By Beth Markley

        The national epidemic of childhood obesity has multiple causes, and coordinating the various efforts to tackle each of them is the focus of a new partnership of government agencies, nonprofit organizations, civic clubs, and others.

        The national Let’s Move initiative launched by First Lady Michelle Obama is dedicated to solving the problem of obesity within a generation. It’s a lofty goal, but one with potential to impact our quality of life in significant ways.

        Early this year, a White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity quantified this epidemic:

•  Nationally, one in three children ages two to 19 is overweight or obese, a statistic that has tripled over the past three decades.

•  One in three children born in the year 2000 is expected to develop diabetes during their lifetime.

•  Each year, obese adults incur an estimated $1,429 more in medical expenses than their normal-weight peers.

•  Obesity is estimated to cause 112,000 deaths per year in the U.S., and the current generation may be on track to have a shorter lifespan than their parents.

•  More than a quarter of all Americans ages 17 through 24 are unqualified for military service because they are too heavy.

        Experts know the risk factors for obesity, of course, and there are organizations in local communities across the country working continually to address those factors.

        Coordinating the work of this expansive network of organizations, increasing the visibility of programs and services, and measuring the impact they’re having on this crisis is the focus of Let’s Move Boise, an affiliate of the national initiative.

        Kendra Witt, with Blue Cross of Idaho, is co-chair of Let’s Move Boise, along with Amy Stahl of the City of Boise Department of Parks and Recreation. Witt says the primary objective of Let’s Move Boise is to facilitate collaboration among existing programs and make sure information and education is visible and accessible in four distinct areas that they’ve aligned into four Pillars:

Pillar 1: Reducing the risk of obesity in childhood

Pillar 2: Making healthy food affordable and accessible

Pillar 3: Providing healthy food in schools

Pillar 4: Increasing healthy activity

        To date, nearly two dozen organizations have signed on to be a part of this effort, each bringing their own areas of expertise and resources to the table, as well as a commitment to collaborate in a community-wide, comprehensive movement.

Reducing the risk of obesity in childhood—Encouraging an early start on healthy habits

        Nancy Bakken with the Saint Alphonsus Foundation says educators, childcare providers, and others are sharing information about healthy habits with children, but this effort falls flat if it’s not supported by what children are learning at home. “You can preach all you want to children in all different manners, but if what they hear at school isn’t what is being taught at home, it’s not going to gain a foothold,” she says.

        Bakken is chairing the committee for Pillar 1 and its efforts to educate parents to model healthy, active lives for their children. Her group includes representatives of the Junior League of Boise, Catholic schools, the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children, WIC, Head Start, Central District Health Dept., and others.

        She said these various groups have the ability to approach parent education from different and complementary angles. The Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, for example, has a program that focuses on prenatal nutrition. Other programs focus on curriculum for preschool and school-age children, into which they’re now working to implement a parent outreach component.   Additional programs include community events for families, like the Junior League’s Kids in the Kitchen program.

        The Saint Alphonsus Foundation provides online curriculum in the Boise and Meridian school districts through their HealthTeacher program. The goal of the program is improving the health literacy of students in participating schools. Handouts are now available for children to take home to their parents.

        “If we don’t bring the parents into the loop it’s not going to have a lasting impact,” she says.

Partnerships to improve access to and affordability of healthy food

        Erin Guerricabeitia of the Boise Urban Garden School (BUGS), and chair of Pillar 2, says that coordinating efforts of the various organizations addressing hunger issues will ensure healthy, affordable food is available to Treasure Valley families.

        While BUGS primarily focuses on education rather than feeding the hungry, a new “Grow a Row” program that teaches adults and children how to garden will also develop partnerships to make the food they grow available to local food banks, which suffer from a chronic scarcity of fresh produce.

        Guerricabeitia says one objective of her Pillar is ensuring that it’s easy to donate extra produce. “A lot of the times I think that people are very willing to grow food for other people,” she said, “but if the distribution method is not easily accessible for that gardener, then this system breaks down.”

