September is Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

One in 3 children in the United States are overweight or obese. Childhood obesity puts kids at risk for health problems that were once seen only in adults, like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

Childhood obesity can be prevented. Communities, health professionals, and families can work together to create opportunities for kids to eat healthier and get more active.


Make a difference for kids: Spread the word about strategies for preventing childhood obesity and encourage communities, organizations, families, and individuals to get involved.

We can all use this month to raise awareness about the obesity epidemic and show people how they can take steps toward a solution. Here are just a few ideas:

• Encourage families to make small changes, like keeping fresh fruit within their children’s reach or going on a family walk after dinner.
• Motivate teachers and administrators to make schools healthier. Help them provide healthy food options and daily physical activities for students.
• Ask doctors and nurses to be leaders in their communities by supporting programs to prevent childhood obesity

Last year, Jefferson County Public Health, Triad Early Childhood Council, and Culture of Wellness in Preschools formed the Healthy Preschool Partnership (HPP). The partnership has been working together to support the health and well-being of children and staff in early care and education settings. In 2015-2016, the Health Preschool Partnership worked with 17 early care and education sites in Jefferson and Gilpin County to increase physical activity and healthy eating practices. This partnership is planning on continuing early childhood obesity prevention work and partnership in the upcoming year.

Culture of Wellness in Preschools continues to do great work in Jefferson County Head Start Programs and throughout the Denver area.

Another partner organization, Go Farm, is a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) that is working with Early Care and Education sites to increase access to healthy foods for preschoolers and their families in Jefferson County through their Go Farm to Families program.

September is a great time to access 5210 Jeffco. 5210 Jeffco is a simple, easy-to-remember message to improve child health by promoting healthy eating and physical activity in Jefferson County. Adopted from 5210 Let’s Go!, a program out of Maine, 5210 Jeffco reminds families of four healthy habits to aim for each day:

The 5210 message works in many settings to reach families and children where they live, learn, work, and play. The goal is that 5210 Jeffco will not only get the word out about healthy habits for children to live by, but also inspire community change through policies that support healthy environments for all. Let's work together to give everyone the same opportunity to make the healthy choice the easy choice in Jefferson County.

Public health reminds parents to Turn off the TV and Play together as a family.

Research shows too much “screen time” with television, video games, cell phones and other devices can lead to obesity and other health problems. TV advertising is loaded with commercials for sugary cereals, high-sugar energy drinks, candy, fast food and processed meals.

To stay healthy, turn off the TV and play together as a family.

• Allow no screen time for children under 2 years.
• Limit screen time for children 2 years and older to 2 hours a day. 
• Make your children’s rooms “no screen zones” - they’ll sleep better. 
• Turn off the TV when no one is watching it. 

Ever since they could toddle, your children followed you. To limit their screen time, be a role model.

• If they see you with your face buried in a screen all day, they will do the same. 
• If they see you turn off the screen and pick up a book, listen to music or go outside to play, they will do the same.

Try out some Healthier snacks

Banana Bobs

• 2 bananas cut into ½ inch slices
  
• ¼ cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
  
• 2 tablespoons oat and honey granola cereal 

How to make:

1. Place the sliced banana pieces on plate.
   
2. Place 2 tablespoons of yogurt onto the plate.
   
3. Place the tablespoons of granola cereal onto the plate.
   
4. Use fork to pick up a slice of banana and dip into the yogurt, then into the cereal. 

** Try different flavors of yogurt.

Jefferson County Public Health WIC Program

5210 Jeffco

5210 Jeffco

Jefferson County Public Health is excited to be using the 5210 message campaign aimed at improving child health by promoting healthy eating and physical activity.  5210 Jeffco is adapted from 5210 Let’s Go!, a program started in 2006 by The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center.   5210 Jeffco reminds every one of four healthy habits to aim for each day:

*Keep TV/computer out of the bedroom.  No screen time under the age of 2.

The 5210 Jeffco message will be used by public health and our partners to educate and inspire community members where they live, learn, work, and play.  The message encourages awareness and action with easy-to-remember messages and vivid educational materials.

Early childhood, from birth to age five, is an extremely important developmental time of life when many health habits are formed, habits that can have lifelong impacts on health.  Across the nation and in Colorado, young children are not getting enough physical activity or consuming the daily recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables. In Jefferson County, one in five children and over half of all adults are considered overweight or obese. Obesity is associated with many chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.   Jefferson County’s 2013 Community Health Assessment shows that rates of these chronic diseases are on the rise.

Jefferson County Public Health supports the behavior changes promoted by the 5210 messages as important educational messages that can help reduce obesity rates among Jeffco’s children. It is our goal that the 5210 Jeffco message does more than educate, but also inspires community change through policies that support healthy environments for all.   

We are looking for opportunities to promote 5210 Jeffco throughout the county as we work in collaboration with early childhood partners.  5210 Jeffco messaging will also be used by the Jefferson County Community Health Network coalitions working to improve health for everyone in the County.

• To learn more about 5210 Jeffco, visit www.5210jeffco.com or contact Mary Margaret Fouse-Bishop, RN, BSN HEAL in Early Childhood Coordinator at mfousebi@jeffco.us or 303-239-7135.
• To learn more about the Jefferson County Community Health Improvement Network and the many coalitions meeting to improve health in the County, visit: www.healthypeoplehealthyplacesjeffco.com.