Summary Action Plan to Address and Prevent Youth Obesity

in the Greater Ellsworth Area

Compiled by the Youth Obesity Think Tank, March 2008

Physical Activity

• Work with city and municipal planners to encourage the development of trails, sidewalks and bikeways, for recreation and transportation
• Involve youth in creating physical activity programs, facilities and education in school and community settings
• Incorporate physical activity into school classes and daily routines

Healthy Eating

• Involve youth in creating school menus and preparing foods
• Provide nutrition education for youth and parents in multiple settings (school, community, health care, etc.) – and make it fun!
• Incorporate more fresh and locally-grown produce in school lunches
• Change our “food culture”: encourage healthy relationships with food at home, at school and in community settings (i.e. Permit healthy snacks during class, provide more time for meals, eat and cook together, eliminate food rewards, more fruit and vegetables as a regular part of the diet, encourage gardens)
• Plant gardens at home, school, worksites, and in the community

Community & Workplace

• Encourage intergenerational, family-focused activities in our communities that get people active and encourage positive social connections
• Develop worksite wellness opportunities focused on health and obesity prevention (i.e. healthy foods at meetings, “walking meetings”
• Role modeling of healthy behaviors in all venues (adults eating more fruits and vegetables
• Encourage families to eat meals, cook, play, and be active together

Consistent Messaging

• 5210 – a science-based message can be used in school, health care and community venues, either in whole or in part.
  • Encourage kids to do the following daily:
  • Eat 5 or more fruits and/or vegetables
  • Have 2 hours or less of total ‘screen time’
  • Participate in 1 hour or more of physical activity
  • Drink 0 soda/sugared beverages
• Spread: Everyone can apply the same messages consistently in their own sphere of influence – family, workplace, school, etc.

High School kids displaying the adverse
effects of tobacco use

High school youth with Governor Baldacci at
American Lung Association gathering