What's New

Cooperative Agreements Funding from CDC

Improving Health and Educational Outcomes of Young People (CDC-RFA-DP08-801) is a new funding opportunity from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This program funds cooperative agreements between the CDC and State Education Agencies (SEAs), State Health Agencies (SHAs), Territorial Education Agencies (TEAs), Federally Recognized American Indian/Alaska Native Tribal Governments (TGs), and large urban Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to improve health and educational outcomes of young people by establishing and strengthening coordinated school health programs. Non-mandatory letters of intent were due October 16, 2007, with full proposals due on November 21. To learn more, visit the CDC Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/FOA-801.

Is Your Program Ready to Be Evaluated?

Does your district have a successful program to reduce childhood obesity? The CDC Foundation is seeking nominations for programs or policies that fall into the following three areas: (1) comprehensive school physical activity programs, (2) after-school/daycare programs addressing obesity, and (3) increasing access to fresh foods in low socioeconomic status (SES) inner-city communities. These programs may be considered for evaluation as part of a two-year collaborative project between CDC and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to identify and assess local-level programs and policies that help reduce childhood obesity. Local programs that appear promising and ready for a more rigorous, full evaluation will be selected based on an "evaluability" assessment. Once a nominated program is chosen by the project's expert panel, the evaluability assessment consists of a three-day site visit, where trained project staff assess program implementation, data collection, and program outcomes. As part of the site visit, a limited amount of on-site technical assistance will be provided to each site. Nominations are due October 26, 2007. To learn more or to request a nomination form, contact Nicola.U.Dawkins@macrointernational.com; 404-321-3688 fax; 404-321-3211 phone.

BMI Report Cards

Last month, Arkansas released the results of its annual report on students' body mass indices (BMIs) from the 2006-2007 school year. The numbers showed that 20.6 percent of Arkansas students were overweight and 17.2 percent were at risk for becoming overweight. The new figures, almost the same as the year before, indicate that Arkansas-the third most obese state in the nation when the program started in 2003-is holding the line against increasing rates of obesity among youth. Amid controversy over BMI report cards, the Arkansas legislature relaxed the state's BMI testing standards this year, requiring testing only in kindergarten and in even-numbered grades. High school juniors and seniors are exempt.

Seven states-Arkansas, California, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and West Virginia-currently require BMI report cards that are sent home to parents. Some individual school districts have also adopted the practice. Reaction among parents and obesity experts is mixed, with some viewing the BMI report cards as an effective strategy to educate parents about their child's health, and others regarding the reports as stigmatizing to youth.

To read the full report on Arkansas' results, visit the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement Web site at http://www.achi.net/.

Fewer Soft Drinks at School

A new report from the American Beverage Association indicates that school vending machines are stocked with fewer high-calorie soft drinks. In 2006-2007, non-diet soda accounted for 32 percent of the drinks for sale in school vending machines, compared to 47 percent in 2004. The biggest declines in sales were for sugary fruit drinks (56.2 percent) and full-calorie sodas (45.1 percent). A 22.8 percent increase in bottled water sales was also reported.

The report was the first since the Association adopted voluntary guidelines, brokered by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, in May 2006. Under the guidelines, beverage companies agreed to sell only water, unsweetened juice, and low-fat and nonfat milk to elementary and middle schools. Diet sodas and sports drinks remain in high school machines. The Alliance, a partnership of the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association, issued a statement in support of the School Beverage Guidelines Progress Report.

Webinars from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation offers free webinars, online seminars, on a variety of topics; all you need to participate is access to a telephone and computer. Upcoming topics include the following:

• Putting the Fun(d) Back into Fundraising, October 29
• The Alliance School Beverage Guidelines (see story above), November 7
• Healthy Schools Program Overview, November 8
• Gathering Data to Support Your School Employee Wellness Program, November 13

Additional topics and registration information may be found on the Alliance Web site at http://www.healthiergeneration.org/calendar-webinars.aspx?id=594.

New Study Reveals Effective School-Based Weight Control Program for Girls

"5-2-1-Go" is a middle school program that encourages students to eat five servings of fruit and vegetables per day, limit TV and computer time to two hours per day, and engage in physical activity for one hour each day. An evaluation of the program by researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard University was conducted at 13 middle schools in Massachusetts that were randomly assigned to either the 5-2-1-Go program for two years or their usual health education. Girls who participated in the program were two-thirds less likely to adopt risky weight-control measures than their peers in the control schools. There was no similar effect for boys. A report on the evaluation may be found in the September 2007 Archive of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, located online at http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/161/9/865.