Schools can make it happen through selecting health campaigns that provide a simple message lead the way to health. Eating less and moving more is a solution to the obesity crisis which requires lots of small steps. The Lean Team is here to help you set priorities and offer resources to support your individual health campaign. The goal is to include teachers, students, parents, and community volunteers.
Smoking is the perfect example of how we have changed from a world where it was not uncommon to see patients and health care workers smoking in hospitals to whole communities going smokeless. The change took lots of people over a long period of time with lots of different approaches to encourage individuals to make changes. Everyone must be part of the solution! What we eat and how we move is complex. Within schools, there are issues including vending machines, cafeteria foods, school canteens, our attitudes towards one another, safety in walking to school, access to fast foods, opportunities to exercise, and so much more. Within our homes, there are issues of access to television, families who are "too busy" to cook, lives that are so busy, that fast food seems like the only alternative. We must be creative to encourage a healthy lifestyle which will produce measurable benefits!
The 5-2-1-0 Challenge 5 - Consume 5 fruits and/or vegetables each day
2 - Limit screen time to no more than 2 hours each day
1 - Exercise for 1 hour each day
0 - No sugared beverages If all of us could do these things, there would be no obesity health crisis. Everyone has areas for improvement. This is not a pass fail test but an opportunity to think about where you are and selecting priorities for change. Student to Student Burke High School in Charleston is leading the way with a student to student support system for change. Health science students become mentors to peers. Rather than being ridiculed for very sensitive weight issues, students can find peers who are powerful sources of information, motivation, and accountability.
| 
