Coalition is collaborative effort to fight childhood obesity

Staff report

BOARDMAN

The William Swanston Charitable Fund has donated $150,000 to fund the Mahoning Valley Healthy Kids Coalition, a newly organized collaborative effort to fight the childhood-obesity epidemic in Mahoning and Trumbull counties.

The coalition, led by Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley, is a multifaceted, evidence-based approach to childhood obesity that is expected to have a measurable impact on the health and well-being of local children, officials said.

In 2013, the Swanston fund requested proposals for innovative projects impacting nutrition and physical fitness for at-risk children in Mahoning and Trumbull counties, with a focus on birth through middle-school age as well as pregnant women.

“We were delighted with the number of agencies open to making significant changes to impact the health and well-being of at-risk children in our Valley,” said Paul M. Dutton, board chairman of the Swanston fund.

Among the proposals was the Healthy Kids Coalition.

Through comprehensive nutrition and fitness programs focused on the three key areas of prevention, intervention and awareness, the coalition will work to create healthy lifestyles and healthy futures for vulnerable and at-risk children in Mahoning and Trumbull counties, said JoAnn Stock, director of development for Akron Children’s Mahoning Valley.

Programming will include Eat Healthy, Be Active parent-education workshops presented at area libraries; in-service training sessions with resource toolkits for preschool providers and school districts in Mahoning and Trumbull counties; Future Fitness programs in schools and area wellness centers; and physician training and outreach for local pediatricians and family practice providers, Stock said.

In addition to Akron Children’s Mahoning Valley, the Healthy Kids Coalition includes these partners: Mahoning County Health Department, Trumbull County Health Department, Junior League of Youngstown, Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, Warren-Trumbull County Public Library, Mahoning and Trumbull County schools and preschools, and area wellness centers including the Davis and downtown Youngstown YMCAs, and the Niles Wellness Center.

The program’s evaluation methods also will be closely monitored and have both clinical and behavioral outcomes. These will include tracking, evaluations, pre/post testing, and medical screening/benchmarks (height, weight, body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose screening).

Also, evidence-based programs such as Akron Children’s Future Fitness programs, MyPlate.gov, and the National Institutes of Health’s EatPlayGrow educational curriculum will be incorporated into the Healthy Kids Coalition programming, local officials said.