        BUGS will also partner with other organizations, like the Idaho Botanical Garden and their organic gardening classes, to develop more opportunities for people to contribute fresh fruits and vegetables for distribution.

        Guerricabeitia says that with these partnerships, part of BUGS educational focus will now also be about putting an accurate face on the hunger and food insecurity many Idaho families face every day.

        “Food insecurity generally means that somebody doesn’t know where their next meal is coming from,” she said. “When someone is in that position, the quality of food they choose is lower quality, less expensive. You might see a family of obese people on food stamps. They’re accessing food, but [are making] decisions about what foods they eat based upon cost and perishability rather than nutrition.”

Healthy Food for Schools—Fresh produce replaces the Sloppy Joe 

        Of course, the Boise School District is working on the education front as well, says Peggy Moore Bodnar, who supervises the district’s Food and Nutrition Services department. Bodnar also chairs Pillar 3, Healthy Food for Schools.

        In addition to the Let’s Move Boise initiative, Boise Schools are taking part in the USDA HealthierUS Program, which recognizes schools for taking specific steps to improve student health and fitness. The program includes nutrition education and a fresh fruit or vegetable snack every day in the classroom at each of eight Title I elementary schools in the valley. Bodnar says the program introduces kids to foods that may be new to them, and engages them with information about where the food comes from. While the members of her Pillar had yet to meet at the time this article was written, she said gaining recognition for all Boise elementary schools as meeting the HealthierUS highest standards in nutrition and fitness is among the goals she’d like to set.

        Last year the school district was a pilot for the national Farm to School program that connects K–12 schools and local farms to improve student nutrition and support local agriculture. Even in its early stages, the district went beyond the parameters of the program, serving a locally grown food every day in every school in the district in early fall, when fresh local produce was readily available. Bodnar says the district’s commitment to the program is stronger this year, and they’re incorporating a “harvest day” event where all items served throughout the day are local items, from Hagerman trout to Idaho baked potatoes and lots of local fruits and vegetables. Bodnar says these programs have meet with success in getting kids to eat a broader range of foods.

        “What we’ve seen with these programs is that…the amount of foods students were taking didn’t necessarily increase,” Bodnar said, “But the consumption increased, and waste decreased. I think some of that has to do with quality and the variety of foods we serve with our focus being on Idaho. I also think the increase in awareness has helped.”

        But Bodnar says the district’s efforts fall flat if not reinforced by messages the kids receive at home. She says the schools send home a menu so parents can see what kids are getting. Parents are encouraged to join their child at school to have lunch, or join them for school breakfast, which Bodnar says is an underutilized service available through the school nutrition program.

Encouraging physical exercise— Keeping kids healthy by reducing screen time

        Chuck Darby, with the City of Boise Department of Parks and Recreation, has been a PE teacher and coach and is passionate about keeping kids active. He’s encouraged by the amount of enthusiasm he sees from the public for free or low cost programs, but knows there’s room for improvement.

        Darby says some kids experience obstacles accessing activities when parents work and they can’t walk or bike to the site. The city does have a mobile recreation program that goes directly to schools and parks to provide opportunities for children, but he says there’s more to be done.

        On the other hand, there are children who grow up in an environment where there is too much structure to their play, like those who play competitive team sports at an early age. They could burn out on activity by not having enough time to choose their own form of play.

        “Structured activities have definitely taken their toll on kids seeking activity on their own,” he says. “When they come home, they want to sit and watch TV or play a video game.”

        Darby says members of Pillar 4 would like to promote a variety of free and low cost activities in a variety of locations for ease of access. Future development on the Let’s Move Boise website should soon allow for an event calendar and descriptions of activities.

        “If we can help try to promote particularly nonprofit groups that are free or minimal cost, that’s what we’re looking for,” he said. “We have to work together, we can’t just hope to be out there working individually and have the same impact.”

        For more information about Let’s Move Boise, including upcoming activities, descriptions of the four Pillars, and links to the local partners involved, visit letsmoveboise.org.

Beth Markley is a consultant and writer. She and her husband live in Boise with their two boys.