Location:
Problem
Addressed: Educational and
Community-Based Programs
Healthy
People 2010 Objective: 7, 19
Fit & Fun is a school to community
physical fitness and nutrition program designed to address the obesity problems
among children in four rural
While a variety of health and
human service programs exist in these communities, services for youth and
families are fragmented and often limited by distance and lack of
transportation. Additional access barriers exist in the community as a result
of poorly maintained rural roads, a shortage of health professionals, and
differing county jurisdictions.
THE MODEL
Blueprint:
The Healthy Community Alliance serves
rural communities in four western
The program began in 1999 and
serves children who are in grades pre-kindergarten through 8th
grade, their families, and the community. The two major contributing factors to
the growing obesity epidemic are addressed—poor nutrition and physical
inactivity. Educational presentations, informational displays, and group
activities about nutrition and physical activity are provided for participants.
In 2003, the Fit & Fun program obtained a copyright through the U.S.
Copyright Office.
There are five major
components to the Fit & Fun program including Healthy Snack Taste Testing,
Healthy Choices Sticker Program, Fitness Bucks, Fit & Fun Relay Night, and
Family Fit & Fun Night. All activities take place in the school setting
except for the Fitness Bucks activity where students record their amount of
physical activity in and outside the school setting. A Fit & Fun manual was
developed to assist schools beyond the
The Healthy Community
Alliance has paid and donated staff members. Paid staff include the program
coordinator at 0.85 FTE (full time equivalent), the public relations
coordinator at 0.1 FTE, and a staff member in charge of finance at 0.1 FTE. The
The New York State Department
of Health, the Governor’s Initiative for Children with Diabetes awarded the
While there is no direct line
item in the Healthy Community Alliance budget, Fit & Fun is promoted through
the agency, and funding is pursued on an ongoing basis. It is brought to the
attention of potential funders/supporters through press releases, community
events, brochures, newsletter articles, and word of mouth. It is publicized to
prospective clients through community events, news articles, school
newsletters, and meetings with school administrators and staff, as well as
through a website.
Making a
Difference: Each activity of Fit & Fun has its own evaluation component and
includes educational material shared with participants and parents. For
example, the Healthy Snack Taste Testing activity includes a survey of
participants about the likes and dislikes of the food they are offered.
Students are also asked if they have tried a new food to determine whether they
have introduced another food to their diet.
Evaluation of the Healthy
Choices Sticker Program tracks the number of days in the three-week program the
students choose and eat fruits or vegetables. Through the food service
director, the consumption of fruits and vegetables for several weeks before,
during, and after the program is measured to determine the effect the program has on student food choices.
The Fitness Bucks evaluation measures
the amount and frequency of student daily physical activity during the three
week program. The Relay Team Night program evaluation records the number of
students and adults who participate and receive physical activity information.
The Fit & Fun Family Night program evaluation provides information on the
number of people who participate in activities, receive educational materials,
and add to their knowledge about basic nutrition and physical activity
recommendations.
Beginnings: Significant
health risk behaviors among youth were observed through the 1998–1999 Personal
Wellness Profile surveys administered in three school districts in Gowanda,
Chronic disease is also
common. For example, results revealed that 38
percent of students in grades K–6th of the
The original stakeholders
were partners in a five year grant to implement Fit & Fun at
Challenges
and Solutions: The most difficult challenge has been developing
effective evaluation tools to measure the program’s success since long-term
effects may take years to determine. The
Sharon Noecker, Program
Coordinator
Phone: (716) 532-1010
Fax: (716) 532-1011