which controls the production of the hormones insulin and glucagon, as well as chains of amino acids called glucagon-like peptides. These hormones and peptides are known to play key roles in people’s metabolisms by metabolising glucose and carbohydrates in the body. In addition, glucagon and glucagon-like peptides appear to have a strong effect on people’s ability to feel ‘full’ or satiated after eating. This variant accounts for about 6 per cent of early-onset obesity in children, and 16 per cent of adult morbid obesity.

Further research is needed to determine whether the gene variants are acting independently, but if they are, then together these three new variations may account for up to half of all cases of severe adult and child obesity.

To encourage kids to explore the great outdoors:

With a unique blend of talent and resources, the National Park Service, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation are focusing on a national epidemic – childhood obesity.

A grant of $200,000 over two years will pilot a multi-dimensional program expected to eventually span the entire length of the 469 mile long Blue Ridge Parkway.

The objective is to engage children and their families in activities that increase physical activity, improve nutritional choices, and increase awareness of the Blue Ridge Parkway as a recreational resource. The program will pilot initially in the Asheville, spearheaded by Olson Huff, M.D., who has a distinguished career in children’s health. He also co-chairs the Task Force on Obesity and Nutrition of the N.C. Health and Wellness Trust Fund Commission. Huff, the NPS, and the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation have convened a regional advisory board to maximize the program’s effectiveness with Dr. Huff serving as board chairman.

Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Phil Francis sees the national implications. “Our national parks have always been destinations for the expression of physical activity in unique environments. There is a lot of interest in our program across the [National Park] Service and our staff is excited about the prospect of a national model.”

I love Superheroes:

It’s Mr. Fruitness!

He is the main character of this, which aims to promote fruit consumption in Europe.Mr Fruitness is a superhero. He has special powers thanks to the “boost” of vitamins and many nutrients he gets from wholesome fruit, which Europe abounds in. Mr Fruitness gets his energy and well-being (both physical and mental) not just from healthy exercise but also from a careful and intelligent diet, of which fruit is an essential part of, just as nature offers it to us.

When there is an “emergency” (i.e. his superpowers diminish and he feels tired) he knows he can always count on his “FRUITEAM”, a group of 4 fruit/friends. When he calls them, they rush to his aid from the countryside where they naturally live and grow, and each one possesses the vitamins and special nutritional substances, of different kinds and in varying quantities, that are essential to recharge Mr Fruitness’s powers.

Apparently obesity rates have levelled off over the last decade:

Professor Tim Olds, from Uni SA, says one in five children is still battling with weight issues, but that is no greater than a decade ago.

“If you had a look at the data until certainly the early 2000s and you put them all together, it really did look as if things were increasing exponentially - there was a runaway increase in overweight and obesity,” he said.

“So it’s not that these people misinterpreted the data, it’s just that recent data has shown a change in the pattern.

“When we put all those studies together, and they encompass about 70-80,000 children, what we noticed was there was a very clear flattening out of the prevalence the rate of overweight and obesity in children, it started in the late 90s and it’s continued until today.”

Professor Olds was quick to point out that the survey did not mean childhood obesity was not a serious problem in Australia.

I have to take issue with ABC Online’s headline: “Rising childhood obesity a myth: study.” I saw no mention Professor Olds that rising childhood obesity levels are a myth - he still acknowledges that it is still a problem. So it’s not surprising that we get the counter headline and article not two hours later:

Childhood obesity no myth: health expert

Director of the Public Health Advocacy Institute of W-A, Mike Daube says the claims are ludicrous.

He says childhood obesity is still a serious problem and now fears people could become complacent.

“Of course it can’t keep increasing exponentially, you know there comes a stage where it has to plateau out but if it’s plateauing out at the height of Everest rather than the height of Bluff Knoll then we need to do something about it,” he said.

“There is are real risk that we say, well the problem isn’t increasing as fast as it was so there isn’t a problem and that’s the wrong way to look at it.

“What we need to say is we have a massive problem if it’s plateauing that’s encouraging but we still have an obesity epidemic.”

Spot the difference? There is none really, both Daube and Olds agree that it’s still a problem.

Earlier articles on obesity levelling off here and here.

Be Active Day! On January 17th 12pm-4pm at the Blue Ridge Mall in Hendersonville:

Be Active Day is the kick-off event for the Childhood Obesity Prevention Demonstration Project. Henderson County was one of five counties selected statewide to implement a comprehensive program to address childhood obesity.

The grant’s Eat Smart Move More campaign will increase awareness about the need to move more every day, reduce TV time, prepare more meals at home, consider portion sizes and beverage choices, and eat more fruits and vegetable. For tips on physical activity and healthy eating, visit

In Houston:

Baylor College of Medicine has been awarded a $1.5 million grant for research related to obesity in children.

The Human Nutrition and Obesity Program grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Research Institute.

Researchers will evaluate a community program to be held in Houston aimed at prevention of obesity among high-risk children.

“Healthy Kids–Houston” will hold three six-week sessions for minority children ages 9 to 13 that will include physical activity, nutrition education and behavioral lessons at various Houston Parks and Recreation Department community centers.

The program is a partnership between Baylor, Houston Parks and Recreation Department, Houston Metropolitan Transit Authority and Texas Children’s Hospital, including Texas Children’s Pediatric Associates.

With the myriad of child obesity programs out there, it is important that we have some independent research performed (such as the one above) on programs to ensure it’s effectiveness and efficiency. While I still believe that parents are in the best place to decide what’s best for their children, this sort of oversight can offer some level of transparency into public health funding.